Mavic Pro Platinum - Cine VS DLog - Settings +1, -1, -1 (TEST)

[RobH2]

I flew for the first time this year. Had to do it from my yard because Maryland is locked down due to Covid-19. I was really disappointed with the video I shot so I began doing a lot of reading. I decided to do a test at one of the settings that I found most common. I have a good environment to do a test in my back yard. You get bright sky as well as several objects that provide great detail to evaluate, like the brick, fence wood and trees.

Most commonly I found people recommending or using this: 4K @ 24fps / Shutter speed=50 (using ND) / Sharpness +1, Contrast -1 , Saturation -1

These is a lot of debate about Cinelike or DLog. So, I used the settings above and shot both and put them in one video side-by-side for comparison. Both have a typical LUT added but in the lower left corner of both I have an inset without the LUT. I did render it out at 1920x1080 so it wasn't so large but it is from 4K original footage.

Have a look at these and see if it helps you decide which is better. I prefer the shadow detail from the Cinelike. I was also very impressed with the lack of chromatic aberration around the small twigs against the bright sky. With my DSLRs (Canon 7D and 5D) I always get tremendous purples and blues around twigs in the sky. Impressive for the Mavic.

I hope this is useful.

Mavic Pro_Settings Test[Cine-V-DLog_+1-1-1]_05-03-20.mp4

drive.google.com

Screengrab preview:

 

[eduard_v]

I flew for the first time this year. Had to do it from my yard because Maryland is locked down due to Covid-19. I was really disappointed with the video I shot so I began doing a lot of reading. I decided to do a test at one of the settings that I found most common. I have a good environment to do a test in my back yard. You get bright sky as well as several objects that provide great detail to evaluate, like the brick, fence wood and trees.

Most commonly I found people recommending or using this: 4K @ 24fps / Shutter speed=50 (using ND) / Sharpness +1, Contrast -1 , Saturation -1

These is a lot of debate about Cinelike or DLog. So, I used the settings above and shot both and put them in one video side-by-side for comparison. Both have a typical LUT added but in the lower left corner of both I have an inset without the LUT. I did render it out at 1920x1080 so it wasn't so large but it is from 4K original footage.

Have a look at these and see if it helps you decide which is better. I prefer the shadow detail from the Cinelike. I was also very impressed with the lack of chromatic aberration around the small twigs against the bright sky. With my DSLRs (Canon 7D and 5D) I always get tremendous purples and blues around twigs in the sky. Impressive for the Mavic.

I hope this is useful.

Mavic Pro_Settings Test[Cine-V-DLog_+1-1-1]_05-03-20.mp4

drive.google.com

Screengrab preview:
View attachment 100414

Great test!
Are you not getting problems with compression artifacts?

 

[RobH2]

I don't seem to notice compression artifacts. I guess they are there if I really look for them. What I've realized is that as amazing as the drones are, the cameras are not really that great. Because of their size the sensor can only be so large and are not much better than cell phones. I use DSLRs a lot and there is a long way to go before we see that quality. Maybe some of the nicer cameras and lenses for the Inspire start to inch towards DSLR quality, but the Mavic, even the Mavic 2 videos I've see, look good, but they aren't technically amazing like a DSLR, again, understandably. We are flying smaller cameras around and not a full sized DSLR or Mirrorless camera.

I did a lot of rambling there, I think what I'm trying to say, is I've put aside my expectation for perfect video from my Mavic. Instead, the thrill for me is that we can fly cameras around and see the things we can with our drones. I've decided that the video will just be what it is and not to worry about it too much. With a little After Effects or Premier post-production I can generally get video that looks pretty darn good without any noticeable compression issues.

 

[eduard_v]

Yes you are right!
Don't expect miracles from a small sensor.

I meant that the video from the Mavic Pro is "famous" for excessive artifacts, but in your example, I did not see anything like that