Mavic3 Pro 3x lens - 12MP or 48MP?

[marcosvc]

I have a doubt. The Mavic3 pro's 3x lens allows for 12MP or 48MP. What's the real difference. Are the 12MP real pixels? Is the 48MP pixel interpolation (or division)? For better quality, which one should I use?

 

[AlanL]

I can't really say how well the 12MP mode works as I have only used 48MP since I took delivery. I am very pleased with the level of detail I am getting from these images even at 100% so I saw no useful reason to even care about the 12MP setting. 48MP is the native mode of the sensor and 12MP is accomplished by using a Quad Bayer pixel configuration.

As a point of reference I am a still photographer and am not into video so YMMV.

 

[Wreckhunter]

I can't really say how well the 12MP mode works as I have only used 48MP since I took delivery. I am very pleased with the level of detail I am getting from these images even at 100% so I saw no useful reason to even care about the 12MP setting. 48MP is the native mode of the sensor and 12MP is accomplished by using a Quad Bayer pixel configuration.

As a point of reference I am a still photographer and am not into video so YMMV.

I think its the other way around 12 is native mode,and 48 is accomplished by using the Quad Bayer configuration.

 

[AlanL]

I think its the other way around 12 is native mode,and 48 is accomplished by using the Quad Bayer configuration.

There are 48MP in the sensor and if you divide it into clusters of 4 pixels you get 12MP. 12MP is a software calculated output from the 48MP sensor. I use DNG outputs only and have plenty of software tools to refine the 48MP outputs.

If you do a lot of jpeg imaging or HDR for faceplant and instagram you might care about the 12MP mode. I don't and will say it again - Your Mileage May Vary depending on what you do with your images. My post here is to simply say the 48MP mode is not a compromised or interpolated result and offers up some good quality images. I haven't experienced any issues that would convince me to downgrade to 12MP with the 70mm lens camera configuration.

 

[BobaFut]

I set mine to 48mp right out of the box and was extremely impressed with the results (RAW, DLOG-M), so I don't feel compelled to change it back.

 

[Wreckhunter]

There are 48MP in the sensor and if you divide it into clusters of 4 pixels you get 12MP. 12MP is a software calculated output from the 48MP sensor. I use DNG outputs only and have plenty of software tools to refine the 48MP outputs.

If you do a lot of jpeg imaging or HDR for faceplant and instagram you might care about the 12MP mode. I don't and will say it again - Your Mileage May Vary depending on what you do with your images. My post here is to simply say the 48MP mode is not a compromised or interpolated result and offers up some good quality images. I haven't experienced any issues that would convince me to downgrade to 12MP with the 70mm lens camera configuration.

Ah no,still wrong.for one in the fly app select photo it has an option the says 48,to be able to select the 48mp setting.
For one if it was a 48 mp sensor,it would say 12 as an option.So you still have it backwards.So notice again above it has
an OPTION to select the 48 mp mode.It is a true 12mp sensor period.Go and check around and you will find you have it
backwards.As I do not want or feel like engaging in this matter,have a good day.

 

[Ty Pilot]

The sensor size for the 3X lens is 12MP. The main camera (MFT sensor) is only 20 MP.

Google > Pixel Binning

 

[mobilehomer]

Same sensor as the Mini 3 Pro, 12 with 48 quad bayer

 

[marcosvc]

There are 48MP in the sensor and if you divide it into clusters of 4 pixels you get 12MP. 12MP is a software calculated output from the 48MP sensor. I use DNG outputs only and have plenty of software tools to refine the 48MP outputs.

If you do a lot of jpeg imaging or HDR for faceplant and instagram you might care about the 12MP mode. I don't and will say it again - Your Mileage May Vary depending on what you do with your images. My post here is to simply say the 48MP mode is not a compromised or interpolated result and offers up some good quality images. I haven't experienced any issues that would convince me to downgrade to 12MP with the 70mm lens camera configuration.

Alan in my opinion this 1/1.3 sensor is 12 MP. This "48MP" is megapixel interpolation or Pixel binning.
As i know, the number of pixels does not mean better quality, as sensor size is more important than number of pixels because larger pixels capture more light, resulting in photos and videos with more details and lower noise.
my question is: does this "48MP" get better quality than the real 12 MP? I would like to see one technical response.

 

[AlanL]

Alan in my opinion this 1/1.3 sensor is 12 MP. This "48MP" is megapixel interpolation or Pixel binning.
As i know, the number of pixels does not mean better quality, as sensor size is more important than number of pixels because larger pixels capture more light, resulting in photos and videos with more details and lower noise.
my question is: does this "48MP" get better quality than the real 12 MP? I would like to see one technical response.

The OP question was whether 48MP had acceptable outputs. Yes I have googled pixel binning and am quite familiar with the concept from my days flying an Air 2.

I am quite happy with 48MP mode and have no interest in either using 12MP or endlessly arguing about the technology. I stand by my 48MP mode recommendation.

 

[Meta4]

For better quality, which one should I use?

my question is: does this "48MP" get better quality than the real 12 MP? I would like to see one technical response.

Do a little testing for yourself and see what you think of the results.

 

[loop]

Judging from Mini 3 Pro sensor which is a different version of this with wider apperture, the 48mp images are more detailed than the 12 mp ones. But they are worse for low light conditions.

 

[Wreckhunter]

Judging from Mini 3 Pro sensor which is a different version of this with wider apperture, the 48mp images are more detailed than the 12 mp ones. But they are worse for low light conditions.

The jury is still out on if the stills are better on the 48mp mode,versus the basic 12mp sensor.
Personally I do not see any difference at all between the two.In good light and bad,but that is
just me.Every ones eyes are different ,and to some the 48mp setting may look better.But I am
not seeing it.

 

[loop]

I think if you zoom in you'll notice some enhancement in detail with the 48mpx.
But as I said, for low light the 12mpx setting is much better.

 

[marcosvc]

Do a little testing for yourself and see what you think of the results.

I made a test - indoor test. No editing, 3x original DNG . First picture 0294 is 48MP 62MB f2.8. exp 1/800s. Second picture 0295 is 10MP 15MB f2.8. exp 1/800s. In my opinion 10MP got the best visual results.
Obs. This is an indoor test. I will do the same for outdoor.

 

[marcosvc]

I made a test - indoor test. No editing, 3x original DNG . First picture 0294 is 48MP 62MB f2.8. exp 1/800s. Second picture 0295 is 10MP 15MB f2.8. exp 1/800s. In my opinion 10MP got the best visual results.
Obs. This is an indoor test. I will do the same for outdoor.

Now the outdoor test. 1st picture 48MPp. 2nd picture 10MP. Same configuration. 10MP looks better with less noise. I cut just a piece of the picture to fit in the forum's size limit.

 

[AlanL]

If you do any kind of deep dive into the sensor tech you will find that the sensor does have 48MP of resolution and the question is which software output you extract. If you need the tech specs for the sensor it is an Omnivision OV48C. 12MP is a calculated result that combines the pixels and calculates a more accurate rendering of each pixel it sends you in the DNG file. That said the 48MP mode is also a calculated output as well as is almost every digital file you get out of just about any camera you can buy. If you ever play around with building your own camera profiles (Adobe DNG Profile Editor for example) you will quickly find that no one is really giving you truly RAW sensor outputs. This is true for high end DSLRs as well where the camera manufacturer is tweaking the color and light profiles to fit their desired results. There is a very wide audience for people who want to fiddle with just about everything in sight and just as wide an audience for those who don't want to fiddle with anything at all.

If you run these images through a good Denoise filter (eg. Lightroom Denoise, DxO PureRAW, or Topaz Denoise AI) you will find that all of them clean up quite nicely (do note that DxO can't process the 70mm sensor yet). I run everything I shoot through Denoise filters whether it's from a drone or my DSLR just because I get better image quality when I do and for me image quality is everything. I did exactly the same testing you did with my old Air 2 and discovered that the additional pixel coverage with the 48MP mode was well worth the additional processing steps. With the Air 2 both modes truly sucked when it came to really low light anyway. The Mavic Pro 3 is far better with the 48MP images with a larger and better sensor than the Air 2 but the Quad Bayer software techniques are borrowed from phone cameras and are basically the same.

If your use case is using the captures with a minimum of processing if any processing then you might well be better off with the 12MP mode. I never use my images that way and have lots of techniques for reducing noise and enhancing detail so for my use case 48MP wins out hands down. I personally don't see any reason why anyone's approach is either right or wrong and it all boils down to what YOU want out of YOUR equipment and how you want to use it.

Keep playing with the two modes and include some real world imaging with your own favored processing techniques and chances are you will settle on one vs. the other as it works for how you wish to use your 70mm lens/sensor system. You may even find use cases for both modes. The best part about digital imaging vs. film is that taking extra images with digital is free and you can always delete what you don't want or didn't work.

 

[Meta4]

Here's a pair of jpgs straight out of the camera to compare

12 & 48 MP - Google Drive

drive.google.com

 

[MS Coast]

Here's a pair of jpgs straight out of the camera to compare

12 & 48 MP - Google Drive

drive.google.com

The EXIF information says that the shutter speeds are slightly different. 1/2000 for the 48mp v. 1/2500 for the 12 mp.

 

[Meta4]

The EXIF information says that the shutter speeds are slightly different. 1/2000 for the 48mp v. 1/2500 for the 12 mp.

That's something-nothing.
The images were shot 11 seconds apart and the exposure difference is probably because light values were changing with strong winds blowing the clouds.