No raw photos?

[borislip]

Reading how Mavic mini is going to have a similar camera to the MP i currently have, yet being much lighter, i've been seriously considering buying it, primarily for still photos. But now, reading the final specs, i've noticed it only shoots jpeg. Is this correct, or is it some kind of specs mistake? Nothing should theoretically prevent DJI from adding raw support.

On MP shooting jpeg you get something like this:


While shooting raw you can easily turn the same shot into something like this, barely even touching the pic:


I'd really like to lose some weight from MP to mini, but losing raw capability sounds too bad to be true.

Can anyone confirm there is really no raw support? Also, is there some kind of hack to enable it anyway?

 

[Stan1915]

SPECS


MAVIC MINI
Aircraft

• Takeoff Weight [1]
• 249 g / 199 g (JP)
• Dimensions
• Folded: 140×82×57 mm (L×W×H)
  Unfolded: 160×202×55 mm (L×W×H)
  Unfolded (with propellers): 245×290×55 mm (L×W×H)
• Diagonal Distance
• 213 mm
• Max Ascent Speed
• 4 m/s (S Mode)
  2 m/s (P Mode)
  1.5 m/s (C Mode)
• Max Descent Speed
• 3 m/s (S Mode)
  1.8 m/s (P Mode)
  1 m/s (C Mode)
• Max Speed (near sea level, no wind)
• 13 m/s (S Mode)
  8 m/s (P Mode)
  4 m/s (C Mode)
• Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level
• 3000 m
• Max Flight Time
• 30 minutes (measured while flying at 14 kph in windless conditions)
• Max Wind Speed Resistance
• 8 m/s (Scale 4)
• Max Tilt Angle
• 30° (S Mode)
  20° (P Mode)
  20° (C Mode)
• Max Angular Velocity
• 150°/s (S Mode)
  130°/s (P Mode)
  30°/s (C Mode)
• Operating Temperature Range
• 0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F)
• Operating Frequency
• Model MT1SS5: 5.725-5.850 GHz
  Model MT1SD25: 2.400-2.4835 GHz, 5.725-5.850 GHz
• Transmission Power (EIRP)
• Model MT1SS5
  5.8 GHz: <30 dBm (FCC); <28 dBm (SRRC)
  Model MT1SD25
  2.4 GHz: <19 dBm (MIC/CE)
  5.8 GHz: <14 dBm (CE)
• GNSS
• GPS+GLONASS
• Hovering Accuracy Range
• Vertical: ±0.1 m (with Vision Positioning), ±0.5 m (with GPS Positioning)
  Horizontal: ±0.1 m (with Vision Positioning), ±1.5 m (with GPS Positioning)

Gimbal

• Mechanical Range
• Tilt: -110° to 35°
  Roll: -35° to 35°
  Pan: -20° to 20°
• Controllable Range
• Tilt: -90° to 0° (default setting) -90° to +20° (extended)
• Stabilization
• 3-axis (tilt, roll, pan)
• Max Control Speed (tilt)
• 120°/s
• Angular Vibration Range
• ±0.01°

Sensing System

• Downward
• Operating Range: 0.5-10 m
• Operating Environment
• Non-reflective, discernable surfaces
  Diffuse reflectivity (>20%)
  Adequate lighting (lux>15)

Camera

• Sensor
• 1/2.3” CMOS
  Effective Pixels: 12 MP
• Lens
• FOV: 83°
  35 mm Format Equivalent: 24 mm
  Aperture: f/2.8
  Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞
• ISO Range
• Video:
  100-3200 (Auto)
  Photo:
  100-1600 (Auto)
  100-3200 (Manual)
• Shutter Speed
• Electronic Shutter: 4-1/8000s
• Still Image Size
• 4:3: 4000×3000
  16:9: 4000×2250
• Still Photography Modes
• Single shot
  Interval: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
• Video Resolution
• 2.7 K: 2720×1530 25/30 p
  FHD: 1920×1080 25/30/50/60 p
• Max Video Bitrate
• 40 Mbps
• Supported File System
• FAT32（≤32 GB）
  exFAT（>32 GB）
• Photo Format
• JPEG
• Video Format
• MP4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC）

Remote Controller & Video Transmission

• Operating Frequency
• Model MR1SS5: 5.725-5.850 GHz
  Model MR1SD25: 2.400-2.4835 GHz, 5.725-5.850 GHz
• Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference)
• Model MR1SS5
  5.8 GHz: 4000 m (FCC); 2500 m (SRRC)
  Model MR1SD25
  2.4 GHz: 2000 m (MIC/CE)
  5.8 GHz: 500 m (CE)
• Operating Temperature Range
• 0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F)
• Transmission Power (EIRP)
• Model MR1SS5
  5.8 GHz: <30 dBm (FCC); <28 dBm (SRRC)
  Model MR1SD25
  2.4 GHz: <19 dBm (MIC/CE)
  5.8 GHz: <14 dBm (CE)
• Battery Capacity
• 2600 mAh
• Operating Current/Voltage
• 1200 mA 3.6 V (Android)
  700 mA 3.6 V (iOS)
• Supported Mobile Device Size
• Max length: 160 mm
  Max thickness: 6.5-8.5 mm
• Supported USB Port Types
• Lightning, Micro USB (Type-B), USB Type-C
• Video Transmission System
• Enhanced Wi-Fi
• Live View Quality
• 720p/30fps
• Max. Bitrate
• 4 Mbps
• Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device)
• 170-240 ms

Charger

• Input
• 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.5A
• Output
• 12V 1.5 A / 9V 2A / 5V 3A
• Rated Power
• 18 W

Intelligent Flight Battery

• Capacity
• 2400 mAh
• Voltage
• 7.2 V
• Max Charging Voltage
• 8.4 V
• Battery Type
• Li-ion 2S
• Energy
• 17.28 Wh
• Net Weight
• 100 g
• Charging Temperature Range
• 5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
• Max Charging Power
• 24 W

Intelligent Flight Battery (1100 mAh)

• Capacity
• 1100 mAh
• Voltage
• 7.6 V
• Max Charging Voltage
• 8.7 V
• Battery Type
• LiPo 2S
• Energy
• 8.36 Wh
• Net Weight
• 50 g
• Charging Temperature Range
• 5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
• Max Charging Power
• 18 W

APP

• Name
• DJI Fly
• Required Operating System
• iOS v10.0 or later Android v6.0 or later

Supported SD Cards

• Supported SD Cards
• UHS-I Speed Class 3 or above is required. A list of reccomended microSD cards can be found below.
• Recommended microSD Cards
• 16 GB: SanDisk Extreme, Lexar 633x
  32 GB: SamSung Pro Endurance, SamSung Evo Plus, SanDisk Industrial, SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme Pro V30 A1, Lexar 633x, Lexar 667x
  64 GB: SamSung Pro Endurance, SamSung Evo Plus, SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, Lexar 633x, Lexar 667x, Lexar 1000x, Toshiba EXCERIA M303 V30 A1, Netac Pro V30 A1
  128 GB: SamSung Pro Plus, SamSung Evo Plus, SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme Plus V30 A1, Lexar 633x, Lexar 667x, Lexar 1000x, Toshiba EXCERIA M303 V30 A1, Netac Pro V30 A1
  256 GB: SanDisk Extreme V30 A1

Footnotes

• Footnotes
• 1. Aircraft takeoff weight (includes battery and propellers). Registration not required in some countries and regions. Check local rules and regulations before use.These specs have been determined through tests conducted with the latest firmware. Firmware updates can enhance performance, so updating to the latest firmware is highly recommended.

 

[CanadaDrone]

There is no RAW support as per DJI's own spec sheet on the Mini.

That edit you posted (great shot by the way) is quite minor and would likely be possible on a JPEG as well - the highlights are still (mostly) blown and the shadows don't appear to have been raised, so you wouldn't really be gaining much in this particular example. There has been some recovery in the clouds, but it's hard to say how much of that would be possible with the JPEG as well.

Also, I think a lot of people don't realize that even if you could shoot RAW, the processing leeway you get with that 1/2.3" sensor is so low anyway that it barely makes a difference. RAW would be better still, but we're splitting hairs here for most cases. On something like the Mavic 2 Pro with the 1" Sony sensor, RAW shooting is a completely different story and you have more dynamic range and significant processing leeway for shadow/highlight recovery - on these tiny sensors, not so much.

 

[borislip]

• Photo Format
• JPEG

Yea, i've seen the specs :-(
Has been kinda hoping this is just an incorrect documentation.

 

[Deleted member 3792]

No RAW, only jpeg:s. It has been such a hype for this drone that it should be a gamechanger but that is not true in my eyes. It’s a drone for beginners with limited regulations and laws. It’s not an MP, not an Inspire, it missing lots of things that talks to me. For example, I missing shallow focus from the Spark, not even the Mavic Pro has that. There is several other things I want’s in a drone.

 

[borislip]

There is no RAW support as per DJI's own spec sheet on the Mini.

That edit you posted (great shot by the way) is quite minor and would likely be possible on a JPEG as well - the highlights are still (mostly) blown and the shadows don't appear to have been raised, so you wouldn't really be gaining much in this particular example. There has been some recovery in the clouds, but it's hard to say how much of that would be possible with the JPEG as well.

Also, I think a lot of people don't realize that even if you could shoot RAW, the processing leeway you get with that 1/2.3" sensor is so low anyway that it barely makes a difference. RAW would be better still, but we're splitting hairs here for most cases. On something like the Mavic 2 Pro with the 1" Sony sensor, RAW shooting is a completely different story and you have more dynamic range and significant processing leeway for shadow/highlight recovery - on these tiny sensors, not so much.

Not the best example indeed, but i did manage to get quite a lot of details from MP tiny sensor before by underexposing and pulling the shadows up, despite the limited dynamic range. Yea, i can't compare it to my LX10 with the 1" sensor (and hey, should we start mentioning full frame DSLR bodies, lol). I totally agree, you don't really get much in terms of shadows/highlights recovery. But you still get something. And there is a lot of difference between pulling up a bit of noise in the shadows vs pulling up jpg compression artifacts there instead.

Sadly, i do think missing raw support is a showstopper for me. Guess i can try & find some pics i did the most editing on, extract the raw preview from the dng, and try the same edit to see how bad it is, but seems to me i am going to miss the raw, badly.

 

[borislip]

No RAW, only jpeg:s. It has been such a hype for this drone that it should be a gamechanger but that is not true in my eyes. It’s a drone for beginners with limited regulations and laws. It’s not an MP, not an Inspire, it missing lots of things that talks to me. For example, I missing shallow focus from the Spark, not even the Mavic Pro has that. There is several other things I want’s in a drone.

As compact as MP is in the drones world, this little bird could have been a gamechanger indeed, because of its tiny size. Guess i've been kinda expecting it to be the MP replacement, with similar filming/photo capabilities (and hey, why wouldn't i expect that, this thing carries a similarly sized camera, with an identical sized sensor), which MP2Pro being the next step, and the bigger ones being pro-users... guess i've been wrong, and its a beginner drone indeed. Although, my "beginner drone" has been a $30 Syma, not a $400 DJI bird.

 

[PAW]

There is no RAW support as per DJI's own spec sheet on the Mini.

That edit you posted (great shot by the way) is quite minor and would likely be possible on a JPEG as well - the highlights are still (mostly) blown and the shadows don't appear to have been raised, so you wouldn't really be gaining much in this particular example.

3 clicks in Topaz Studio yielded this JPEG from OPs JPEG.
Adjust AI, DeNoise AI, and Sharpen AI

 

[borislip]

Right, lets take an image, cripple it down with jpg compression, and then try reverting that using AI algorithms...

You knoe you can just render anything those day... why do we need drones, lets just do some CGI.

 

[borislip]

Although, i have to admit, results do look impressive.

 

[JoostGT3]

There is no RAW support as per DJI's own spec sheet on the Mini.

That edit you posted (great shot by the way) is quite minor and would likely be possible on a JPEG as well - the highlights are still (mostly) blown and the shadows don't appear to have been raised, so you wouldn't really be gaining much in this particular example. There has been some recovery in the clouds, but it's hard to say how much of that would be possible with the JPEG as well.

Also, I think a lot of people don't realize that even if you could shoot RAW, the processing leeway you get with that 1/2.3" sensor is so low anyway that it barely makes a difference. RAW would be better still, but we're splitting hairs here for most cases. On something like the Mavic 2 Pro with the 1" Sony sensor, RAW shooting is a completely different story and you have more dynamic range and significant processing leeway for shadow/highlight recovery - on these tiny sensors, not so much.

I notices the same. I am an avid fan of post processing raw pictures, but found that with the MP1, there isn’t much to be gained anyway in most of the cases.

 

[Unknown Pilot]

Omitting raw was a banal decision. You can’t even pretend it was a weight consideration. It’s just code.

 

[borislip]

Omitting raw was a banal decision. You can’t even pretend it was a weight consideration. It’s just code.

The only reason to omit raw, that "may' make some limited sense would probably be marketing, to differentiate between the products or something.

But from the other sides, they have probably lost quite a lot of buyers because of this.

Again, i do agree there isn't MUCH to be gained from raw in MP1, or, for that purpose, on a mobile phone etc. But "isn't much" isn't the same as no gain at all. Far from it.

 

[JoostGT3]

MAYBE omitting RAW resulted in a smaller/cheaper/lighter buffer or signal transfer component? That and the product diversification argument already mentioned are the only things I can come up with...

 

[PAW]

Right, lets take an image, cripple it down with jpg compression, and then try reverting that using AI algorithms...

You knoe you can just render anything those day... why do we need drones, lets just do some CGI.

I shoot RAW/JPEG most of the time and usually process the RAW capture. Not trying to suggest JPEG is a better choice than RAW brother, just supporting @CanadaDrone's position that JPEGs can easily be processed into good shots as well.

 

[borislip]

Nope, the buffer part doesn't make much sense. Cause hey, it got the buffer for at least one frame + jpeg processing on it. Skip that processing and SAVE that buffer. Nothing to do with transmission either, raws aren't sent over the RF link. Like, there is literally nothing that should stop them from simply saving the data before it goes to jpeg engine.

MAYBE omitting RAW resulted in a smaller/cheaper/lighter buffer or signal transfer component? That and the product diversification argument already mentioned are the only things I can come up with...

 

[borislip]

... anyway, i kinda hope DJI adds it in a FW update. But judging by Spark, its likely better to just forget about it [emoji2]

Glad i didn't jump on the hype and order this bird right away, lol.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I shoot RAW/JPEG most of the time and usually process the RAW capture. Not trying to suggest JPEG is a better choice than RAW brother, just supporting @CanadaDrone's position that JPEGs can easily be processed into good shots as well.

I'd just like to clarify that this is specifically regarding the 1/2.3" sensors - the 1" sensor in the Mavic 2 Pro is an entirely different story and has enormous (relative) post processing leeway, night and day better than the tiny 1/2.3" sensors. On the ultra tiny sensors, there is still a slight benefit to shooting RAW over JPEG but it's mostly trivial.

If all you're going to do is make light adjustments to contrast, saturation, etc. then you can do that with just a JPEG. If you need to recover lost highlights or raise shadows a lot, you will want a quality RAW file from something like the Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[borislip]

My dream bird would something like the MP2P (camera sensor wise) but as tiny and lite as the new mini, lol. And yea, can i please have it stable enough or having some magical supernatural OIS, thar it would take long exposure in a moderate strength wind [emoji6]

I'd just like to clarify that this is specifically regarding the 1/2.3" sensors - the 1" sensor in the Mavic 2 Pro is an entirely different story and has enormous (relative) post processing leeway, night and day better than the tiny 1/2.3" sensors. On the ultra tiny sensors, there is still a slight benefit to shooting RAW over JPEG but it's mostly trivial.

If all you're going to do is make light adjustments to contrast, saturation, etc. then you can do that with just a JPEG. If you need to recover lost highlights or raise shadows a lot, you will want a quality RAW file from something like the Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[BluecornNM]

MAYBE omitting RAW resulted in a smaller/cheaper/lighter buffer or signal transfer component? That and the product diversification argument already mentioned are the only things I can come up with...

Nope. All modern sensors shoot in raw format Internally; this one included. The raw data needs to be converted, by software, to jpg.

There's no technical reason it wasn't included. It had to be a marketing or product management choice.

It's being hyped as a drone for everyone. I think they're just trying to keep it simple. If you want raw, DJI wants more money from you.