Photo quality

[platypusx1]

Hi, just wondering if the photos on the pro 2 automatically shoot 20mp or if there’s a setting to change? Also I’ve found the hdr photos a lot more detailed the standard photos. Should I shoot hdr all the time or is there a specific time to use hdr? Many thanks for any responses

 

[brett8883]

Hi, just wondering if the photos on the pro 2 automatically shoot 20mp or if there’s a setting to change? Also I’ve found the hdr photos a lot more detailed the standard photos. Should I shoot hdr all the time or is there a specific time to use hdr? Many thanks for any responses

The Mavic 2 Pro will shoot the highest resolution when it is set to 2:3 aspect ratio.

HDR does allow high dynamic range and therefore seeming higher detail yes. HDR takes several photos with different exposure values and then layers them together. This is good for scenes with a high amount of contrast that otherwise would not be able to capture all the details especially in the shadow and highlight regions.

Because it takes multiple exposures and photos HDR is not suitable for active scenes with moving elements and subjects because the elements will have changed location within the frame from photo to photo causing a “ghosting” effect. Also because the a drone camera is never perfectly still from frame to frame due to vibration or turbulence there is a certain degree of sharpness lost using HDR when using a moving camera platform. The amount of sharpness lost will vary depending on factors like wind and perhaps you will decide you can’t tell a difference but from a technical standpoint a single frame is always sharpest.

There are some people who also do not like the look of HDR photos and think it looks unnatural. I disagree with this but worth noting.

 

[platypusx1]

Hi many thanks for your response, most helpful

 

[johnmeyer]

HDR will not give you more "detail." In fact, it will probably give you quite a bit less, because there is always slight movement between the 3-5 shots which are then combined together into a single image. What HDR will do is give you much more dynamic range so that you can see things in shadows that would otherwise simply be black, and avoid burnout in highlights, like white shirts, wedding gowns, etc.

 

[brett8883]

HDR will not give you more "detail." In fact, it will probably give you quite a bit less...

...you can see things in shadows that would otherwise simply be black, and avoid burnout in highlights, like white shirts, wedding gowns, etc.

These seem like contradictory statements even though I know what you mean.

 

[johnmeyer]

These seem like contradictory statements even though I know what you mean.

"Detail," to me, means what you can see on a resolution chart. In other words, can you see details, like the pattern of the fabric on a shirt.

Exposure and dynamic range is a completely and totally unrelated measurement of photo quality. If a photo is over- or under-exposed, you lose all of the image, not just the details. Things just disappear. The beauty of HDR, when it works, is that you can see into shadows and you can preserve the image in super-bright areas of the photo, such as what you get with snow on a bright, sunny day.

 

[brett8883]

"Detail," to me, means what you can see on a resolution chart. In other words, can you see details, like the pattern of the fabric on a shirt.

Exposure and dynamic range is a completely and totally unrelated measurement of photo quality. If a photo is over- or under-exposed, you lose all of the image, not just the details. Things just disappear. The beauty of HDR, when it works, is that you can see into shadows and you can preserve the image in super-bright areas of the photo, such as what you get with snow on a bright, sunny day.

Now you've lost me. You can certainly have just parts of a photo where everything is properly exposed EXCEPT one thing. Like near the Sun during sunset. Thats the point of hdr

 

[brett8883]

1. Seeing something where there wasn’t anything before is an increase in detail.

2. Being able to make out what that thing actually is means clarity or sharpness has increased.

Probably a matter of semantics but that’s how I was taught anyway.

HDR helps with the first one hurts with the second

 

[ccoltmanm]

Instead of HDR, take aeb shots and stitch them in post, if you can.

 

[WithTheBirds]

The Mavic 2 Pro will shoot the highest resolution when it is set to 2:3 aspect ratio.

HDR does allow high dynamic range and therefore seeming higher detail yes. HDR takes several photos with different exposure values and then layers them together. This is good for scenes with a high amount of contrast that otherwise would not be able to capture all the details especially in the shadow and highlight regions.

Because it takes multiple exposures and photos HDR is not suitable for active scenes with moving elements and subjects because the elements will have changed location within the frame from photo to photo causing a “ghosting” effect. Also because the a drone camera is never perfectly still from frame to frame due to vibration or turbulence there is a certain degree of sharpness lost using HDR when using a moving camera platform. The amount of sharpness lost will vary depending on factors like wind and perhaps you will decide you can’t tell a difference but from a technical standpoint a single frame is always sharpest.

There are some people who also do not like the look of HDR photos and think it looks unnatural. I disagree with this but worth noting.

HDR more often than occasionally looks unnatural..... Simply because the image is rendered in a way that you won’t see it with the naked eye. It. can be a great effect though with the right subject. Over enthusiastic use of the sliders in post will give the radioactive cat vomit effect. Done properly the viewer will be unsure if it is a HDR image:

 

[WithTheBirds]

Instead of HDR, take aeb shots and stitch them in post, if you can.

This is the way to go. Align stack and blend. Perhaps even include a HDR image in the stack with the option to bring in just enough so it doesn’t look like a cartoon.

 

[Mavic Maveric]

The Mavic 2 Pro will shoot the highest resolution when it is set to 2:3 aspect ratio.

HDR does allow high dynamic range and therefore seeming higher detail yes. HDR takes several photos with different exposure values and then layers them together. This is good for scenes with a high amount of contrast that otherwise would not be able to capture all the details especially in the shadow and highlight regions.

Because it takes multiple exposures and photos HDR is not suitable for active scenes with moving elements and subjects because the elements will have changed location within the frame from photo to photo causing a “ghosting” effect. Also because the a drone camera is never perfectly still from frame to frame due to vibration or turbulence there is a certain degree of sharpness lost using HDR when using a moving camera platform. The amount of sharpness lost will vary depending on factors like wind and perhaps you will decide you can’t tell a difference but from a technical standpoint a single frame is always sharpest.

There are some people who also do not like the look of HDR photos and think it looks unnatural. I disagree with this but worth noting.

I always shoot in Raw. I haven't investigated HDR on the Mavic yet but my guess is you can only use it by capturing in Jpeg. With my Canon I can shoot HDR in RAW but have to convert them to jpeg first for layering. If I want the camera to do it, I have to shoot in Jpeg which I dislike doing.