Photographs

[SmilingOgre]

Beginning of opinion.

Ok, So I was watching a thread a bit ago about poor picture quality and can't find it now for this post. I just want to share an opinion. This is nothing special as far as subject matter and I did not pursue an "art" approach to developing it, but I really think given the parameters of the camera involved this camera does an outstanding job. Shot in raw, manual exposure, 100 ISO. Lots of light so the shutter speeds were up there. In photoshop added a touch of brightness, contrast, sharpening, dehazing and pulled back a touch on vibrancy and saturation. I did get into color balancing and added a little blue for the sky, I guess you could say that was "artful" as the sky was a bit hazed. Even at 100% the photo does not fall apart. Of course it isn't the same image my D850 and Tamron G2 lens will produce but I still am amazed.

End of opinion.

 

[Macinfo]

I have not been disappointed with any picture taken from my MA2, unless I managed to mangle the settings and its improperly exposed. They are sharp, crisp and clear. In some cases they are better than some I feel I've taken with a larger camera like my Nikon DSLR.. Though there are still somethings you cannot photograph well from a drone..

There is a thread somewhere in the forum that contains a pages and pages of photos from all over, all are stellar.

 

[CountryGuy]

Beginning of opinion.

Ok, So I was watching a thread a bit ago about poor picture quality and can't find it now for this post. I just want to share an opinion. This is nothing special as far as subject matter and I did not pursue an "art" approach to developing it, but I really think given the parameters of the camera involved this camera does an outstanding job. Shot in raw, manual exposure, 100 ISO. Lots of light so the shutter speeds were up there. In photoshop added a touch of brightness, contrast, sharpening, dehazing and pulled back a touch on vibrancy and saturation. I did get into color balancing and added a little blue for the sky, I guess you could say that was "artful" as the sky was a bit hazed. Even at 100% the photo does not fall apart. Of course it isn't the same image my D850 and Tamron G2 lens will produce but I still am amazed.

Easy enough to overdo the adjustments in post but here, IMO, you've nailed it. Nice job.

 

[SmilingOgre]

Easy enough to overdo the adjustments in post but here, IMO, you've nailed it. Nice job.

Thank you!!! Appreciate that. Doesn't happen every time. Sometimes I'll look at it later and think, what was I doing?

 

[Alexander Of Oz]

Of course it isn't the same image my D850 and Tamron G2 lens will produce but I still am amazed.

I think this is key to happiness with any device using smaller sensors and smaller optics. Be realistic about what you are using and what you expect it to produce!

I am more than satisfied with the imagery from this little bird with tiny sensor and glass. I have played with the 48MP RAW capture vs the standard 12MP captures and honestly, there's a slight difference, but not a huge difference. It isn't really a 48MP sensor after all, it's just a bit of jiggery-pokery at play to create a combined 4x scan (sort of), Bayer Sensors are more complicated than just that.

On my Olympus E-M5 Mk II, I use the High Res feature that combines 8 frames in-camera that are all ever so slightly offset to each other for a 54MP RAW file, but you can't use that handheld or with any movement, so for tripod captures of architectural images or landscapes and the like without movement it's perfect!

I have observed the same to be the case here with the MA2, that it falls apart under any movement. But, I am not expecting it to compare to a D850 or a7RIII.

 

[SmilingOgre]

I think this is key to happiness with any device using smaller sensors and smaller optics. Be realistic about what you are using and what you expect it to produce!

I am more than satisfied with the imagery from this little bird with tiny sensor and glass. I have played with the 48MP RAW capture vs the standard 12MP captures and honestly, there's a slight difference, but not a huge difference. It isn't really a 48MP sensor after all, it's just a bit of jiggery-pokery at play to create a combined 4x scan (sort of), Bayer Sensors are more complicated than just that.

On my Olympus E-M5 Mk II, I use the High Res feature that combines 8 frames in-camera that are all ever so slightly offset to each other for a 54MP RAW file, but you can't use that handheld or with any movement, so for tripod captures of architectural images or landscapes and the like without movement it's perfect!

I have observed the same to be the case here with the MA2, that it falls apart under any movement. But, I am not expecting it to compare to a D850 or a7RIII.

Absolutely!!! And I'm not going to drop 30 Grand for a bird that will tote my Nikon either. I'm thrilled to get the resolution I'm getting from an eye in the sky. This is a perspective that I never anticipated being exposed to. Quite frankly, with the flakey focusing the Nikon uses for video the footage would look like crap compared to the Mavic unless I just hovered and maintained a single deep dof focus.

 

[Alexander Of Oz]

Absolutely!!! And I'm not going to drop 30 Grand for a bird that will tote my Nikon either. I'm thrilled to get the resolution I'm getting from an eye in the sky. This is a perspective that I never anticipated being exposed to. Quite frankly, with the flakey focusing the Nikon uses for video the footage would look like crap compared to the Mavic unless I just hovered and maintained a single deep dof focus.

Oh come on, what's a paltry 30 G's?! ?

I totally get that though. I have dedicated video capture devices right on up to cinema cameras and I am not after footage in the air at that level, there is no need for me to have that level of detail or colour control, when I am just delivering footage at standard HD on YouTube. This bird is perfect as she is to easily mix in with some ground based video footage!

 

[SmilingOgre]

Oh come on, what's a paltry 30 G's?! ?

I totally get that though. I have dedicated video capture devices right on up to cinema cameras and I am not after footage in the air at that level, there is no need for me to have that level of detail or colour control, when I am just delivering footage at standard HD on YouTube. This bird is perfect as she is to easily mix in with some ground based video footage!

I envision most of my drone footage as "B" roll. In anything I will ever publish the quality is more than sufficient. I see a lot of footage here that I think would "fly" as "B" rolls in many TV productions. I'm no producer so I can't qualify that. Just an opinion.

 

[MGVision]

 

[macfawlty]

Can you post the image without any color grading?

 

[Dale D]

Beginning of opinion.

Ok, So I was watching a thread a bit ago about poor picture quality and can't find it now for this post. I just want to share an opinion. This is nothing special as far as subject matter and I did not pursue an "art" approach to developing it, but I really think given the parameters of the camera involved this camera does an outstanding job. Shot in raw, manual exposure, 100 ISO. Lots of light so the shutter speeds were up there. In photoshop added a touch of brightness, contrast, sharpening, dehazing and pulled back a touch on vibrancy and saturation. I did get into color balancing and added a little blue for the sky, I guess you could say that was "artful" as the sky was a bit hazed. Even at 100% the photo does not fall apart. Of course it isn't the same image my D850 and Tamron G2 lens will produce but I still am amazed.

End of opinion.

View attachment 113704

The image is very well done! It used to be that an image had to be be able to withstand a big enlargement for printing purposes. I have been into photography all of my life (82 years), including a fully equipped darkroom, a huge mounting press for 16x20 prints, I did color printing, etc. Now, the digital age, that is all ancient history. My darkroom is no more. I use a Nikon D750 (I've resisted the D800,D850). My photography centers around my computer screen of 21 inches. So the largest images are only those that are the size of my computer screen.

This particular image is very well done. The color balance looks just right, and you have adjusted all of the sliders in Photoshop to your preferences, which are nicely done. You have not over-edited anything, like too much contrast, too much sharpening, etc. One could quibble a little bit about increasing the shadows down below in the front yards of the houses. I would have taken care of that with a gradient filter.I might have been tempted to burn in the red tree a bit, but that is a minor comment. Aside from these minor comments, everything is well done.

Here is a before and after. In the adjusted image- I used the gradient filter to open the yard shadows, and the dodge tool to brighten the red tree.

 

[SmilingOgre]

@Dale D

First and foremost, congratulations on 82 years! Bravo!

Love the enhancements you made!!!! Someday maybe. That's one of the reasons, probably the biggest reason I love the hobby. Can't master it. Always something more to learn. Extensive background for sure. I never left the hobby realm. I did volunteer for awhile as a darkroom tech for a Northern Michigan Catholic newspaper. The trade off was that I could use the darkroom for my photographs as well. Simple B&W but still an amazing adventure and a lot learned.

Totally agree per size of image. I haven't printed anything in a very long time. At home I have one of those electronic picture frames with a few favorites rotating. Beyond that everything is shared via file and hosting.

The D850 is probably overkill but I was able to do it. I don't have any expensive hobbies like boats or motorcycles or the like simply because they no longer appeal to me. Working on 67 and interests change. I just hung up the hobby of musicianship after 30 years or so of performing as hauling equipment and being out to 4AM outweighed the pleasure of playing. This hobby is much more managable.

 

[alanj49]

I have read this thread with interest. I have had the MA2 for about 6 weeks and the images that I have taken have been good, but not sharp when you get close i. I have mainly shot at 48mp, and this last weekend took it off auto and adjusted the shutter speed/iso. What if anything have I been doing wrong? I have found that putting the images through Topaz Sharpen improves the sharpness exponentially, but obviously I would like to get better staight out of the drone.

 

[Piper J3]

This is one of my first pics with MA2. Stock settings - just pushed the shutter button.
I think the quality is excellent...

 

[SmilingOgre]

I have read this thread with interest. I have had the MA2 for about 6 weeks and the images that I have taken have been good, but not sharp when you get close i. I have mainly shot at 48mp, and this last weekend took it off auto and adjusted the shutter speed/iso. What if anything have I been doing wrong? I have found that putting the images through Topaz Sharpen improves the sharpness exponentially, but obviously I would like to get better staight out of the drone.

No idea. Expectation? Camera problem? Min focus distance (can't find any specs on that)? Post a pic with the settings you used. I'm interested in understanding this as well.

 

[Dale D]

@Dale D

First and foremost, congratulations on 82 years! Bravo!

Love the enhancements you made!!!! Someday maybe. That's one of the reasons, probably the biggest reason I love the hobby. Can't master it. Always something more to learn. Extensive background for sure. I never left the hobby realm. I did volunteer for awhile as a darkroom tech for a Northern Michigan Catholic newspaper. The trade off was that I could use the darkroom for my photographs as well. Simple B&W but still an amazing adventure and a lot learned.

Totally agree per size of image. I haven't printed anything in a very long time. At home I have one of those electronic picture frames with a few favorites rotating. Beyond that everything is shared via file and hosting.

The D850 is probably overkill but I was able to do it. I don't have any expensive hobbies like boats or motorcycles or the like simply because they no longer appeal to me. Working on 67 and interests change. I just hung up the hobby of musicianship after 30 years or so of performing as hauling equipment and being out to 4AM outweighed the pleasure of playing. This hobby is much more managable.

I was tempted, at one point, in going to the D800 due to the faster shutter. I have been on 12 African safaris, and the one thing I wished I had was more frames per second to capture fast movements such as animal kills. My D750 was limited to 6 fps. The new Nikons like the z7 can do up to 9 fps and other cameras even more.

Photoshop is a life-long learning curve! You will never learn it all. I can recommend a very good teaching video if you want. I learned very much from the one I purchased, and I still watch it when I need an answer.

 

[SmilingOgre]

I was tempted, at one point, in going to the D800 due to the faster shutter. I have been on 12 African safaris, and the one thing I wished I had was more frames per second to capture fast movements such as animal kills. My D750 was limited to 6 fps. The new Nikons like the z7 can do up to 9 fps and other cameras even more.

Photoshop is a life-long learning curve! You will never learn it all. I can recommend a very good teaching video if you want. I learned very much from the one I purchased, and I still watch it when I need an answer.

I would absolutely appreciate the recommendation. Winter is coming and I will be getting out less.

 

[alanj49]

No idea. Expectation? Camera problem? Min focus distance (can't find any specs on that)? Post a pic with the settings you used. I'm interested in understanding this as well.

I have attached 2 images of the same subject. One is unedited out of the drone, and the other has been sharpened and a slight de-noising in Topaz Sharpen

 

[SmilingOgre]

I have attached 2 images of the same subject. One is unedited out of the drone, and the other has been sharpened and a slight de-noising in Topaz Sharpen

Thank you! I'm not at home right now but later this evening I will make a comparison with some of mine and inspect a little closer with photoshop. Simply using the browser yours do look a little soft.

 

[Dale D]

I would absolutely appreciate the recommendation. Winter is coming and I will be getting out less.

My pleasure.

For years, I have been subscribed to the free weekly lessons of Colin Smith of Photoshop Cafe. I purchased his old version of Photoshop for Digital Photographers which has now been revised to Photoshop 2020 for Digital Photographers. It is over 80 lessons!!!! Colin Smith is probably the best Photoshop teacher I have ever had. I purchased his DVD years ago and stilll refer to it. Each lesson is brief and concise. He speaks extremely well and in simple, easy to understand terms. Most everything I know in Photoshop comes from Colin. He runs his own company, which he calls Photoshop Cafe. You can sign up for weekly free tutorials. He runs frequent sales on his products, most usually at holiday periods where he will offer an additional 10% or more discount on any of his products. Here is the web site and here is the course I recommend which is $99.00 USD. As I said, it is over 80 lessons long. www.photoshopcafe.com
Buy his "Photoshop for Digital Photographers." $99.00 for download. I believe it works in PC or MAC.

Dale
Miami
Dale Davis Photography