Question about Hassy lens

caryg · Jul 2, 2020

I'm an FAA 107 licensed architectural and real estate photographer, flying a Mavic 2 pro. I keep hearing rumors that the sharpest apertures for the Hassy camera on this drone are between f4.5 and f5.6. This is so different from what I'm used to with typical DSLRs that I wonder if it's true or not. In experimenting, I can't honestly see a ton of difference in either sharpness or depth of field between f5.6 and f11 with this drone. Can someone knowledgeable about this wise me up? Also -- does this lens have a focal length in the usual sense? It looks to me roughly equivalent to a 24mm...does anyone know? Thanks.

BadWolf1 · Jul 2, 2020

Depth of field won't be an issue because everything is close enough to infinity. Optimum lens aperture for lens sharpness? You're probably going to need to shoot under very controlled conditions and zoom in a lot.

caryg · Jul 2, 2020

Thanks. Can't zoom, though, as it's an M2P, not an M2 zoom. Given the wideness of the lens, there probably isn't a huge difference in sharpness across the aperture range. I'd just like to know, if possible, because I keep reading people saying that it's sharpest at f5 or so, and I don't know where they're getting that info...

sar104 · Jul 2, 2020

caryg said:
I'm an FAA 107 licensed architectural and real estate photographer, flying a Mavic 2 pro. I keep hearing rumors that the sharpest apertures for the Hassy camera on this drone are between f4.5 and f5.6. This is so different from what I'm used to with typical DSLRs that I wonder if it's true or not. In experimenting, I can't honestly see a ton of difference in either sharpness or depth of field between f5.6 and f11 with this drone. Can someone knowledgeable about this wise me up? Also -- does this lens have a focal length in the usual sense? It looks to me roughly equivalent to a 24mm...does anyone know? Thanks.

The reason that the larger aperture is optimal is because this is still a small sensor compared to DSLRs, and the diffraction limit occurs at smaller f-numbers.

All lenses have focal lengths. For the Mavic 2 the 35 mm equivalent, which is what you are referring to, is 28 mm. The actual focal length of the lens on the Mavic 2 Pro is 10 mm.

caryg · Jul 2, 2020

Thanks again (we were just corresponding on the other forum about the boat landing...). Very helpful. I thought maybe 24, but if you say 28, I'll take your word for it...

sar104 · Jul 2, 2020

caryg said:
Thanks again (we were just corresponding on the other forum about the boat landing...). Very helpful. I thought maybe 24, but if you say 28, I'll take your word for it...

It's in the DJI specs:

Mavic 2 - Product Information - DJI

The Mavic 2 is DJI's flagship consumer drone built for pros and enthusiasts. Discover more about the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom with specs, FAQs, video tutorials, guides, and user manuals. Learn more at DJI.com.

www.dji.com

caryg · Jul 2, 2020

Ah! Cool...hadn't read them carefully enough...thx again.

LivinLarge · Jul 2, 2020

caryg said:
I'm an FAA 107 licensed architectural and real estate photographer, flying a Mavic 2 pro. I keep hearing rumors that the sharpest apertures for the Hassy camera on this drone are between f4.5 and f5.6. This is so different from what I'm used to with typical DSLRs that I wonder if it's true or not. In experimenting, I can't honestly see a ton of difference in either sharpness or depth of field between f5.6 and f11 with this drone. Can someone knowledgeable about this wise me up? Also -- does this lens have a focal length in the usual sense? It looks to me roughly equivalent to a 24mm...does anyone know? Thanks.

The system is diffraction limited by f 5.6. You may not see it as other factors such as lens sharpness, motion, shutter speed may cause more blur than the diffraction. It should be obvious at f 8 or f 11. It does not depend on focal length.
Here is a good calculator for diffraction: