Recording in 5.4k VS. 4k - Did I screw up?

[Mikieh]

Photo editing is pretty much Greek to me, I just can't seem to find clear answers on what each of the various settings do. I see some amazing videos and photos out there and I'd be happy if I could produce something half as good.

Anyway, one of the multitudes of YouTubes that I've watched advised shooting in 5.4k for better resolution. My first red flag was that for some reason in 5.4k you lose both the zoom capability and active track functions (Air 2s).

So I drove to a fairly remote area and shot 4 batteries worth of footage... and it all looks like crap. Everything appears relatively OK when the drone isn't moving, but any motion just blurs everything out. "Unsharp" is probably the best way to describe it.

Anybody have any ideas about salvaging the footage, or should I just chalk this up to lessons learned? Obviously I won't be shooting in 5.4k anymore.

Thanks in advance.

5.4 is useless with the iMac I use, and even my pro tablet has a hard time with it. You’re right, no fun zooming either. I used the 5.4 feature once with the 2s then ditched the mode.

 

[jphoto]

I ditched my pro2 for the zooming capabilities of the air2s. I loved the pro, but zooming in 4.2x onto an object or landscape in real time is very entertaining. I used my 2 pro for real estate jobs, but the Air2s has me covered with it’s one inch sensor. It took me a while to bite on the change, but I eventually did it!

It's always interesting how different people see different features. When I did the zoom in on the Air2S I was disappointed, and now desire the second camera with real telephoto/zoom lens.

 

[Mikieh]

It's always interesting how different people see different features. When I did the zoom in on the Air2S I was disappointed, and now desire the second camera with real telephoto/zoom lens.

I really find up to about 3x the zoom is useable. I’ve had a Mavic 2 zoom and and still find the zoom on the air 2S pretty good. The only thing I don’t like is the inability for still photos zoom. I always use the 4k30fps feature for zooming in.

 

[Skybuyer]

I ditched my pro2 for the zooming capabilities of the air2s. I loved the pro, but zooming in 4.2x onto an object or landscape in real time is very entertaining. I used my 2 pro for real estate jobs, but the Air2s has me covered with it’s one inch sensor. It took me a while to bite on the change, but I eventually did it!

Eveyone has different needs. I don't think I'll ever be without a drone without variable aperture. Having a fixed aperture lens makes it difficult to use shutter priority settings. ND filters are just clumsy and make it difficult to have accurate exposure if you need to has a specific shutter setting for "cinematic" blur.

 

[TeamGomez]

The other thing to be aware of, the Air 2S can shoot two different color profiles. One is just standard, nothing special. The other is D-Log, which to say it simply, produces an intentionally low contrast and weak color image that is easier to adjust later, though "easier" is a bit relative. It means a standard color video does't have as much adjustment "room" but also doesn't always need it, where D-Log has lots more adjustment "room", but requires it every time. Adjusting color like that is called "Color Grading", and is somewhat simplified by using a bit of code called a LUT, which is simply a pre-set correction for a specific camera, saving you some (but not all) of the grading task.

Curious what LUTs you're using. Having a heck of a time finding a decent 'look' LUT for coastal scenes (after going through the tone map LOG to 709, exposure adj, color curve tweak to fine tune highs/mids then white balancing and finally a LUT tweak for 'look'). I found a decent tone map log to 709 for the 2S but not much luck in finding 2S camera specific LUTS. I've got lots of Lightroom editing time shooting stills in RAW and trying to get the hang of processing D-LOG for same reason I shoot stills in RAW. Appreciate the help; great explanation BTW of the 5.4k conundrum.

 

[karlblessing]

I shoot 5.4k but usually only in dlog or HLG. The field of view is also a little wider than when in 4K.

However I'm not delivering 5.4k. My deliveries are almost always either 4K or 1080p. The 5.4k mainly becomes useful either as supersampling, or to provide effects like the dolly zoom look.

I usually try to configure my exposure just right for either dlog or hlg (you almost have to near the point of overexposure to get the best result out of HLG if you're trying to use it as a trick to get more range into an SDR timeline).

I use Leeming Luts for the Air 2S to normalize either Dlog or HLG into a rec.709 timline, and then do the rest of the colorgrading from there. It's nice because I also use the same luts for my Panasonic GH5 when I shoot HLG on that and helps match things up pretty well. (and yes I am very aware that isn't the original intent of HLG, but it works very well that way, with excellent highlight recovery). In lower lights or situations where you can't quite hit near 90% peak on the histogram, dlog performs better than HLG using that workflow.

 

[jphoto]

Curious what LUTs you're using. Having a heck of a time finding a decent 'look' LUT for coastal scenes (after going through the tone map LOG to 709, exposure adj, color curve tweak to fine tune highs/mids then white balancing and finally a LUT tweak for 'look'). I found a decent tone map log to 709 for the 2S but not much luck in finding 2S camera specific LUTS. I've got lots of Lightroom editing time shooting stills in RAW and trying to get the hang of processing D-LOG for same reason I shoot stills in RAW. Appreciate the help; great explanation BTW of the 5.4k conundrum.

You've just described why I don't bother with LUTs! A LUT is just someone's idea of a starting point, or compromise. It's not a calibrated correction (like most people think), though someone could actually do that. It's a packaged opinion of how the correction to REC709 should be done, and generally doesn't work for every shot anyway, as you found out. You can tweak everything yourself without a LUT and save it as a preset correction. The advantage you'll have is, your tweaks will make sense for your lighting, exposure, day...etc., and can be applied just as easily to an entire batch of shots. Then go tweak them individually anyway. Your Lightroom experirence with RAW is great practice.

However.. And this is the biggie...I work with calibrated monitors, and I cannot over-emphasize how important that is. I bought a iOne Studio calibrator (kind of entry level, but it does a decent job), and run it on everything periodically to get it all to not only match, but the create separate profiles for REC709 work, web photo work, and print. They aren't the same, and you do have to switch between them depending on your work flow. If your goal is to make a shot, still or video, work on a wide range of displays, including those outside of your control, your only choice is to make sure you're starting with your own monitor calibrated before you start making critical adjustments, and that the calibration target matches your end useage.

If my work and color tweaks mattered more and vital to paying the bills, I would own a higher-end colorimeter. But, like everything else, this follows the Pareto 80/20 Principle: you get 80% of the value with 20% of the investment. So, do the 20% at least.

And, by the same principle, a bit of what I shoot doesn't get shot with D-LOG! Just as some stills I shoot with the DSLR get done as .jpg only. Because, if you nail the exposure the first time, the standard color is the 80% I need, and often I just need that and fast. The actual skill here is knowing when close-enough is good-enough, and when it's not. This applies to just dropping a quickie LUT on a clip too, it might not be "right" but it might be "good-enough". Knowing when not to spend time tweaking is also a skill. Time is saved, not only by avoiding obsessive tweaking, but also by not having to render absolutely everything in the timeline.

 

[TeamGomez]

"... The actual skill here is knowing when close-enough is good-enough, and when it's not..."

If that isn't the gospel, I don't know what is. LUTs give me (most of us?) a 'cheat sheet' for balancing the tones and while I can pull lots of great details out of the shadows in LR, I will always hit 'auto' first to see what it thinks. I'm not nearly fluent enough in the color wheels to be able to immediately grab the correct lever...hence the LUT crutch here in FCP.

Spot on as well on the monitor calibration and usually shoot for the Pareto Optimality on gear expenditure- where the supply and demand curves intersect with my photography & car habits causing said intersection to send my monetary supply curve in the wrong direction...but you're right. Unless you're the only one seeing your work, starting from 'anywhere' gets you 'nowhere' in the end. Point taken and will sit back and reassess my monitor cal.

 

[retiredNH]

Monitor calibration? Keep in mind that not all monitors are the same w/r/t color fidelity. IPS, which are now common, are better (by far) than the old TN technology, but even here there are differences. For example, my monitors allow hardware calibration. Most lower cost ones don't - they rely on color profiles written by the calibration device and interpreted by the video processor and/or OS.

Then there's 8 bit vs 10 bit vs 8 bit dithered (and who knows what else?) monitors, although I doubt any non-professional would see a difference?

One might also get into monitor color spaces, which are usually different for video vs still photography.

But, does this matter for us non-professionals? I doubt it. We just want our pics and videos to look subjectively good to ourselves.

A final note on monitor calibration: Unlike the old CRT monitors, good modern LCD monitors are surprisingly stable. Some monitors (like mine) even come with calibration certificates, and I haven't found much deviation year to year. Maybe I'm not picky enough?

 

[jphoto]

I'm not nearly fluent enough in the color wheels to be able to immediately grab the correct lever...hence the LUT crutch here in FCP.

Just get out of the color wheels and use the "color board". Much more intuitive, and more similar to Lightroom (if that's even possible). Just click the color triangle, click the drop arrow to the right of Color Wheel, and land on Color Board.

 

[jphoto]

Monitor calibration? Keep in mind that not all monitors are the same w/r/t color fidelity. IPS, which are now common, are better (by far) than the old TN technology, but even here there are differences. For example, my monitors allow hardware calibration. Most lower cost ones don't - they rely on color profiles written by the calibration device and interpreted by the video processor and/or OS.

The process of calibration encompasses all of that, including writing a fresh color profile for the monitor that can be specific to the traget usage. The actual calibration process involves placing a colorimeter directly on the monitor, and running through a rather lengthy series of test color patches at many brightness levels (it's automatic, of course), so you end up measuring the gamma curves for each primary color plust luma.

Then there's 8 bit vs 10 bit vs 8 bit dithered (and who knows what else?) monitors, although I doubt any non-professional would see a difference?

It's not really a factor, as what you end up with is a splined curve, works for any bit depth.

One might also get into monitor color spaces, which are usually different for video vs still photography.

I did mention that, though I don't think diving into what color spaces are for what use is important right here, other than REC709.

But, does this matter for us non-professionals? I doubt it. We just want our pics and videos to look subjectively good to ourselves.

It doesn't matter if you have only one monitor in your entire life.

A final note on monitor calibration: Unlike the old CRT monitors, good modern LCD monitors are surprisingly stable. Some monitors (like mine) even come with calibration certificates, and I haven't found much deviation year to year. Maybe I'm not picky enough?

Oh yeah, CRTs were terrible! Glad we've moved on. The iOne has a recal reminder. I generally accept it and do it because I have 5 different primary monitors to work with, and matching is very important. True, the current crop of LED/LCDs don't drift much, but the LCD backlight does age. You do want to watch for OS updates swapping profiles on you.