Shooting in RAW - Overexposed!

[Palliz]

Pro-Photog I always shoot in RAW but with the Mavic everything is way overexposed - the histogram isn't giving a good representation display as it shows correct exposure but the images are ALWAYS overexposed even when I drop the exposure down to what I think might be acceptable..........anyone have the same problem & if so any recommendations would be much appreciated.
Continuing work on it so if I find a good configuration I will post it right here - it may help others
Wondering if the Histogram is only accurate for jpeg shooting?
Another thing - would be GREAT if the camera settings & video settings were totally separate from each other.....just sayin'

 

[Palliz]

OK so this morning shot RAW&JPeg together just to see the difference while using the histogram averaging -1 EV. Also set for landscape I believe from memory Focus +1 Contrast +1 sat 0 . All RAW TOTALLY blown out whereas the jpegs were what was expected - didn't like that they were too sharp & too contrasty though . Earlier it was mentioned that I probably require ND filters - now I beieve that is exactly what is needed as on a bright/sunny day ISO 100 wheresas the Speed is WAAAAY high like 2500 - 3500.................GEEZ! Strange thing is when I turn down the 'blown out' exposure in post they look fine'ish....actually can recover the shot. Disappointed in this **** Mavic camera - way too much trial & error to compose & get a decent image from it. Hate the JPeg images & RAW is so-so definitely not what I was expecting. Now have to invest in ND filters............SUX!!!!!!!
Sorry I can't offer any good settings for this camera except maybe EV set to -1, Sharpness +1 ( I find has a little better detail ) Contrast 0 Saturation 0.
Anyone else care to offer their own settings? Love flying this Mavic but camera quality leaves a lot to be desired

 

[Randy Harris]

I have the same problem, overexposed 360 panos. I think I will try an ND8 filter and see what happens.

 

[MavicCF]

I haven’t had the overexposed RAW pictures, but I have had a couple of the overly contrasted and sharp pictures which are very frustrating although usually fixable in post. Hopefully it’s just a firmware thing and your Mavic owning experience will only improve. -CF

 

[4wd]

Mine's the other way - if exposed correct for video I have to rotate the dial about one stop brighter for properly exposed RAW files.
It can't be that hard to judge from what you see on screen?

 

[Callum]

My PNG images come out looking slightly over exposed but are corrected automatically when added to lightroom.

JPG I stopped using, sick of trying to balance sharpness, contrast, colour profile and mavics crappy processing.

 

[Palliz]

Been a while since I posted so here's my 2 cents - settings +1 0 0 I shoot RAW - jpegs are a waste of time! Using Taco 16 or 32 ND filters - I live in the tropics & very sunny most days. I find when shooting stills ( RAW ) I absolutely require ND filters. When folks say filters NOT required when shooting still pics that is CRAP - the histogram sux! I shoot 1920x1080P 30fps vids same setting as camera +1 0 0 true color & trust me they always turn out beautiful. Never bother with 2.7 or 4K just takes way too long to process. Since purchasing Mavic Pro I got rid of my other Phantoms = P2V+ P3Pro P4Pro - Portability for me is the game changer! Can find me at - Security Check Required
Cheers!

 

[Callum]

Why would colour profile and camera settings make any difference when shooting raw?

It's just the raw camera data with no processing.

 

[Palliz]

Why would colour profile and camera settings make any difference when shooting raw?

It's just the raw camera data with no processing.

Ha - I have absolutely NO idea why my friend - as I said I am just offering up my 2 cents worth hoping that it helps someone else understand that the Mavic really does produce nice pics & GREAT vids when you put the time into it. Not sure color profile makes any difference at all but the histogram does not represent exposure - at least not on my Mavic & my +1 0 0 settings are JUST my own preference - sometimes 0 0 0 is better for movies but post processing for ALL of my pics is absolutely necessary as are the ND filters that most folks say are NOT necessary for still pics. Besides when I am flying taking vids I want to take a still pic at some point & the Mavic already has on a filter so................... BAM - it works!

 

[Callum]

Ha - I have absolutely NO idea why my friend - as I said I am just offering up my 2 cents worth hoping that it helps someone else understand that the Mavic really does produce nice pics & GREAT vids when you put the time into it. Not sure color profile makes any difference at all but the histogram does not represent exposure - at least not on my Mavic & my +1 0 0 settings are JUST my own preference - sometimes 0 0 0 is better for movies but post processing for ALL of my pics is absolutely necessary as are the ND filters that most folks say are NOT necessary for still pics. Besides when I am flying taking vids I want to take a still pic at some point & the Mavic already has on a filter so................... BAM - it works!

Yeah not having a dig at you, just trying to understand.

All my RAW files come out looking like crap and slightly over exposed as you would expect. Once imported into lightroom they are pretty much perfect.

What do you use to edit your PNG files?

 

[Palliz]

Yeah not having a dig at you, just trying to understand.

All my RAW files come out looking like crap and slightly over exposed as you would expect. Once imported into lightroom they are pretty much perfect.

What do you use to edit your PNG files?

Hey no problem my friend - ALL my RAW files look like crap too - always over exposed! I use Adobe Bridge for my RAW files then into Adobe C6 to fine tune. Not saying they are not useable by the time I have post processed in Adobe but super disappointed that no matter what I do they are ALWAYS overexposed - I use ND filters all the time when filming & I find that they actually help when taking stills too

 

[Callum]

Hey no problem my friend - ALL my RAW files look like crap too - always over exposed! I use Adobe Bridge for my RAW files then into Adobe C6 to fine tune. Not saying they are not useable by the time I have post processed in Adobe but super disappointed that no matter what I do they are ALWAYS overexposed - I use ND filters all the time when filming & I find that they actually help when taking stills too

Hey If that's what works for you then why not.

 

[gnirtS]

You don't need ND filters for still, raw or JPG. Forget that myth. They'll do absolutely nothing and nor should they. The only people that claim they're needed are people who don't understand what an ND filter does, how it works or what its purpose is. And placebo is a powerful effect.

Its possible the histogram itself works off a crude JPG (as it does on DSLRs and most other cameras) as raw itself isn't an image. If you think its an issue just knock the exposure compensation down 1/3 of a stop or whatever manually.
Ultimately a raw file needs editing to produce an image - thats the whole point after all, you're doing it not the drone software. You can knock back exposure easily enough and exposing to the right isn't a bad thing anyway providing you arent burning out details.

Remember also the Mavic camera has fairly terrible dynamic range so things like bright rooftops and things reflecting are always going to cause issues.