Shutter speed DJI Mavic 2 Pro Zoom

[davix10]

Hi, I have a question for videomakers. Notwithstanding that I do not understand anything about video because I have always only taken pictures. I read that the shutter speed must be double compared to the fps (30fps then 1/60). Now my question is: after calculating the filter to be mounted on the camera to reach the correct exposure, in a scene where the light changes constantly how do you always maintain 1/60? Can you also go up and down a little as a schedule or is it not recommended? Thank you and sorry for ignorance.

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

I'm no expert, but my workflow goes like this: Based on the light, install the ND filter that gets the exposure right. Then take off set up for your shot. Set the camera to shutter priority. Set the shutter to 1/60 and see what the camera chooses for the aperture. Then, go back to settings and go to full manual. Set the aperture to the one the camera chose. This will get you a decent exposure and prevent the aperture from changing in the middle of your shot. Get the shot you want and make tweaks to your aperture as necessary as lighting conditions change. It's totally fine to go up or down an f-stop or two to get the look you want. Maybe use your histogram to ensure you're not over or underexposing things as you go. Hope that helps! Mainly, just have fun and find what works best for you.

 

[davix10]

Unfortunately with the Mavic Pro 2 Zoom it is not possible to choose the aperture. I can only choose automatic or manual.

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

Unfortunately with the Mavic Pro 2 Zoom it is not possible to choose the aperture. I can only choose automatic or manual.

Ah! Right! So there's not a physical aperture that changes size, but don't you still get a list of f-stops to choose from if you pick manual aperture? Sorry for my ignorance on the zoom. I've never had one.

 

[davix10]

Ah! Right! So there's not a physical aperture that changes size, but don't you still get a list of f-stops to choose from if you pick manual aperture? Sorry for my ignorance on the zoom. I've never had one.

I can only modify ISO and shutter speed

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

Gotcha. So I'd go with a shutter speed of 1/60th, auto aperture and you may have to adjust the ISO to compensate for the fixed aperture. You should still get good results.

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

And welcome to the forums! Just noticed this was your first post. Lots of great, knowledgeable people around here. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[davix10]

And welcome to the forums! Just noticed this was your first post. Lots of great, knowledgeable people around here. Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you so much! yes it really seems like a very useful forum. So do you advise me to put an ND16 / 32 filter and then adjust the ISOs?

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

Yeah. The ND filter you choose really depends on conditions. I'd go ND16 on a bright sunny day. I don't have an ND32, but it could by useful on a bright sunny day where you're also getting light off water or snow. I use an ND4 for most of the sunset and sunrise stuff I shoot. An ND8 might be helpful for conditions that are somewhere in between.

 

[davix10]

Yeah. The ND filter you choose really depends on conditions. I'd go ND16 on a bright sunny day. I don't have an ND32, but it could by useful on a bright sunny day where you're also getting light off water or snow. I use an ND4 for most of the sunset and sunrise stuff I shoot. An ND8 might be helpful for conditions that are somewhere in between.

Perfect! You change only the ISO?

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

Perfect! You change only the ISO?

Right. You'll control the sensitivity of the sensor to light by changing the ISO. This helps make up for not being able to change the aperture. But if you start getting up into ISO 800, 1600 (high light sensitivity), you'll start seeing more noise or grain in your images/video. So you'll want to stick close to ISO 100, 200, when you can, for clearer images.

One thing that helped me when I started out was shooting an image in auto, but then looking at what settings the camera chose to use. Then I would use that ISO, shutter and aperture as a starting point for my own experimentation. Your aperture will, of course, always be the same. But you'll get a feel for what shutter speed and ISO work well in what conditions. For 30fps video, a shutter speed as close to 1/60 as you can get, will give you some nice smooth motion blur. But it's not always possible when the light gets low, so just do your best and your results should still look nice.

 

[davix10]

Right. You'll control the sensitivity of the sensor to light by changing the ISO. This helps make up for not being able to change the aperture. But if you start getting up into ISO 800, 1600 (high light sensitivity), you'll start seeing more noise or grain in your images/video. So you'll want to stick close to ISO 100, 200, when you can, for clearer images.

One thing that helped me when I started out was shooting an image in auto, but then looking at what settings the camera chose to use. Then I would use that ISO, shutter and aperture as a starting point for my own experimentation. Your aperture will, of course, always be the same. But you'll get a feel for what shutter speed and ISO work well in what conditions. For 30fps video, a shutter speed as close to 1/60 as you can get, will give you some nice smooth motion blur. But it's not always possible when the light gets low, so just do your best and your results should still look nice.

I thank you for the advice, I will definitely try. Thanks again!

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

No problem! Happy flying!

 

[SmileyGC]

Thanks for asking the question Davix10.
I too have a M2Z and did buy a set of DJI ND filters. I would like a set of polarizing too, but to be honest, I have never used the ND's.
I live in Thailand and almost always use the M2Z on Auto in daylight, the light here is bright and over head at noon. So during a flight of 20 mins, especially at dawn & dusk, the 'Golden Hours' exposure can change drastically. Dawn & Dust are over in 30 mins.
I do, now, understand why the 2 x rule is there, and I will experiment with manual exposure, (thanks to your question and the explanations). But I am still very much in exponential learning mode, just flying and navigating in the Go 4 App.
My videos are on my YouTube channel MrSmileyGC -
The Egrets, the Mekong CycleWay and Wat Tham Sri Thon are all flown on auto...

I would appreciate your comments as I too am very very new to video....

All the best G

 

[Thomas B]

Thanks for asking the question Davix10.
I too have a M2Z and did buy a set of DJI ND filters. I would like a set of polarizing too, but to be honest, I have never used the ND's.
I live in Thailand and almost always use the M2Z on Auto in daylight, the light here is bright and over head at noon. So during a flight of 20 mins, especially at dawn & dusk, the 'Golden Hours' exposure can change drastically. Dawn & Dust are over in 30 mins.
I do, now, understand why the 2 x rule is there, and I will experiment with manual exposure, (thanks to your question and the explanations). But I am still very much in exponential learning mode, just flying and navigating in the Go 4 App.
My videos are on my YouTube channel MrSmileyGC -
The Egrets, the Mekong CycleWay and Wat Tham Sri Thon are all flown on auto...

I would appreciate your comments as I too am very very new to video....

All the best G

Get the YouTube share links for some and post them in Photos and Videos section of the forum. Happy to look at them. Still learning myself.

 

[SmileyGC]

Here they are.....

M2 Zoom - Camera Exposure - Manual or Auto

Hi Fellow Flying Camera Pilots I was reading the Whats New post on ND filters today and getting an exposure of 24/30 FPS with a shutter of 1/50th or 1/60th. I also have a M2 Zoom. Living in Thailand the sun is very high (dawn & dusk happens in not much over 30 mins and at noon the sun is almost...

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