Spark has Shallow Focus mode, can you replicate on a M2P?

[scubaddictions]

My first drone was a Spark, I still have it but barely use it since I got my M2P. I was reminded today that the Spark does have a photograph feature called Shallow Focus where you select a subject in the foreground and it takes a number of pictures, it produces a single shot with a crisp subject and bokeh background. I used it a few times with some success. When I remembered it this morning it occurred to me that I don't have that feature on my M2P, and with a quick Google search it looks like it was unique to the Spark. Odd.

So, unless I'm mistaken the only way to replicate this with another drone would be in post, mask the foreground subject and blur the background. Am I wrong?

 

[DanMan32]

The M2P has selectable aperture as well as focus, so I can't see why you can't do shallow focus.

By shallow focus, I assume small depth of field, which requires a wide aperture. I'm surprised Spark could control aperture.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Yeah, you're not going to get that result from an M2P by just using a wide aperture.

Chris

 

[scubaddictions]

I get the feeling the Spark didn't perform its little miracle via aperture, I think it's all software. Comparing the differences between multiple pictures to discern what isn't in the foreground and then blur it.

I'll play with the manual focus/aperture on my M2P, but if I understand correctly the wide-angle lens used on most drones doesn't lend itself to this type of narrow depth of field photography natively.

 

[Thomas B]

On the M2P open the aperture as wide as it will go and use a filter to control brightness.

 

[Johnmcl7]

I get the feeling the Spark didn't perform its little miracle via aperture, I think it's all software. Comparing the differences between multiple pictures to discern what isn't in the foreground and then blur it.

I'll play with the manual focus/aperture on my M2P, but if I understand correctly the wide-angle lens used on most drones doesn't lend itself to this type of narrow depth of field photography natively.

I'm not familiar with the mode on the Spark but from what you've said it does sound like software where the camera takes one in focus shot, it then puts the entire scene out of focus to get a blurred shot and then attempts to blend the two shots by keeping the subject from the focused shot and using the background from the blurred shot.

You are also correct about the Mavic 2 Pro not having much shallow depth of field, the focal length of the lens is around 10.5mm and the maximum aperture is just F2.8 (equivalent to just short of F8 on FF) which combined with a usually fairly high distance to the subject means a large depth of field. The Sony RX100 series has the same 1in sensor but a faster lens but it also struggles to achieve good shallow depth of field in general shooting.

 

[cpfninja11]

The spark has a fixed focus lens. It probably creates background blur by taking 2 photos at slightly different altitudes and using the differences in perspective to calculate depth. Similar to how some phones use two cameras to see stereoscopically and calculate depth. I used to own the spark and I remember it would take a photo, ascend, take another photo, then spit out an image with background blur.

 

[Johnmcl7]

The spark has a fixed focus lens. It probably creates background blur by taking 2 photos at slightly different altitudes and using the differences in perspective to calculate depth. Similar to how some phones use two cameras to see stereoscopically and calculate depth. I used to own the spark and I remember it would take a photo, ascend, take another photo, then spit out an image with background blur.

Good point about the fixed focus lens.

 

[macfawlty]

I'm not familiar with the mode on the Spark but from what you've said it does sound like software where the camera takes one in focus shot, it then puts the entire scene out of focus to get a blurred shot and then attempts to blend the two shots by keeping the subject from the focused shot and using the background from the blurred shot.

You are also correct about the Mavic 2 Pro not having much shallow depth of field, the focal length of the lens is around 10.5mm and the maximum aperture is just F2.8 (equivalent to just short of F8 on FF) which combined with a usually fairly high distance to the subject means a large depth of field. The Sony RX100 series has the same 1in sensor but a faster lens but it also struggles to achieve good shallow depth of field in general shooting.

Exactly. In order to achieve a shallower depth of focus on the M2P, you’ll have to be close to the subject you want in focus, like if you were tracking someone from a close distance and wanted the background to be softer. Use the widest aperture, the appropriate ND filter at 1/50, 24fps. The shutter speed becomes more important when flying close to objects.