Taking advantage of the variable aperture on the Hasselblad.

[Mantrain]

Isn't it true that the main 4/3rds camera of the Mavic 3 has a variable aperture? I do astronomy a lot and when we reference aperture we are referring to the size of the refractor lens or the reflector mirror but I am not quite sure what it means here. If was applying what I know about using astronomy gear to the variable aperture of the Mavic 3 it would mean that we are increasing the size of the lens, I suppose like in a zoom lens for a 35mm camera but I know much less about conventional photography than I do about astrophotography.

Hoping someone can explain what is meant with respect to the variable aperture of the Mavic 3 and how to use of for still images.

Thank you!

 

[Ty Pilot]

The 'aperture' in cameras refers to the opening of a lens's diaphragm through which light passes. A cameras aperture is calibrated in f/stops such as; 1.4, 1.8, 2, 2.4, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16 and so on. Lower f/stops give more exposure because they represent the larger apertures, while the higher f/stops give less exposure because they represent smaller apertures.

Keep in mind, the principles that apply to a camera like that of the M3 are the same as those that apply to standard cameras such as modern DSLRs, so finding basic tutorials on photography will apply to 'drone' photography as well. Aperture is only a part of understanding proper exposure.

 

[Mantrain]

The 'aperture' in cameras refers to the opening of a lens's diaphragm through which light passes. A cameras aperture is calibrated in f/stops such as; 1.4, 1.8, 2, 2.4, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16 and so on. Lower f/stops give more exposure because they represent the larger apertures, while the higher f/stops give less exposure because they represent smaller apertures.

Keep in mind, the principles that apply to a camera like that of the M3 are the same as those that apply to standard cameras such as modern DSLRs, so finding basic tutorials on photography will apply to 'drone' photography as well. Aperture is only a part of understanding proper exposure.

thank you but how does one change the F-stops [aperture ] on the M3? It would seem to me to be the explorer mode but that is the smaller camera.

 

[brett8883]

Isn't it true that the main 4/3rds camera of the Mavic 3 has a variable aperture? I do astronomy a lot and when we reference aperture we are referring to the size of the refractor lens or the reflector mirror but I am not quite sure what it means here. If was applying what I know about using astronomy gear to the variable aperture of the Mavic 3 it would mean that we are increasing the size of the lens, I suppose like in a zoom lens for a 35mm camera but I know much less about conventional photography than I do about astrophotography.

Hoping someone can explain what is meant with respect to the variable aperture of the Mavic 3 and how to use of for still images.

Thank you!

It’s the same concept in astronomy but the difference is in astronomy the things you are looking at are very dim and very very far away so you want to keep your aperture open as wide as possible at all times. You may not even have the option to make it smaller.

In photography there’s plenty of light most of the time. Sometimes it’s so bright you may want to reduce the amount of light that enters the camera so you can use a a longer shutter speed so there are blades that slide into the lens to make the lens diameter smaller. There are other reasons you may want the aperture opening smaller.

Here’s a chart

 

[Ty Pilot]

thank you but how does one change the F-stops [aperture ] on the M3? It would seem to me to be the explorer mode but that is the smaller camera.

You change the aperture in 'Camera Settings'.

In my first response I kind of eluded to what you really need to do. . . .

'finding basic tutorials on photography will apply to 'drone' photography as well. Aperture is only a part of understanding proper exposure.'

I am not trying to be difficult or anything, it is just that each answer you get will beg other questions. For instance: once you know what aperture is, and where to go to change it - the next question might be (and rightfully so), 'what should I change it to - and why'?

This is why I suggest anybody that is new to photography (such as yourself), seek out either a local class on photography basics or even search online for courses or even tutorials on sites like Youtube where there are literally thousands of helpful videos. . . . like this one (NOTE: not my video, so I am not endorsing anything he says but; he does clearly demonstrate how to get into settings and change the aperture)

Aperture change for the M3 is shown in the first 2 minutes.

 

[Mantrain]

You change the aperture in 'Camera Settings'.

In my first response I kind of eluded to what you really need to do. . . .

'finding basic tutorials on photography will apply to 'drone' photography as well. Aperture is only a part of understanding proper exposure.'

I am not trying to be difficult or anything, it is just that each answer you get will beg other questions. For instance: once you know what aperture is, and where to go to change it - the next question might be (and rightfully so), 'what should I change it to - and why'?

This is why I suggest anybody that is new to photography (such as yourself), seek out either a local class on photography basics or even search online for courses or even tutorials on sites like Youtube where there are literally thousands of helpful videos. . . . like this one (NOTE: not my video, so I am not endorsing anything he says but; he does clearly demonstrate how to get into settings and change the aperture)

Aperture change for the M3 is shown in the first 2 minutes.

that's fair enough. Thanks for the video.

 

[Mantrain]

I also presume that we do not need to worry about aperture unless we're in pro mode. And really, will pro more ever yield better results than auto, except for pro's who really tinker with subtle differences in some settings?

 

[brett8883]

I also presume that we do not need to worry about aperture unless we're in pro mode. And really, will pro more ever yield better results than auto, except for pro's who really tinker with subtle differences in some settings?

It depends on the situation. If you are new to photography it would be better to start out in auto mode and work on the composition of your shots to start then to worry about camera settings. Eventually you’ll discover the situations where using pro mode comes in handy.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I also presume that we do not need to worry about aperture unless we're in pro mode. And really, will pro more ever yield better results than auto, except for pro's who really tinker with subtle differences in some settings?

Correct, modern cameras do a pretty good job with exposure when on auto for basic video or photography. But manual or (Pro) settings will allow for more advanced control over everything. For instance, you may find times when you want to lock the White Balance and/or Exposure and not let the camera constantly adjust these, as these changes can be seen in video and can be very distracting and ruin an otherwise great shot. There are many other reasons photographers want full control over the camera. . . .

For instance, you'll never get video like this on auto - This was shot with a Mavic 2 Pro taking full advantage of manual settings.

 

[adcimagery]

One thing worth mentioning is that contrary to many sources on aperture for photography, the M3's aperture is almost solely for controlling the light level as it relates to exposure time/ISO.

For many lenses, setting the aperture to a value like f/8, compared to f/2.8, will improve sharpness. On my M3, however, sharpness and image quality is virtually identical across the range of aperture values. Hence, you can just set the aperture needed for the desired exposure, without worrying about that image quality trade-off.

 

[MS Coast]

One thing worth mentioning is that contrary to many sources on aperture for photography, the M3's aperture is almost solely for controlling the light level as it relates to exposure time/ISO.

For many lenses, setting the aperture to a value like f/8, compared to f/2.8, will improve sharpness. On my M3, however, sharpness and image quality is virtually identical across the range of aperture values. Hence, you can just set the aperture needed for the desired exposure, without worrying about that image quality trade-off.

Depth of field is another important factor in aperture selection for conventional photography. (Smaller aperture for greater depth of field, larger aperture for less.) With most drone photography and videography, depth of field is not a significant issue.

 

[adcimagery]

Depth of field is another important factor in aperture selection for conventional photography. (Smaller aperture for greater depth of field, larger aperture for less.) With most drone photography and videography, depth of field is not a significant issue.

Yeah. I left out DoF considerations, diffraction limited apertures, etc. For the M3, the only consideration is how much or how little light you need to let in to get your preferred exposure, IMO.