What speaks against recording every video at 60fps vs 30fps with a drone?

[dronecrasher]

Hi, ordered the Mavic Air 2 and I am still relative new to videography.

What speaks against recording every video at 60fps vs 30fps with a drone? I am aware that the file size will increase and I will require more light but since I live in Florida and shoot most of my videos in sunlight I am not too concerned about it.

Since I edit videos on a 30fps timeline, I could slow down my footage by 50% but at the same time could playback my footage in real time or not as If I would have recorded it in 30fps?

Thanks for clarifying the confusion.

 

[gottahavit]

No HDR, forced h.265(for now a least), as you said bigger files.
I am excited to try the 60fps, but I think there will be cases where you want the the 30fps HDR.

 

[dronecrasher]

what speaks against h.265? Isn't' it the same quality as 264 just with a smaller file size? If I don't care about HDR, what else?

 

[gottahavit]

just saying it forces, not saying it's bad. As a lot of people have found out you need a decent PC just to playback h.265 much less edit it.

 

[Hegemone]

Unless you are planning to slow-motion your footage it is better to shoot at 24 or 30 because the slower frame rate it means more light on the sensor and therefore more data per frame.

Shoot for how you plan to use the footage.

That's the short answer.

Edit: (I was wrong in the above striked out statement. At 30/60 fps the sensor is available to collect more/less light/data but the shutter will dictate how much is collected if it is faster then 30/60 fps respectively. The original statement was wrong but it does not negate the advice below. In a bubble frame rate very much effects the ability of the sensor to collect light. But it does not operate in a bubble so there is more to the conversation than this such as shutter angle and shooting low light. The light on the sensor is also only a portion of the conversation about bitrate and bandwidth available per frame.)

 

[Hiflyer808]

Unless you are planning to slow motion your footage it is better to shoot at 24 or 30 because the slower frame rate it means more light on the sensor and therefore more data per frame.

Shoot for how you plan to use the footage.

 

[Hiflyer808]

Base it primarily on what your final fps for your edited video is going to be. If 24fps, shoot in 24fps. The main reason to shoot at a higher rate is if you think you will want slow motion. There is a misconception that 60fps is higher quality. It's not, and can look somewhat jittery if played back at normal speed on a 24fps timeline, since in addition to dropping every second frame it has to drop another six frames each second to get down to 24, which can produce little jumps. That's why i wish there were a 48fps option, because i usually edit at 24fps, to match my dslr footage. With 48fps i still get my slow motion if needed but it's smooth played at normal speed. I actually almost always shoot with my Zoom at 30fps even for a 24fps edit, because that produces just a slight slow motion (80% of normal speed) that smooths things out a bit without looking obviously slowed down. When i get the Air 2 I plan on only using the 60fps when I know i want the 40% slow motion.

 

[Meta4]

I am aware that .. I will require more light but since I live in Florida and shoot most of my videos in sunlight I am not too concerned about it.

You are confusing frame rate with shutter speed.

Unless you are planning to slow motion your footage it is better to shoot at 24 or 30 because the slower frame rate it means more light on the sensor and therefore more data per frame.

The shutter speed, aperture and ND filters determine how much light reaches the sensor, not the frame rate.
As long as the the amount of light reaching the sensor is sufficient for proper exposure, it has no effect on the amount of data per frame.

 

[Hegemone]

You are confusing frame rate with shutter speed.

The shutter speed, aperture and ND filters determine how much light reaches the sensor, not the frame rate.
As long as the the amount of light reaching the sensor is sufficient for proper exposure, it has no effect on the amount of data per frame.

I am not confusing them at all. Frame rate also determines how long the sensor is available to collect light/data for a given frame and how much data can be collected and how much time the equipment has to handle that data. Not just exposure. All settings the same, 60 fps collects less light per frame.

Again I believe it is best to shoot for your intended use and desired effect. But we all have our own understandings and preferences. At the end of the day most people won't ever notice the differences or will be doing something else that would undermine any advantages or disadvantages. So shoot how you like and what gets you the footage that you enjoy.

 

[Joe Foreman]

Base it primarily on what your final fps for your edited video is going to be. If 24fps, shoot in 24fps. The main reason to shoot at a higher rate is if you think you will want slow motion. There is a misconception that 60fps is higher quality. It's not, and can look somewhat jittery if played back at normal speed on a 24fps timeline, since in addition to dropping every second frame it has to drop another six frames each second to get down to 24, which can produce little jumps. That's why i wish there were a 48fps option, because i usually edit at 24fps, to match my dslr footage. With 48fps i still get my slow motion if needed but it's smooth played at normal speed. I actually almost always shoot with my Zoom at 30fps even for a 24fps edit, because that produces just a slight slow motion (80% of normal speed) that smooths things out a bit without looking obviously slowed down. When i get the Air 2 I plan on only using the 60fps when I know i want the 40% slow motion.

There is a 48fps option ?

 

[Joe Foreman]

Hi, ordered the Mavic Air 2 and I am still relative new to videography.

What speaks against recording every video at 60fps vs 30fps with a drone? I am aware that the file size will increase and I will require more light but since I live in Florida and shoot most of my videos in sunlight I am not too concerned about it.

Since I edit videos on a 30fps timeline, I could slow down my footage by 50% but at the same time could playback my footage in real time or not as If I would have recorded it in 30fps?

Thanks for clarifying the confusion.

No tracking options (Trace, spotlight etc) available @60fps, which are available @30fps, even with HDR on.

 

[Meta4]

I am not confusing them at all. Frame rate also determines how long the sensor is available to collect light/data for a given frame and how much data can be collected and how much time the equipment has to handle that data. Not just exposure. All settings the same, 60 fps collects less light per frame.

You are confusing frame rate with shutter speed.

Frame rate is how many times the shutter opens each second.
What controls how much light gets through is how long the shutter is open for when it opens.

 

[Hegemone]

You are confusing frame rate with shutter speed.

Frame rate is how many times the shutter opens each second.
What controls how much light gets through is how long the shutter is open for when it opens.

All settings the same including shutter speed... Nevermind, arguing is diluting the OPs thread.

 

[Meta4]

All settings the same including shutter speed...

If your shutter speed is 1/125th of a second. it doesn't matter if you open the shutter 24 times per second or 60 times per second, each frame will have exactly the same amount of light and data.
Exactly the same.
It can't be any other way.

 

[Max L]

60fps just looks weird and unrealistic to me. But im a nobody so ?

 

[Hiflyer808]

There is a 48fps option ?

Really? That's great. Maybe I was thinking of my Gopro. Don't know what their thinking was in removing 48fps.

 

[Hiflyer808]

Ok, it's not just about exposure. You do you.

Hegemone is 100% correct. Maybe you are thinking about how at 60fps you would not be able to have a 1/30th shutter speed, which would indeed bring in more light. But if you shot ISO 100, 1/125th, f2.8, you would let in the exact same amount of light whether at 30fps or 60fps.

 

[Hiflyer808]

Hegemone is 100% correct. Maybe you are thinking about how at 60fps you would not be able to have a 1/30th shutter speed, which would indeed bring in more light. But if you shot ISO 100, 1/125th, f2.8, you would let in the exact same amount of light whether at 30fps or 60fps.

I mean, META4 is correct! Same settings, frame rate does not matter for exposure.

 

[Hegemone]

I mean, META4 is correct! Same settings, frame rate does not matter for exposure.

If the shutter is faster the frame rate then yes it's a moot point. And for most people most of the time that is the case. In my original reply I was talking about how long the sensor was available to collect data. Available is the key word. I misspoke by taking it farther than that. But if you need to maintain your 180 degree shutter angle there is an fact an exposure issue to deal with somehow.

Yet I also mentioned that there are other aspects to conside. One is a consideration of maximum bitrate the equipment is capable of. If there were not other things to consider it would just be a matter of a firmware upgrade to get the m2p to shoot 120fps.

I stick to my guns. Shoot for your intended use rather then maxing out the capability or your equipment. This is sound advice regardless of what fine point is drawn to argue.

 

[Hiflyer808]

If the shutter is faster the frame rate then yes it's a moot point. And for most people most of the time that is the case. In my original reply I was talking about how long the sensor was available to collect data. Available is the key word. I misspoke by taking it farther than that. But if you need to maintain your 180 degree shutter angle there is an fact an exposure issue to deal with somehow.

Yet I also mentioned that there are other aspects to conside. One is a consideration of maximum bitrate the equipment is capable of. If there were not other things to consider it would just be a matter of a firmware upgrade to get the m2p to shoot 120fps.

I stick to my guns. Shoot for your intended use rather then maxing out the capability or your equipment. This is sound advice regardless of what fine point is drawn to argue.

Okay, i agree with your more general point. Unless you want slow motion, 60fps is needlessly taxing your drone, using up more sd card space, depriving you of hdr and active track, etc. Yet so many people use it thinking they are getting higher quality..