Zoom Functionality is a sliding scale!

[jowlymonster]

Dolly zoom relies on the fact that an optical zoom changes the actual focal length of the the lens and compresses or contracts the background. Digital zoom doesn’t change the focal length it just increases the size of the pixels. You need an optical zoom lens to do a dolly zoom

Actually, I don't think that's true. Compression isn't an artifact of the lens, it's an artifact of the interaction between your location to the subject and your field of view. You can try it yourself by shooting a scene with, say, a 135mm lens, then the same scene, from the same point, with a 24mm lens. Crop the 24mm image to the field of view of the first shot, and it'll be the same. This article explains it well: Lens Compression Doesn't Exist

Yes, digital zoom loses quality if it's having to basically resize the image to be larger, but the actual field of view is the same as an optical zoom, so dolly effect should be possible

 

[InvisibleName]

I just posted a video showing that Dolly Zoom is sort of possible

4K Zoom, more than just digital zoom? [UPDATE]

So like the rest of us, when I saw the firmware update this morning and read about the zoom feature, I was interested. I was curious to know if DJI had simply implemented a digital zoom, merely cropping in on the existing 4k recording, or if they were making use of the extra resolution...

mavicpilots.com

 

[brett8883]

Actually, I don't think that's true. Compression isn't an artifact of the lens, it's an artifact of the interaction between your location to the subject and your field of view. You can try it yourself by shooting a scene with, say, a 135mm lens, then the same scene, from the same point, with a 24mm lens. Crop the 24mm image to the field of view of the first shot, and it'll be the same. This article explains it well: Lens Compression Doesn't Exist

Yes, digital zoom loses quality if it's having to basically resize the image to be larger, but the actual field of view is the same as an optical zoom, so dolly effect should be possible

I’m not sure about this. Changing the crop factor doesn’t change the focal length it’s just like how a 24mm lens is always a 24mm mm lens even if it’s on a crop sensor camera or a full frame camera. However, I am open to being wrong.

Hopefully our resident camera technician can set us straight. @WithTheBirds could you help us out with this please?

 

[brett8883]

I just posted a video showing that Dolly Zoom is sort of possible

4K Zoom, more than just digital zoom? [UPDATE]

So like the rest of us, when I saw the firmware update this morning and read about the zoom feature, I was interested. I was curious to know if DJI had simply implemented a digital zoom, merely cropping in on the existing 4k recording, or if they were making use of the extra resolution...

mavicpilots.com

I wonder if this is focus breathing and not really zolly. Hopefully @WithTheBirds can help us understand this

 

[InvisibleName]

I wonder if this is focus breathing and not really zolly. Hopefully @WithTheBirds can help us understand this

Nah, lost me there! ??

 

[brett8883]

Nah, lost me there! ??

Focus breathing is when the camera changes focus and causes a small amount of zoom in and out.

 

[anon67]

I hope they add zoom feature to stills also, I’m sure they already can but I hope they do

 

[itsneedtokno]

I hope they add zoom feature to stills also, I’m sure they already can but I hope they do

Zoom on stills is called crop...?

 

[InvisibleName]

Focus breathing is when the camera changes focus and causes a small amount of zoom in and out.

Yep watched that.... lost me!

 

[itsneedtokno]

Zoom on stills is called crop...?

Otherwise a telephoto lens is required, of which we don't have on the MA2.

 

[itsneedtokno]

Yep watched that.... lost me!

Photography is such a vast subject, most people think you just grab a camera and point it want what you want and, Voila! It's Magic!

If only it worked that way.

 

[WithTheBirds]

I’m not sure about this. Changing the crop factor doesn’t change the focal length it’s just like how a 24mm lens is always a 24mm mm lens even if it’s on a crop sensor camera or a full frame camera. However, I am open to being wrong.

Hopefully our resident camera technician can set us straight. @WithTheBirds could you help us out with this please?

Im no camera guru- that is I have no specialist training, just observations and things I have learnt from many years in the hobby.

The change in perspective that is created by moving the location of the camera with respect to the subject is the key ingredient in the dolly zoom effect. For this reason we can produce a very similar effect in post by using key frames to create a zoom like effect with frame cropping.

We will loose resolution obviously as we are only using part of the total frame.

We won't have the same depth of field effect as the DOF of the fixed lens and focal length is constant.

It won't be a "dolly zoom", we could call it a "dolly crop" perhaps? It does allow for a good approximation of a dolly zoom.

 

[brett8883]

Im no camera guru- that is I have no specialist training, just observations and things I have learnt from many years in the hobby.

The change in perspective that is created by moving the location of the camera with respect to the subject is the key ingredient in the dolly zoom effect. For this reason we can produce a very similar effect in post by using key frames to create a zoom like effect with frame cropping.

We will loose resolution obviously as we are only using part of the total frame.

We won't have the same depth of field effect as the DOF of the fixed lens and focal length is constant.

It won't be a "dolly zoom", we could call it a "dolly crop" perhaps? It does allow for a good approximation of a dolly zoom.

Thank you!

 

[brett8883]

In theory, this would allow a "dolly zoom" on the MA2 like the M2Z can do.

I'll have to play with it a bit and see what I can do.

@iaincaradoc I dub thee the inventor of the crop zoom.

 

[iaincaradoc]

@iaincaradoc I dub thee the inventor of the crop zoom.

Hardly. I just wonder if it’d be any better doing it “live” at 1080P instead of trying to do it in post with 4K and turning my box into a toaster for an hour or three.

 

[itsneedtokno]

Hardly. I just wonder if it’d be any better doing it “live” at 1080P instead of trying to do it in post with 4K and turning my box into a toaster for an hour or three.

I've found that zooming in 4K, using a proxy, didn't work my machine too hard. (That's what I'm assuming you mean by box lol)

(Even my older 2009 HP Envy Laptop)

I would have to assume the quality would be roughly 4x as good ?

 

[him7403]

If you hold the 1x icon it allows you to dial in anywhere between one and 2x.

On the 1080p it works the same way. 1x to 4x sliding scale!

I lost my MA2 so can't test it but I saw someone saying on youtube that if you hold the Custom button then the gimbal dial works as zoom slider.
That should be much useful than dialing on screen.

 

[itsneedtokno]

I lost my MA2 so can't test it but I saw someone saying on youtube that if you hold the Custom button then the gimbal dial works as zoom slider.
That should be much useful than dialing on screen.

But that would mean zooming while tilting is impossible, not that I would see much use for it... But food for thought.


That's cool stuff though!

 

[InvisibleName]

I lost my MA2 so can't test it but I saw someone saying on youtube that if you hold the Custom button then the gimbal dial works as zoom slider.
That should be much useful than dialing on screen.

That’s what we’re using

 

[itsneedtokno]

That’s what we’re using

I thought he was referencing the Fn button