Zoom Zoom Zoom!

[Chaosrider]

Anyone remember the Mazda Zoom Zoom Zoom commercial from a long while back? It was clearly the champion among commercials at the time.

Unless there's a specific reason to do otherwise, I use the zoom setting on every flight, usually 2.7K, 60 fps, 3X zoom.

This is probably because I come from a pilot heritage, rather than a photographer heritage. There's a serious safety advantage to flying with zoom, which is the inverse of the warning you see written on car mirrors sometimes:

"Objects in viewscreen are farther than they appear"

This means that I can "get close" to things, without having to worry very much about hitting them. If the clearance looks at all good in 3X zoom, the clearance is probably awesome in reality.

For my footage of the flag down the canyon (not yet edited and posted), I used 1080 p so I could get the 4X zoom (Mini-2). That flag is near the edge of the Mini-2 control range, there are frequently significant winds, and it's right next to a major highway. 4X lets me get close, without actually being that close.

Have any of the rest of you used zoom very much? If so, what are your primary uses for it?

Thx,

MM

 

[EpicFlight]

I use it occasionally for exploration and composition of a shot, but I learned enough times the old saw about leaving out material you can never get again, and zooming in post.

There have been too many times I've ended up being thankful I'd shot that wider view in hi-res.

 

[Faster]

Same here, look, zoom in to explore, zoom out and take the picture. Review in post.

 

[Chaosrider]

I use it occasionally for exploration and composition of a shot, but I learned enough times the old saw about leaving out material you can never get again, and zooming in post.

There have been too many times I've ended up being thankful I'd shot that wider view in hi-res.

I've found some interesting effects rising over multiple mountain ranges that seem to only work when it's zoomed. Those are on my editing and posting list!

Other than that, if I have a specific shot that I want to take, and I don't need to get close to take it, I'll use 4K 30 fps 1X.

But usually I don't! I'm just out to fly...



Thx,

TCS

 

[IronSky1]

Agreed you need to carefull and remember you are in zoomed mode. I have screwed up thinking I was not zoomed and backed into a tree. The drone crashed on top of roof and was recovered a day later. I normally get close without zoom if possible. If I do use zoom I keep good VLOS .

 

[Chaosrider]

Agreed you need to carefull and remember you are in zoomed mode. I have screwed up thinking I was not zoomed and backed into a tree. The drone crashed on top of roof and was recovered a day later. I normally get close without zoom if possible. If I do use zoom I keep good VLOS .

The only time I get really close to anything...less than 6 feet away...is when the drone is not more than about 120 ft away from me, and I have hard VLOS.

Whenever I'm not in zoomed mode, it's by a conscious decision for a specific purpose, so it's easy to remember.

Thx,

MM

 

[EpicFlight]

The only time I get really close to anything...less than 6 feet away...is when the drone is not more than about 120 ft away from me, and I have hard VLOS.

Yeah, well, you're pretty new at this... One year from now we'll be seeing video of you flying "Warrior", the SE you've covered in chain mail, dive-bombing that flag.

You'll see.....

 

[Chaosrider]

Yeah, well, you're pretty new at this... One year from now we'll be seeing video of you flying "Warrior", the SE you've covered in chain mail, dive-bombing that flag.

You'll see.....

I'm trembling with anticipation!



MM