1080p or 4k

[Tommy Iversen]

1080p 48-60 fps or 4k 30 fps. Any thoughts here? I would think the 1080, especially during fast movements will make for smoother tranisitions and generally better captures? Does the 4k with its lower frame / bitrate, give any real advantages, i mean, of course the picture will be sharper displaying on a 4k screen, but will the video in general be better? I´m pretty new to this and still exploring the optimal settings

 

[Great_Lakes]

1080p is just fine. Not a whole lot of advantage with 4k without a TV or computer capable of playing it. Just my opinion.

 

[Tommy Iversen]

My thought exactly. I have a 1440p screen and a 1080p living room TV. But even with 4k display, will there still be enough improvement to justify choosing 25/30 FPS 4k over 48/50/60 Fps 1080p given the camera quality that the P4 possess?

 

[Erised]

1080p is just fine. Not a whole lot of advantage with 4k without a TV or computer capable of playing it. Just my opinion.

Same here, I don't have a 4k tv nor do my friends and family, no use for me to shoot what I can't share. 1080p is better than my 720 satelite dish signal and the file size of 4k is massive.

 

[Michael Judd]

Although I have just started editing I have a few friends that have said its better to film in 2.7 and export 1080. I tried filming 1080 and export 1080 and there was a difference in the final uploaded video, or maybe my eyes were just tired. Anyway, as said, not a lot of todays computers render 4k very good but that will change over the next few years.

 

[Tommy Iversen]

What software do you guys use for editing?

 

[Michael Judd]

I use adobe premiere pro cc, but it is fairly expensive
I just started editing myself but I do like the way its laid out

 

[Michael Judd]

Tommy, yes, there is quite a difference between the 4k and 1080, about the same as the difference between 480 and 720 if you have something that will play 4k, then I would film in 4k, but if you plan on just uploading to youtube or vimeo then film in 2.7 and export as 1080

 

[tcope]

Same here, I don't have a 4k tv nor do my friends and family, no use for me to shoot what I can't share. 1080p is better than my 720 satelite dish signal and the file size of 4k is massive.

Ever watch a TV show or movie made 5-7 years ago? Looks like total crap, huh.

 

[Dinerve]

What software do you guys use for editing?

FCPX

I personally prefer to shoot in 4K then render at 1080p. It allows to reframe if need be crop and the likes.

A tad heavy to manipulate on underspecced PCs but resulting quality seems better to my eyes.

 

[tcope]

1080p 48-60 fps or 4k 30 fps. Any thoughts here? I would think the 1080, especially during fast movements will make for smoother tranisitions and generally better captures? Does the 4k with its lower frame / bitrate, give any real advantages, i mean, of course the picture will be sharper displaying on a 4k screen, but will the video in general be better? I´m pretty new to this and still exploring the optimal settings

I'd say 90% of the answer depends on what you are going to use the video for... which you don't mention. However, knowing that really answers your question as well.

Editing 4k can be a pain. If I'm mixing drone footage with 1080 footage from another source, I film in 1080 at 60fps. If I want a lot of hits on Youtube and it's only going to be a drone shoot, I'm probably going to film in 4k because those seem to drive views... and in 3 years it should look much better than a lot of other videos shot in 1080. Every situation is different.

 

[Erised]

I use Corel video studio pro, I get good results and the software is inexpensive, learning curve not bad, you can do the basics pretty fast and learn the cool stuff as you go.

 

[Tommy Iversen]

I'd say 90% of the answer depends on what you are going to use the video for... which you don't mention. However, knowing that really answers your question as well.

Editing 4k can be a pain. If I'm mixing drone footage with 1080 footage from another source, I film in 1080 at 60fps. If I want a lot of hits on Youtube and it's only going to be a drone shoot, I'm probably going to film in 4k because those seem to drive views... and in 3 years it should look much better than a lot of other videos shot in 1080. Every situation is different.

Thanks for your info. Regarding the usage of my photo, this is divided. Some will be professional/work related as i´ll be filming buildings/properties. This is mostly for internal use within the company and won´t require high end quality. Then there is me and my family... trips, mountain climbing and all sort of outdoor activities. This is something i would probably watch in 3 years or maybe even 30 years (if i´m lucky). so i would prefer it doesn´t look like a crapy 80´movie in the future... . Concerning editing 4k, my PC running I7 6850K / GTX 1080 should be up for the task and a deasant job here, altough file sizes are a hassle. I was most concerned about the 4k quality within the Phantom. I´ve been told the bitrate is to low for real 4k advantage, and given the FPS advantage of the 1080, this (1080) will be the best "overall" mode. Anyway, thanks for all inputs. Appreciate this, and then again, part of the fun is testing and finding out, isn´t it ?

 

[Tommy Iversen]

I use Corel video studio pro, I get good results and the software is inexpensive, learning curve not bad, you can do the basics pretty fast and learn the cool stuff as you go.

Thanks. I will certainly try this out.

 

[Tommy Iversen]

Tommy, yes, there is quite a difference between the 4k and 1080, about the same as the difference between 480 and 720 if you have something that will play 4k, then I would film in 4k, but if you plan on just uploading to youtube or vimeo then film in 2.7 and export as 1080

Thanx. with my P3A i did that 2.7 to 1080 export a few times. Haven´t really given it any thoughts now with all the other options the P4 gave. I have 3 1440p 27 inch displays for my PC rig, but my living room TV is just 1080p, so as for now, i won´t be able to enjoy 4k at home For displaying on a 1080p TV, would you say there will be a big difference in quality if you record in 4k/2.7 and convert to 1080 (trough premiere for instance) compared to just recording in 1080 ?

 

[sandman259]

Ever watch a TV show or movie made 5-7 years ago? Looks like total crap, huh.

I wouldn't say they look like crap...blue ray is only 1080 and it looks great. Jurassic Park was filmed like 25 years ago and still holds up...


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[tcope]

I wouldn't say they look like crap...blue ray is only 1080 and it looks great. Jurassic Park was filmed like 25 years ago and still holds up...

BR is capable of 2160p (3840x2160). Jurassic Park may have ben released in that resolution but the video would have been of a _much_ higher resolution.

 

[ElGuapo]

My thought exactly. I have a 1440p screen and a 1080p living room TV. But even with 4k display, will there still be enough improvement to justify choosing 25/30 FPS 4k over 48/50/60 Fps 1080p given the camera quality that the P4 possess?

I have a 4K Tv, playing the video footage from the P3P in 4K is unbelievably crisp and sharp, both of my drones are capable of producing video in 4K 30 fps. The only thing is that the editing process takes longer and the media files in 4K are pretty large. Out of curiosity, the other day I shot a video of a golf course in 4K and exported it to 1080P, played the video on one of our 1080P TV's. The quality looks nice just like anything in a 1080P display. Then I made a few edits to the video in native 4K and played it on our new 4K TV. When my wife saw the video footage of the golf course in 4K she couldn't believe it. I was able to accomplish this by using a filter, I use filters in both of my drones.

In order to accomplish this I set the camera to the Manual Setting mode and then try to incorporate the 180º rule which says you should shoot at double the frame rate whenever possible. For example, if you’re shooting at 24fps or 25fps (frames per second), set your shutter speed to 1/50 of a second. If you are shooting at 30fps, then set your shutter speed to 1/60 of a second. This will allow your image to appear more cinematic and have more realistic blur.

After all, video is a series of static pictures played back to back, so the right amount of motion blur is what magically convinces our eyes of smooth, life-like movement.

In order to achieve these slow shutter speeds though, you will likely need to use 3rd party camera filters. I use Neewer filters. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CS86PS2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also obtain pretty good results with this filter without sacrificing quality: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01544APJM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017VV5JLA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These filters allow you to get less light into the camera sensor and keep the shutter at the desired frame rate. Essential what is happening is you are putting sunglasses over the camera lens to let in less light, which will prevent your image from being blown out due to the slow shutter.

Honestly it took me a while to figure out which filter to use depending on daylight conditions, but I never gave up. I kept on trying different combinations, filters vs camera settings until one day i obtained the results I wanted.

 

[sandman259]

BR is capable of 2160p (3840x2160). Jurassic Park may have ben released in that resolution but the video would have been of a _much_ higher resolution.

Yes newer blue rays are offered in ultra HD format but that is just recently this year. Every movie the last 10 years on blue ray has been 1080 and they still look great in my opinion. Not that 4K doesn't look better but it's a stretch to say 1080 looks like crap.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[tcope]

Not that 4K doesn't look better but it's a stretch to say 1080 looks like crap.

Point being, 4k is to preserve the look for future viewing.