First attempts at HDR

[birddogg]

Hey everyone just wanted to share my first attempts at HDR that were mildly successful. If you have any tips or tricks you have found with the p2v still photo's please share. I'm really curious what the P2V camera is capable of, panoramas etc.

www.airspaceimaging.com/misc.html

 

[kloader]

They look very nice. Tell us a little about your process. Did you use multiple images with different exposures and merge them, or a single photo?

 

[EyeUpHigh]

Hey everyone just wanted to share my first attempts at HDR that were mildly successful. If you have any tips or tricks you have found with the p2v still photo's please share. I'm really curious what the P2V camera is capable of, panoramas etc.

http://www.airspaceimaging.com/misc.html

Nice looking photos - what tricks or technique did you use to create the HDR? Usually a camera will bracket the exposures but I don't remember there being that ability on the Phantom Vision. Did you just 'park' the drone and manually shoot two stops over, normal and two stops under?

 

[birddogg]

Yeah pretty much, i've had better luck using center average and going up from -2.0 to 0 or what looks right in the fpv, whatever it takes. I use photoshop and the auto align function. The pro hdr plugin just does not want to work with the shots not being exact. Although its pretty surprising how close they actually are to one another.Ive ordered a split neutral density filter i'm going to try and fit on the lens so maybe quasi HDR wont be needed.

 

[kloader]

I was also thinking about getting a split ND filter thinking it could be very useful for photos that include the horizon. I've recently affixed a 46mm filter thread to the camera...I'll have to give it a try.

 

[garygid]

To educate those who, like myself, do not know what HDR (High Dynamic Range) means:
(thanks to the http://www.hdrsoft.com website)

HDR Photography

Have you ever photographed a high contrast scene?
If so, you know that even the best exposure gives you blown out highlights, or flat shadows, or both.
The solution is High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing:

Take multiple photographs at varying exposure levels (brackets)
Merge the photos into an HDR image
Adjust the settings to get the look you want: from natural-looking with Exposure Fusion
to painterly or surreal with Tone Mapping

 

[birddogg]

Yes i'm pretty new to all this myself, ive flown R/C for over a decade and even flew a few gliders with 1.5MP cams on them about 5 or 6 years ago. But photography in general is new to me , flying on the other hand feels natural. I'm really amazed at how easy to fly the P2V really is. Its easily the best flying model anything i've ever flown.

As to the HDR i had no idea what it was either until i started to google skyline exposure problems or cant get exposures correct for skyline etc. I noticed right away trying to shoot anything with the sun even slightly exposed on the cam created problems. Eventually i just got a few books on landscape photography from amazon that has really helped in understating the problems.
Lots to learn here , I'm thinking about making the leap into the S800 EVO because its been so much fun. Wish there was a cheaper way of getting a better cam into the air, i don't care about videos etc...

Id love to see how you got that filter adapter mounted. I pre ordred the lens filter adapter from DJI but who knows when thats coming, much like DNG i suppose. I don't want to wait anymore...

 

[Knotguilty]

Hey Birddog. Nice pics of the Nashville skyline. Good job!

One word of caution. After I visited your very professional website, I noticed that you charged for aerial photography presumably utilizing the Phantom Vision. Right now, commercial use is prohibited according to the FAA. Regulations are due out in 2015, that are suppose to address this issue. I remember viewing a video news clip of someone being prosecuted up north ( possibly N.Y or New Jersey) regarding the commercial use of the UAV. There might be an exception under the regs but be careful.

All the best. Knotguilty

 

[pault]

Stunning photos on the home page on your site birddog. I did notice though that some of them seem a bit soft on the left hand side. I have read various posts on this issue and wonder if it is common to all PV2 cameras.

 

[birddogg]

Yeah we have noticed the blur on the left side, nothing we can do at this point. I'm not sending my FC200 out ,just to only get another with the same issue. Just being patient , as much as i can until something concrete comes out about this problem.

About using them for commercial use, i try to be careful when flying anywhere. We never even come close to BVR, the shots i took downtown were probably a little to risky and i would reconsider trying that again. You are right about the FAA thing, i'm just going to do my best not to cause problems. I'm all for regulation, certification etc i think that would be a good thing. I don't like the blanket policy we have now, if i ever started making enough to be concerned i would take a step back and consider all options.

 

[birddogg]

We are out shooting today with scattered clouds, testing polarized filters. Good results so far, better contrast in the clouds and the histograms look better.