Mavic vs P4 on photo quality

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It seems that Mavic beats P4 on the whole line.

The only concern I got is about the camera.

First of all, P4 got a camera with FOV = 94° while in the Mavic the FOV is just 78.8°.

Also they are popping up the first comparisons and it seems there is a huge quality gap between the photos taken by P4 and photos taken by Mavic...
 
It seems that Mavic beats P4 on the whole line.
The only concern I got is about the camera.
First of all, P4 got a camera with FOV = 94° while in the Mavic the FOV is just 78.8°.
Also they are popping up the first comparisons and it seems there is a huge quality gap between the photos taken by P4 and photos taken by Mavic...
I wouldn't be too concerned about the FOV.
The P4's lens was very wide, the equivalent of a 20mm lens in 35mm photography.
The new one is still quite wide, the equivalent of a 28mm lens.
For some subjects this will be better because you won't have to get in so close and the perspective will be less extreme.
Can you point us to some of the comparisons that you've found?
 
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A smaller FOV means a smaller size of each frame on the ground. In photogrammetry, for example, it means a number of photos to shoot (and process) dramatically increased.

Here's the comparision on quality...

1.jpg
2.jpg
 
Which FOV is better depends on purpose. With scenery photos big FOV is good, but for taking high altitude images for mapping purposes you'd like to have as small FOV as possible. A high quality zoom lens is needed, I'd be happy to pay a pile of euros to have it. :)
 
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but for taking high altitude images for mapping purposes you'd like to have as small FOV as possible.

I dont understand this point.

With a bigger FOV I can cover the same area of a land with a smaller number of photos... and a smaller number of photos means acceptable post-processing times...
 
I dont understand this point.

With a bigger FOV I can cover the same area of a land with a smaller number of photos... and a smaller number of photos means acceptable post-processing times...
Ah but they all have a very very good zoom mechanism, move the camera (your UAV) closer or further away, kinda equivalent to a 28 - 1000 zoom.. I'd rather start with a longer (relatively speaking) lens and not have to deal with barrelling and a curved horizon.
 
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please have look at the attachment (actually not a good example but proves the point). When creating a 2D mosaic, useful portion of the image with large FOV is low. Optimal focal length would be between 80-200 mm, see for example Aerial Photography.
 

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Ah but they all have a very very good zoom mechanism, move the camera (your UAV) closer or further away, kinda equivalent to a 28 - 1000 zoom.. I'd rather start with a longer (relatively speaking) lens and not have to deal with barrelling and a curved horizon.

Yes, this way you'd have very accurate photos if you had a 50 mpix sensor. :)
 
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True enough, you could then parse 10% of the frame, maybe Mavic 2 will have either a good zoom or gigapixel :eek: sensor. In the meantime, I'm so impressed I've ordered one, there's no competition in my eyes.. Poor old GoPro, ousted again.. I don't doubt they'll sell loads of Karmas, but only to the uninformed GoPro fanboys..
 
In the manual of the photo processing software it says...

"Avoid ultra-wide angle and fisheye lenses. The best choice is 50 mm focal length (35 mm film equivalent) lenses. It is recommended to use a focal length from 20 to 80 mm interval in 35mm equivalent."

"Fixed lenses are preferred. If zoom lenses are used - focal length should be set either to maximal or to
minimal value during the entire shooting session for more stable results."


P4 is 20mm... Mavic is 28mm... according to this, it seems Mavic is better because I still can capture large photos but with less distortions... i'm right ?
 
The left ones are taken with Mavic. I just grab the photos from the web without editing.

I need to buy a drone soon... I was 100% for P4 (even for the sale price you can find it now) but now I dont really know what to buy (80% of my use will be in small photogrammetry)...
 
In the manual of the photo processing software it says...

"Avoid ultra-wide angle and fisheye lenses. The best choice is 50 mm focal length (35 mm film equivalent) lenses. It is recommended to use a focal length from 20 to 80 mm interval in 35mm equivalent."

"Fixed lenses are preferred. If zoom lenses are used - focal length should be set either to maximal or to
minimal value during the entire shooting session for more stable results."


P4 is 20mm... Mavic is 28mm... according to this, it seems Mavic is better because I still can capture large photos but with less distortions... i'm right ?
Yes, it seems that Mavic would be better for that purpose. However, focal length is only one of the properties that makes difference between the cameras.
 
However, focal length is only one of the properties that makes difference between the cameras.
From what I read on specs its the only difference beetwen the 2 cameras...

Anyway, Im waiting for more comparisions and reviews to discover is theres for real that quality gap...
 
From what I read on specs its the only difference beetwen the 2 cameras...

Anyway, Im waiting for more comparisions and reviews to discover is theres for real that quality gap...

No, the Mavic lens at f2.2 is almost a stop faster than the P4's f2.8. This makes a difference to low light photography. However, I still prefer the 20mm fov on the P4 if I have to live with just one fixed focal length and f2.8 isn't bad at all. To me the decisive factor would have been a higher resolution sensor. But the sensors on Mavic and P4 have the same resolution.
 
The f2.2 lens might be part of why the image seems softer. Wider open aperture, relatively cheap lenses will have worse optical quality at a larger aperture. Definitely worse at the edge of the image area. Could be why they did the longer focal length.



Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
 
I think DJI will create enough separation between the P4 and Mavic so one doesn't cannibalizes the other too much. Each serves a different purpose with some overlapping, of course. The Mavic will not be everything the P4 is, yet cheaper and more portable.
 
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Could the lower image quality on the Mavic have to do with how light is refracting off the "dome" over the whole camera and gimbal assembly?? Making it appear a bit hazy?


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
 
It seems that Mavic beats P4 on the whole line.

The only concern I got is about the camera.

First of all, P4 got a camera with FOV = 94° while in the Mavic the FOV is just 78.8°.

Also they are popping up the first comparisons and it seems there is a huge quality gap between the photos taken by P4 and photos taken by Mavic...

The Mavic is marketed as a selfie drone, therefor smaller FOV would suit. People will stand closer for selfies and may notice distortions in the 94 degree vs 78 degree.
And ironically with a selfie drone, you want more close ups of yourself and less background (really defeats the purpose of an aerial device). This works better with a smaller FOV as it 'zooms in' a little more.
 
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