P2V+ Video quality for commercial purposes vs. 4K Video

[Indy Nerdist]

Hello,

I am having a problem deciding whether the P2V+ video quality is good enough for commercial purposes or do I need to upgrade the P2 to 4k (or buy an Inspire). I've researched until I am numb, but now I want actual opinions. I couldn't find a suitable thread, so forgive me in advance if there is one and I didn't find it. I am looking for opinions from those of you that have or will be using your Phantom for commercial purposes.

Thanks in advance......

 

[TeeJayN]

While I don't use my P2v+ for "commercial purposes", there are observations that can be made that could influence your decision. IMHO, if your "commercial purpose" requires a TRULY Hi-Def 1080p video, you will likely be disappointed with the P2V+. Having said that, I still believe the P2V+ video is stunning. The vast majority of video I've taken, in my less than humble opinion, looks fantastic. But if I play that video on my 60" HD TV and compare it to say a live broadcast, at only 720p, well, the P2V+ video artifacts from lower resolution and compression become very apparent. But on a 22" HD monitor the P2v+ video, the vast majority of the time, is excellent!

But, IMHO, there are at least 2 issues that I have commonly noticed that may or may not concern/bother you:

-The low light level video recording leaves much to be desired. The video noise and the uneven low light sensor sensitivity (seen as "quilted squares" over the entire screen) is way too noticeable.

-During daylight when the video camera is automatically adjusting for changing light levels (like at near dusk when panning from horizon down to ground), it adjusts for the changing light level in a "stepping" or jerky manner rather than a smooth transition.

If you would rarely/never fly in low light the first issue might be moot. But the stepping light level transitions are annoying because once you see it, IMHO, it's hard to ignore.
I believe a critical videographer would easily note these artifacts, and might be very disappointed.

So, I would say a lot would depend on the critical nature of your commercial purpose.
As such, what type of "commercial purpose" will you be recording? That might help to spark more Opinions!

 

[snowghost]

Are you shooting in 1080P/30? It looks pretty good to me on my 75" LED. You are right about the low light though. Not too good at dusk.

 

[edonovanl]

TeeJayN, my apologies if you already know this, but you can reduce the stepping that you see by changing you camera's metering from spot to center or wide....still not perfect, but better...

 

[jumanoc]

Not only Resolution fact in here.
If you have enough budget, go for an Inspire 1 or Yuneec Q500 Typhoon with 4K cameras included. If not as pro as those, get a Phantom 2 Vision with H4-3D gimbal and a GoPro 4 (also 4K video).

 

[Fourblade]

Not only Resolution fact in here.
If you have enough budget, go for an Inspire 1 or Yuneec Q500 Typhoon with 4K cameras included. If not as pro as those, get a Phantom 2 Vision with H4-3D gimbal and a GoPro 4 (also 4K video).

Can you have the GoPro 4 with a live video feed like the stock P2V+?

 

[jumanoc]

Not only Resolution fact in here.
If you have enough budget, go for an Inspire 1 or Yuneec Q500 Typhoon with 4K cameras included. If not as pro as those, get a Phantom 2 Vision with H4-3D gimbal and a GoPro 4 (also 4K video).

Can you have the GoPro 4 with a live video feed like the stock P2V+?

Yes... in fact I'm using my GoPro 4 with my Phantom using 600mw immersion VTX. (I added for telemetry the EZ-OSD accesory).

These are the ON-BOARD transmitters:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17745__ImmersionRC_EzOSD_FPV_on_Screen_Display.html

No iPad or iPhone video, It needs additional Monitor.

Any 5.8 ghz is the ON-GROUND receiver:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...nkw=fpv+monitor+diversity&ghostText=&_sacat=0

 

[Fourblade]

Not only Resolution fact in here.
If you have enough budget, go for an Inspire 1 or Yuneec Q500 Typhoon with 4K cameras included. If not as pro as those, get a Phantom 2 Vision with H4-3D gimbal and a GoPro 4 (also 4K video).

Can you have the GoPro 4 with a live video feed like the stock P2V+?

Yes... in fact I'm using my GoPro 4 with my Phantom using 600mw immersion VTX. (I added for telemetry the EZ-OSD accesory).

These are the ON-BOARD transmitters:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17745__ImmersionRC_EzOSD_FPV_on_Screen_Display.html

No iPad or iPhone video, It needs additional Monitor.

Any 5.8 ghz is the ON-GROUND receiver:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...nkw=fpv+monitor+diversity&ghostText=&_sacat=0

Interesting... what about control of the camera tilt? Is that possible too?

 

[CapnBob]

In my opinion, 4K is over-hyped and unnecessary.
When you reach a resolution that is beyond the limits of the human eye to discern,
Increasing beyond that point is useless.

Why?
For the same reason that you cannot see individual grains of sand while standing on a beach.
the grains only appear individually when you get much closer, as in lying down .
In the same way, when you look at a 1080P display on a big screen at a comfortable viewing distance
(one which you can see the entire presentation screen), you cannot see individual pixels at 1080P.

Having said that, if you get closer to the screen to a point that you can discern the 1080P pixels, (as in lying on the beach)
4K will definitely look better. However, at that point, you can't see the "big picture".

If you want to do a digital zoom, well then yes, 4K is better.
It's exactly the same as megapixels in still photography.
What looks perfectly fine as a 3" X 5" print, will be terrible if blown up to poster size.

All in all, though, for the average viewer, I think 4K is overkill.

 

[Indy Nerdist]

I just found today that you can buy the P2 with the Zenmuse H4-3D Gimbal to use with the GoPro Hero 4. I'm kicking myself for not seeing this prior to posting this thread yesterday, but oh well. With an extra battery and the Gopro Hero 4 Black, the total cost is right at $1500, which is about half the cost of the Inspire. I have read of lots of buggy firmware with the Inspire. The one that concerns me most is the GPS switching to ATTI randomly. I'd cry like a little girl if my $3000 Inspire fell out of the sky. Perhaps I will upgrade when they work out the bugs in a year or two. My main concern is the fish-eye lense of the DJI camera on the P2. With pictures, it is glaringly obvious. With video, not as much, but it is still noticeable. I can definitely tell the difference between 4k and 1080P/30fs, especially with larger tv's and monitors. I realize that most won't care, but if I can spend what amounts to about $300 more using the Gopro, I'll take the 4k camera. I am in full on research mode. I know most of you are much more seasoned on DJI, but I am still learning. Thanks for not flaming this noob.

http://www.dji.com/product/zenmuse-h4-3d

 

[prostreetcamaro]

In my opinion, 4K is over-hyped and unnecessary.
When you reach a resolution that is beyond the limits of the human eye to discern,
Increasing beyond that point is useless.

Why?
For the same reason that you cannot see individual grains of sand while standing on a beach.
the grains only appear individually when you get much closer, as in lying down .
In the same way, when you look at a 1080P display on a big screen at a comfortable viewing distance
(one which you can see the entire presentation screen), you cannot see individual pixels at 1080P.

Having said that, if you get closer to the screen to a point that you can discern the 1080P pixels, (as in lying on the beach)
4K will definitely look better. However, at that point, you can't see the "big picture".

If you want to do a digital zoom, well then yes, 4K is better.
It's exactly the same as megapixels in still photography.
What looks perfectly fine as a 3" X 5" print, will be terrible if blown up to poster size.

All in all, though, for the average viewer, I think 4K is overkill.

The problem is the sub par video quality of the dji cam. Yeah it is 1080p but looks more like an upscaled 720p video. It is just not clean and sharp looking.

 

[manny]

I was absolutely looking to get the best solution quality wise, but also a practical and easy to use solution while I was in your shoes not long ago. As far as video resolution goes, I think dynamic range and image quality is far more important than resolution. Yes, in a couple of years 4K will be "the standard", but pretty much everywhere you look today is 1080-displays; simply because it is good enough for most people.

The one thing about the P2V+ I REALLY love is the app. Having the opportunity to see what the camera sees and control it directly while its in air is the highest valued feature of the P2V IMO. I really can't imagine using this flying camera without using the app. The photos from the camera is not too bad, I was actually surprised over what info I was able to pull out from a RAW-file coming from such a small sensor. The video on the other hand is OK, not amazing, but not bad either. With some post processing you can get real adequate footage, but I don't think I would use it for anything too serious. I've been asked about shooting a music video for a band after they saw my first drone-footage, so I think the "less image quality minded" people amongst us is good enough.

The photos are quite good I think, I've been able to shoot some good photos with it from the sky. As mentioned, the RAW-files aren't too bad after some processing, and delivered better photos than I expected. If you want to shoot low light you can just forget about the P2V+ though, at ISO400 it looks like something out of a horror movie. Seriously, if I were able to push my Canon 5D mark II to maybe ISO124000 it still wouldn't look that bad. The low-light quality are downright horrible, but if you're not planning on shooting other than daytime I guess that's not going to be a problem.

As far as lens correction goes, there's quite much you can do with that in post. Here is a video I made with examples:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SYqXg6VQOcY

A photo example here:

Bruskorvet hyttefelt, Maurseth by MNYFOTO, on Flickr

I saw a video the other day while day-dreaming of a Panasonic GH4 mounted on a DJI S900:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oR-JEMV82E
It just blew my mind. A dynamic range out of this world, it almost looks like the next Far Cry game. Incredibly smooth, 4K resolution, and I guess everything you could wish for when it comes to using drone-footage commercially... Except for the price tag with it though. Still, if I were to go for a drone where I needed high-quality footage, no doubt that I would choose the S900/GH4-combo instead of a Inspire.

 

[UgashikBob]

Manny:
I have three units with mobius 1080 cams on them a P2V+ and a hex with a H3-3D/GP4 on it. When I first started I was totally satisfied with 1080P. When I received the Phantom the video quality didn't impress me compared to the Mobius but all the application features certainly did. Now with the GP4 I watch my 2.7 output on my 30" computer screen that is 2.7 capable and it makes the mobious/phantom look inferior. I imagine the difference between 2.7 and 4k will also be noticeable and 4k is on the verge of not requiring a mortgage for something to view it on. Right now if I wanted to go full tilt as a hobbyist/enthusiast with only one unit I would have a Phantom with a GP4B and whatever is required to make it as functional with the apps as the P2V+.

 

[OnTheTrent]

"...I was able to pull out from a RAW-file coming from such a small sensor..."

Hey Manny, a couple of questions..
1. What program did you use to work with the RAW photos?
2. I like the before and after lens correction video. What software did you use with that?

I was quite impressed with the correction for "fish-eye" distortion.

 

[StevenQX]

On youtube he write adobe photoshop CC but I think it means adobe premiere CC