Phantom 4 Pro Camera vs Mavic Pro 2 Camera

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The reviews I have seen suggest that the Mavic Pro 2 video & stills output is a tad softer than the P4P. Has this been the experience here as well?

See, for example -

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It seems, something is rotten in the state of Denmark:

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Thank you, I think I just saved $1500-$2000
Obviously this fellah knows quite a bit about imaging and processing, and I think I just got a really good schooling on technology.
Sounds totally logical and legit to me, and I'm an incurable skeptic.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go hug my P4P and apologize for considering a replacement.
 
Gonna stick my 2 cents worth in. A friend bought his gleaming, sexy, new M2 in to show me a few days ago and we decided that we’d fly them out before the weather turned sucky, so we did. Took a bunch of video and some stills and when we reviewed them after, the M2 videos just weren’t as crisp. There was just something in there that was softer and lacking an edge. The colour also was just too yellow. I’m sure it can be corrected in post but out of the box, it wasn’t as crisp and clear as my Phantom.
Pretty much the same story in stills. I was expecting to be humiliated by the Hasselblad camera but I was pretty underwhelmed and he went home wondering what was wrong with his M2.
I have to be honest, I was feeling pretty smug afterwards..
 
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All the Mavic 2 Pro footage I have seen has the soft, mushy look. To be sure, not everyone will see the difference, but those of us who do serious photography/videography will. Perhaps it is, as has been suggested, a problem with line-skipping etc, or perhaps it requires only a firmware fix. In any case, I have ordered the P4P v2. Better to stick with a known puppy for now.
 
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All the Mavic 2 Pro footage I have seen has the soft, mushy look. To be sure, not everyone will see the difference, but those of us who do serious photography/videography will. Perhaps it is, as has been suggested, a problem with line-skipping etc, or perhaps it requires only a firmware fix. In any case, I have ordered the P4P v2. Better to stick with a known puppy for now.
Softness alone could also be a software issue, but higher noise, real lack of detail even after sharpening indicates deeper issues. What I really don't understand are the stills, the two cameras have the same sensor(?), yet the MP2 produces more noise in stills...
 
Ok, I must ask the most basic questions, as most tech trouble shooting works this way.
Were the camera settings the same?
Sharpness, contrast, saturation?
Mode? (raw, jpeg)
Shutter speed?
ISO?
Just the basics, like a controlled and documented comparison.
Make sure both are exactly the same and choose the same target, like a calibration board indoors.
 
Softness alone could also be a software issue, but higher noise, real lack of detail even after sharpening indicates deeper issues. What I really don't understand are the stills, the two cameras have the same sensor(?), yet the MP2 produces more noise in stills...
I also believe this was answered by another thread, where a very knowledgeable individual.
I got the impression he is professionally involved in cinema.
He explained why he thinks the reveal got postponed.
In short, two ways of processing images.
Clusters of pixels or line by line.
He suspects the processors were overheating by scanning every line.
With a little software tweak, it scans every other line and decreases processor load by half.
Look around, it's still here and very informative.
 
I also believe this was answered by another thread, where a very knowledgeable individual.
I got the impression he is professionally involved in cinema.
He explained why he thinks the reveal got postponed.
In short, two ways of processing images.
Clusters of pixels or line by line.
He suspects the processors were overheating by scanning every line.
With a little software tweak, it scans every other line and decreases processor load by half.
Look around, it's still here and very informative.

I am fully aware of the differences between line-skipping vs full-sensor readout&processing. If this is the case (seems so, from the Moiré and noise levels) it will take more than a software upgrade. On "software" I meant a simple sharpening filter much later in the pipeline (actually can be done in post), which the MP2 shots could make use of. This is easy to implement, question if it does more harm than good, if the image is prone to aliasing/Moiré. OTOH, forcing the hardware to do a full readout needs far more power and possibly better cooling.

I went trough the very same discussion on photography forums with the video modes of the sony A7rII camera (one mode was full readout of an approximately APS-c size area, the other was a line-skipped readout of the full sensor). Very similar issues like here (softness, noise, aliasing).
 
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His point was, they had to sacrifice quality with a simple software tweak instead of going back to engineering, as they had already announced the release.
I quite sure they're withholding some pretty cool features for later.
I want one that locks onto a target and keeps in frame, no matter what I do with the drone.
I know, it's probably already there, I just have to look.
 
His point was, they had to sacrifice quality with a simple software tweak instead of going back to engineering, as they had already announced the release.
I quite sure they're withholding some pretty cool features for later.
They might withhold features or skills, true. But I wouldn't be surprised either, that unleashing the full power of the sensor would involve too much power draw or overheating. Sony 1" compacts (rx100vi) are still restricted to 5minutes of 4k recording because of this.

I want one that locks onto a target and keeps in frame, no matter what I do with the drone.
I know, it's probably already there, I just have to look.
Active track, AFAIK all current DJI drones do that, very cool!

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I have used active track, but does that lock on while I control the aircraft position.
From all directions controlled by me?
I want my target to stay in frame while I fly over, around, towards, away, up and down.
I want full aircraft control while my gimbal stays focused.
Even if the aircraft must rotate to do so.
Guess I'll go out and practice modes, but I don't think that exists.
 
I have used active track, but does that lock on while I control the aircraft position.
From all directions controlled by me?
I want my target to stay in frame while I fly over, around, towards, away, up and down.
I want full aircraft control while my gimbal stays focused.
Even if the aircraft must rotate to do so.
Guess I'll go out and practice modes, but I don't think that exists.
Honestly haven't tried, but the linked video suggests so.
 
I have used active track, but does that lock on while I control the aircraft position.
From all directions controlled by me?
I want my target to stay in frame while I fly over, around, towards, away, up and down.
I want full aircraft control while my gimbal stays focused.
Even if the aircraft must rotate to do so.
Guess I'll go out and practice modes, but I don't think that exists.

The answer is YES. Moving the right stick works normally. With the left stick, you, obviously, can’t control YAW. The TapFly Mode is also really helpful. After you set the initial targeted direction, you can smoothly change course, speed, and altitude. Every time you release the sticks the drone maintains the last settings and flies VERY smoothly and consistently. This let’s you think about your video and the next capture.
 
I much prefer my Mavic 2 Pro to my P4P, especially in low light conditions. Having said that, for those who don’t like post processing, the
P4P is the right choice.
 
Happy to stick with my bulkier P4p too.

RoOSTA
 

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