I purchased the phantom 4 pro to augment the work I do as an architectural photographer. Compared to the aging but very capable Canon 5D MK II I use for most of this work the images from the phantom 4 pro are disappointing. I realize there is a huge difference between the sensors in both cameras, but for reviewers to simply state that the phantom 4 pro has amazing image quality is a disservice. Even at optimum settings, like 100 iso, with a high shutter speed and a small aperture the raw images are noisy in the mid tones, such as clear blue sky, and lack sharpness. To get acceptable results I had to use Nik software's Define noise reduction program followed by unsharp mask in photoshop. Am I missing something? A colleague pointed out that DNG files can be processed differently by different software; some will render it sharper and clearer, but the jpg files aren't any better. I'm using photoshop's latest CC and camera raw. Is there a better way to do this?
Phantom 4 pro image quality needs improvement
- Thread starter Pablosnaps
- Start date
The reports you are reading are referencing quality vs. other drones on the market, not a full-frame SLR. If you think you don't like P4P imagery try the P4 or Mavic 
Seriously, the P4P is about as good as it gets right now for a plug-and-play quadcopter. If you want to step up quality you're looking at an Inspire 2 X5S at over triple the price of the P4P.
Seriously, the P4P is about as good as it gets right now for a plug-and-play quadcopter. If you want to step up quality you're looking at an Inspire 2 X5S at over triple the price of the P4P.
I appreciate that, and honestly, with a bit of work in post final images will satisfy most clients. Here's a sample for anyone who's interested.. This was shot at 100 iso 320 f11The reports you are reading are referencing quality vs. other drones on the market, not a full-frame SLR. If you think you don't like P4P imagery try the P4 or Mavic
Seriously, the P4P is about as good as it gets right now for a plug-and-play quadcopter. If you want to step up quality you're looking at an Inspire 2 X5S at over triple the price of the P4P.
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Note that sweet spot for the lens is in area f5.6-f6.3. At f11 you will get a lot of extra artifacts and a softer image. Further, using luminance noise reduction of 15-20 and color noise reduction of 35-50 in either Lightroom or camera raw should be sufficient for ISO 100. Nice capture.
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This looks great for what we are working with man. It's def not a big full frame DSLR man! Such as the Canon 5D4 that I shoot my portrait stuff with. But holy crap it's incredible for what it is. Have to move up to a 6-10,000 drone to get a full frame sensor up in the sky!
Thank you for the suggestions! I thought the optimum aperture for this lens might be wider than f11 but have not tested it enough.
You might get acceptable results with f8, but f11 is definitely not performing well. I have more or less standardized on f5.6 at least for stills, for video you have a bit more flexibility due to the lower resolution.
Hey- you are doing yourself a disservice by using f/11. The lens is a 24mm equivalent, so it has inherently great DOF by itself. Try using no higher than f/4.0. Anything over f/8 and image quality will suffer from diffraction degradation. What are you using for PP? If lightroom, go to lens profiles in the develop module and select the Inspire profile from the DJI offering. It will correct the barrel distortion of the lens as well as the vignetting the sometimes occurs. Cheers-
Zeldon50
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
Zeldon50
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
F5.6 is slightly better than f4 but it is close.
You will find a dedicated Lightroom profiled here:
Adobe lens profile for P4P posted
You could also try browsing classifieds or photo/video businesses for a used Matrice or something, which will definitely let you lift up a DSLR-quality camera. They're going to be a lot more complex than a Phantom though, that's for sure.
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