Camera exposure problems

[Wibble]

Does the Phantom 3 support HDR in video? Did the Vision 2+?

The reason I ask is that the colours and exposure seem off on my Phantom 3. Either the sky is over exposed or the ground. I have to keep moving the exposure point around etc.

On my Vision 2+ it was perfect no matter what lighting conditions. Obviously it wasn't as high a resolution but the exposure control seemed far better.

What am I doing wrong?

Other than that the Phantom 3 is AWESOME!!!

 

[msinger]

Either the sky is over exposed or the ground.

A graduated filter should help you overcome that issue. For example:
http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/Products/p3-series-graduated-nd168-filter.aspx

 

[Wibble]

Why does the Phantom 3 need a grad filter when the vision 2+ didn't?

 

[msinger]

Well, you don't need it. The sky is usually always much brighter than the ground, so it comes in handy.

 

[PhantomFilters]

Why does the Phantom 3 need a grad filter when the vision 2+ didn't?

It does not *need* a graduated filter. An normal ND-filter might help as well, by the way.

I have a P2V+ too and I do not notice the problem you describe. In fact I find that the dynamic range of the P3 to be better than the P2V+

What you can do is change your P3 settings to film in LOG-mode. that increases the Dynamic Range. You can increase this even further by shooting in "Custom style" - and setting the contrast to -3. Also, make sure you have "Exposure Warning" enabled (zebra stripes).

I've written a free ebook with Tips & Tricks. I've added the link to my profile.

 

[tomtnt]

@PhantomFilters - do you set contrast and saturation to -3? how about sharpness? I find even at -1, it is too soft

 

[PhantomFilters]

@PhantomFilters - do you set contrast and saturation to -3? how about sharpness? I find even at -1, it is too soft

These are the settings I usually use:

I set contrast to -3 (remember, I add contrast back in post-production)
Sharpness -1
Satuation -1 (

I've gone into more detail on my website and my free ebook (you should be able to find download information in my profile).

 

[Meta4]

On my Vision 2+ it was perfect no matter what lighting conditions.

Why does the Phantom 3 need a grad filter when the vision 2+ didn't?

You must have been lucky - maybe shooting in overcast conditions?.
I often had real problems with my P2V+ not being able to record ground and sky satisfactorily in bright sunlight.

Obviously it wasn't as high a resolution but the exposure control seemed far better.

Actually the P3 has slightly lower resolution .. but several other improvements that make for an overall better image.

 

[RedRyderMedia]

Does the Phantom 3 support HDR in video? Did the Vision 2+?
Obviously it wasn't as high a resolution but the exposure control seemed far better.
What am I doing wrong? Other than that the Phantom 3 is AWESOME!!!

No and no

Resolution for P3A and P2V+ are the same.

 

[Meta4]

No and no

Resolution for P3A and P2V+ are the same.

Surprisingly the P2V+ has a (slightly) higher resolution
P2V+ = 4384 x 3288 = 14MP
P3 is 4000 x 3000 = 12MP
This isn't enough of a difference to make a significant difference and there are many other aspects of the P3's camera that make it a much better photographic tool.

 

[TonG]

Surprisingly the P2V+ has a (slightly) higher resolution
P2V+ = 4384 x 3288 = 14MP
P3 is 4000 x 3000 = 12MP
This isn't enough of a difference to make a significant difference and there are many other aspects of the P3's camera that make it a much better photographic tool.

The netto resolution for the P3 is higher. I you have to correct for the fisheye effect from the PV2+ your end result has much less pixels then the P3.
And besides that the sensitivity is much higher on The P3 and you can make much longer exposure times.
Overall the P3 camera is much more versatile then the camera of the PV2+.

If you have for example the horizon high up in the image then after fisheye correction you wil end up with approximately a equivalent number of 3800x2500pixels. It depends of course how high or how low your horizon is in the picture.

 

[4wd]

Reducing contrast might help a bit, also it's something you can work on at processing stage later, especially if you underexpose slightly if anything.
Your best video will usually be with sun more or less behind you, and not too high in the sky.
If it's obvious the sky is tending to over-expose, just tilting the camera down so there's less of it in frame could be an option.

 

[RedRyderMedia]

Surprisingly the P2V+ has a (slightly) higher resolution
P2V+ = 4384 x 3288 = 14MP
P3 is 4000 x 3000 = 12MP
This isn't enough of a difference to make a significant difference and there are many other aspects of the P3's camera that make it a much better photographic tool.

Sorry for any confusion, but I was responding to the OP question about video resolution of the P3A vs P2V+. The sensors have different resolutions, but in video mode, the P3A and P2V+ are both 1080p. I believe the sensor is cropped when sampling for video, so the full resolution of the sensor doesn't matter. The full sensor is only sampled for still images.

 

[BenDronePilot]

Sorry for any confusion, but I was responding to the OP question about video resolution of the P3A vs P2V+. The sensors have different resolutions, but in video mode, the P3A and P2V+ are both 1080p. I believe the sensor is cropped when sampling for video, so the full resolution of the sensor doesn't matter. The full sensor is only sampled for still images.

Another thing is that you can't compare one camera to another just based on it being 1080p vs 1080p. The underlying quality of the sensor, the optics, the processors wittin the cameras make them two completely different things with respect to image quality.

 

[Wibble]

Whoops I should have said mine is the 4k version!!!
Forgot it came with 2 different cameras.