Casey Neistat is on the case with the Mavic Pro

It's not the same sensor and not the same on paper. I'm not saying that the Mavric camera is not good... it's very good.
Enlighten us as to why you think it's a different sensor then.
 
Enlighten us as to why you think it's a different sensor then.

I reviewed the spec's on DJI's website and it shows different specs for each one. Prior Phantoms, with different specs, have been shown to have different sensors. The photo quality is also different. Put all of this together.
 
I reviewed the spec's on DJI's website and it shows different specs for each one. Prior Phantoms, with different specs, have been shown to have different sensors. The photo quality is also different. Put all of this together.
The only differences are the total / effective pixels, this isn't an indication that the sensors are different. The 1/2.3 CMOS is a standard sensor manufactured by Sony, also used in the GoPro, etc. How any given sensor's pixels are used is down to optics and processing requirements.

From DJI:

Phantom 3
1/2.3” (CMOS)
Effective pixels: 12.4 M (total pixels: 12.76 M)

Phantom 4
1/2.3” (CMOS), Effective pixels:12.4 M

Mavic Pro
1/2.3” (CMOS), Effective pixels:12.35 M (Total pixels:12.71M)
 
The only differences are the total / effective pixels, this isn't an indication that the sensors are different. The 1/2.3 CMOS is a standard sensor manufactured by Sony, also used in the GoPro, etc. How any given sensor's pixels are used is down to optics and processing requirements.

From DJI:

Phantom 3
1/2.3” (CMOS)
Effective pixels: 12.4 M (total pixels: 12.76 M)

Phantom 4
1/2.3” (CMOS), Effective pixels:12.4 M

Mavic Pro
1/2.3” (CMOS), Effective pixels:12.35 M (Total pixels:12.71M)

Thisnis slightly off topic- but connected. You two seem to have a good grasp on the mechanics of the cameras. So- if you know- since the Phantom 3 and the GoPro have the same Sony sensor, why do the GoPro stills and video look so much better right out of the camera?
The JPGs from the GoPro sometimes are better than what I can get from the dngs from the P3. I do get there because I'm pretty skilled in post- but I've been really amazed at how good the GoPro stills are when I've shot side by side with the P3.

And since the Mavic may have a lesser quality (or just different) sensor/lens, that is of interest to me. As cool as it is, and so portable, for work I wouldn't want to get any worse image quality than I have now.....

Why go to all the trouble of creating this amazing new drone, then put a worse camera on it? That's the point of these things right- a flying CAMERA....?


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Thisnis slightly off topic- but connected. You two seem to have a good grasp on the mechanics of the cameras. So- if you know- since the Phantom 3 and the GoPro have the same Sony sensor, why do the GoPro stills and video look so much better right out of the camera?
The JPGs from the GoPro sometimes are better than what I can get from the dngs from the P3. I do get there because I'm pretty skilled in post- but I've been really amazed at how good the GoPro stills are when I've shot side by side with the P3.

And since the Mavic may have a lesser quality (or just different) sensor/lens, that is of interest to me. As cool as it is, and so portable, for work I wouldn't want to get any worse image quality than I have now.....

Why go to all the trouble of creating this amazing new drone, then put a worse camera on it? That's the point of these things right- a flying CAMERA....?

I have both a P3 and Hero 3 & 4 Black. In my experience my P3 images are better overall. Mainly because the GoPro has to be either;
  • used on a narrower FOV to reduce distortion, meaning less of the overall sensor is used (as the camera uses a crop of the sensor when you reduce its FOV)
  • or have the distortion from the wider FOV removed in post, meaning cropping the resulting image to eliminate the edge degradation.
The P3 / P4 on the other hand has a rectilinear lens (narrower FOV but almost no distortion) so images and video you capture uses all the photo sites of the sensor.

Worth keeping in mind, that using ND filters reduces image quality, so if you ever do any testing / comparisons, make sure to use the naked lens and reduce any pre-processing the cameras offer, i,e, reduce all sharpness in the GoPro / P3 'in camera' settings, then apply the same sharpness to both images in post.
 
Distortion issues aside, I mean the sharpness, dynamic range and noise on images straight out of the camera. don't get me wrong - I chose the P3 and work with it and get amazing images. But - the image quality could-be-better. There is a lot of noise - more than should be for 100 iso (I'm a primarily still shooter) and the dynamic range is less than I'd like.
I shoot with a buddy who has several GoPro's and we use them regularly on shoots for B roll clips and just to set up in a corner or different perspective during a shoot and let it run on Time-lapse, then later pull a few frames to add into the mix with our Nikon & Phantom files. And the JPGs that come out of the GoPro just amaze me. Better in low light for sure. Higher dynamic range. Usable in High iso's - 800/1600.
I NEVER shoot the P3 in anything other than 100.
And yes theres people on here who just shoot auto-exposure and up to 1600 and say "Look- I had not problem - these are great" And they do look great. On screen at 5x7@ 72 dpi. Fine. If thats all you need them for.
Blow those suckers up to 11x14 @ 300 dpi for a print and they won't look that great anymore.....

So, given that the sensor is the same, theoretically we should be able to get that quality from the P3 camera. But do not- and I wish we could.
So, is it the lenses, or the internal processing? Or what is that difference. With the Raw DNGs we ought to be able to get BETTER quality right out of the camera. Not less.

And again, I do love my P3, just hoping for an image quality upgrade.
BhaiTemple_Dusk_0856.jpg
 
Distortion issues aside, I mean the sharpness, dynamic range and noise on images straight out of the camera. don't get me wrong - I chose the P3 and work with it and get amazing images. But - the image quality could-be-better. There is a lot of noise - more than should be for 100 iso (I'm a primarily still shooter) and the dynamic range is less than I'd like.
View attachment 66000

Out of interest what 'in-camera' settings are you using on the P3 and the GoPro?

I've not shot much with the P3 at night, but I know one thing, the Hero 4 ain't that great in low light, gets very noisy fast. These 1/2.3” CMOS sensors have limits, this is why the X5 is such a good idea for higher-quality photography, the MFT sensor collects way more light.

Anyway, I've always been amazed by the quality of the DNG's the P3 produces. Never once though that the GoPro Hero 4 is superior. Have you tried shooting bracketed shots in lower light with the P3? That will get you more dynamic range for stills.
 
I do bracketing occasionally Just don't care for the Auto Bracket because it plays with the ISO rather than shutter speed. And it's limited to only .7 stop rather than full 1 stop brackets. So I do it manually if I want HDR.
Talking about low light shooting. In bright light if I set it for 100 iso it usually brackets the shutter. But for some reason with low light it starts changing the ISO instead. Makes me crazy. And I hate waiting 14 sec. or more between shots to shoot the next frame sequence. I do a lot of panos for stitching and I am much faster doing it single shot, manual. I find I get less movement between frames that way and can pan for the next shot quicker.

But doing HDR on .8 and 1 sec exposures while waiting for the image to burn to card ends up with either ghosting or softer images than I like. And yes, I know about Anti-Ghosting and how the software can align images. I've just not been that impressed with HDR on low light with the P3. I do HDR all the time with my DSLRs.

This is just my experience and preference in shooting. I don't claim it to be the best or better than what you do.
 
It's not the same sensor and not the same on paper. I'm not saying that the Mavric camera is not good... it's very good.
Actually DJI states that it is indeed the same sensor, just different optics, that might explain a little less sharpened image. But I think Casey's drone is not setup properly, if we compare with Jon's and iJustine videos which look quite good.
 
Focus, people! Focus! I'm hearing confirmed reports it is the same sensor as what's in the P4, but the Mavic has some new manual focus setting that people have been needing to toggle to achieve that sharper image. Casey and the DigitalRev guys failed to do that in their comparison videos.
 
Actually DJI states that it is indeed the same sensor, just different optics, that might explain a little less sharpened image. But I think Casey's drone is not setup properly, if we compare with Jon's and iJustine videos which look quite good.

Can you link to this information that you've seen? Casey just posted another video to compare. He's been flying DJI drones for years and is an accomplished video maker. I'd think he'd understand he need to set the camera up.
 
Can you link to this information that you've seen? Casey just posted another video to compare. He's been flying DJI drones for years and is an accomplished video maker. I'd think he'd understand he need to set the camera up.

Casey followed up with an update via Twitter that his focus settings were not right:

image.jpeg
 
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Can you link to this information that you've seen? Casey just posted another video to compare. He's been flying DJI drones for years and is an accomplished video maker. I'd think he'd understand he need to set the camera up.

7:35 in the video.
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"Calibrate?!? I gotta calibrate it. This is always such a buzzkill."

I think he had it pointing at the railing three feet away when he calibrated it. Casey is great, but he should have read the manual (or at least the quick start guide) before releasing that footage.
 
I gotta watch this when I get home


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Had the p4 for about 40 days...............

*!!****?()+-**;:##!!!!!!!!! Wish they could've gave me a heads up!!!!!

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I reviewed the spec's on DJI's website and it shows different specs for each one. Prior Phantoms, with different specs, have been shown to have different sensors. The photo quality is also different. Put all of this together.

The DJI spokesman said it's the same sensor in the "Tested" review on YouTube. The specs look the same on the dji website, just presented slightly differently (rounding/phantom shows effective pixels). Unless they were using a smaller sized sensor, which they are not, I don't see why they would have an inferior sensor on a newer drone. The smaller lens does probably reduce image quality somewhat.
 
7:35 in the video.
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"Calibrate?!? I gotta calibrate it. This is always such a buzzkill."

I think he had it pointing at the railing three feet away when he calibrated it. Casey is great, but he should have read the manual (or at least the quick start guide) before releasing that footage.
I believe that was the compass calibration.

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