Did I read several days ago where the new camera on the P4 Pro is like the Mavic in that you have to tap and focus it on what you want in focus? I hear a lot of guys forgetting to tap to focus their Mavic's from time to time. And when you do tap the focus does it just stay locked at that focus distance or how does that work?
Focus or not on the P4 Pro?
- Thread starter KevMo Photog
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The older drones with FIXED FOCUS didn't need to be focused because the focus was fixed at infinity. The newer drones with adjustable focus AND adjustable aperture require focusing because, depending on other settings, it might not have the depth of field of a fixed focus camera. The advantage of the older fixed focus cameras is that you don't need to focus, but they limit you in creative ways by not allowing you to blur a background and they tended to have very wide field of view, over 160 degrees, versus the P4P with less than 90 degree FOV. It's harder to get a lens with a narrower FOV to have a great depth of field but really wide lenses are not desirable on a drone due to the exaggerated curvature of the Earth when looking down from above.
So, if not having to focus is important to you then maybe the newer drones are not for you and perhaps an older and cheaper P4 would be preferred. If, OTH, you need the greater creative potential the newer drones have than you have little choice but to go with something like the Mavic Pro or P4P or Inpire 1/2 drones.
Brian
So, if not having to focus is important to you then maybe the newer drones are not for you and perhaps an older and cheaper P4 would be preferred. If, OTH, you need the greater creative potential the newer drones have than you have little choice but to go with something like the Mavic Pro or P4P or Inpire 1/2 drones.
Brian
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
It is tap to focus. Most of the time, you can find an object far away enough to set the zoom to infinity and forget about it. It would be nice if the app has a feature to automatically set the zoom to infinity. Let's hope it does.
Older drones like my 8 month old reg P4? LOL not very old really. But I will def learn how to use the focus feature on my new p4p when it gets here as I am a pro Photog and want the quality of the new larger sensor. I think it will be cool to have a narrower files of view with new lens too. Since the lense on the P4 is rectilinear there's never been any problems with curved horizons on it though. The older Go Pros had this problem for sure.
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So if I understand, I tap on what I want to focus on then as I'm flying around/away the focus stays locked on that point until I change it?
Best... Steve
Best... Steve
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it will stay locked to a certain distance from the camera. depth of focus depends on the aperture, sensor size, and length of the lens.
focusing to infinity is still possible, as long as you have plenty of light.
with the focal length equivalent of 24mm on a 35mm film camera, you will be able to focus on a foreground object while having the background fall out of focus.
Does anyone have an idea of what the depth of field might be when focused to infinity, assuming the aperture is wide open? 50' to infinity? 20' to infinity?
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So your asking what is the shortest distance to subject that is in focus when focused on infinity right John? That is gonna depend on your set aperture with this camera if you are in manual mode. Because you can now set aperture with this camera. So we have total control over depth of field basically. We also won't have use ND filters at all now most likely. Except for super super bright days and or areas. Because you can now stop camera down with aperture to F11 now. Which will get you a desired shutter speed to match your frame rate the best. Def gonna be more to watch and think about as you start lining up your shots. Me being a photographer makes this even more fun to be honest. Gives you more control of the look. But it is gonna take some experimenting with aperture to get it right. The smaller aperture you use like F11 will give more area in focus throughout the shot for sure. You know now that I think of it John, the minimum distance in focus at infinity may not change with aperture. That prob stays the same now that I really think about it. Its just the distance throughout your shot that is controlled by smaller or larger aperture. So disregard first part of my message! LOL So yes it would be good to know what is the minimum distance in focus at infinity on this camera. Camera is also a little narrower field of view too. 84 Degrees instead of 92 I believe it is. I just can't wait to see the 20mp stills from this camera. Plus the added dynamic range is gonna be fun!
Here's a rough approximation at 2.8 / 5.6 / 11...This is assuming the chip is close to the one in the RX 100...with a small chip the depth of field is pretty deep at all f-stops
I found that the FAQs about the camera in the DJI site say that 98' and further is in focus when the camera is focused at infinity.
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I believe the Focus Assist option is that zoom in you see when you half press the shutter button on the RC
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