DJI Mavic Pro II

[snes1]

The difference is not so huge overall, I would defo get a used p4p as I nealry lost my old Mavic once due to heavy wind

[HockeyFan12]

9 hours ago, Snowbro said:

I was really looking forward to the mavic pro 2; sold the air, as I thought this would be miles better. I haven't been impressed by footage I have seen so far. Unless everyone who has made a video on it so far has messed up, it looks very very soft. The massive sensor cropping or pixel binning hell, isn't really what I had in mind. The P4P quality looks so much better sadly, I really don't want to cart a drone that big around when I travel though. Maybe an unsharp mask can fix it enough, I guess time will tell. 

I feel the opposite way, the Mavic Pro 2 HQ clips with sharpening at 0 look better than any consumer drone footage I've seen by far. Whereas even the clips posted above with +1 sharpening look more like over-sharpened consumer drone video to me, but still very good. The unsharpened log clips look much more like a cinema camera to me, though (then again, most 4k cinema cameras are very soft per-pixel, except maybe the F65). Overall, I think the Mavic Pro 2 HQ mode looks way better than any previous Phantom or Mavic or consumer drone, with tonality that resembles the Inspire raw footage (but nowhere near as sharp). But it's just my opinion. I was hoping not to like the footage since I don't need a drone, but now I'm looking at how I can afford one...

I'm guessing the sharpening setting will be able to fix things for you to your liking,  though but I also think mosquito noise and aliasing look a lot like sharpness and this seems to have less of both. (Just like how the 5D Mark II looks sharper than the 5D Mark III because of aliasing and noise, and imo it does look better in some cases.) For a super sharp image, maybe this isn't the right drone, but you could buy another Mavic Air if that's the case. That said, it looks sharper than an Alexa Mini, and the Alexa Mini drone footage in the Revenant intercut with Alexa 65 fine and looked fine from the front row, so I'll take it. .

But yes, compared with the older consumer drones and Inspire, it looks softer to me, too, but with much better tonality, which should mean it can take more sharpening without falling apart. Just a matter of taste whether the sharpening is something you want. I suspect in-camera sharpening will help get toward the image quality you want, and/or sharpening in post, or just using a higher contrast grade. I wouldn't give up on it yet!

[Cliff Totten]

One thing about noise reduction and detail - Ambarella noise reduction is not our friend. It's usually poor quality and ALL noise reduction destroys detail at certain levels. It's just a side affect that we need to live with. Noise reduction is also a DESTRUCTIVE process. Once you apply high amounts of noise reduction, it cannot be recovered or removed in post. Once noise reduction destroys detail, there is no plugin on planet Earth that can undue it when you get home. Therefore it's better to limit the amount of noise reduction in camera and capture more detail and noise in your file and then soften and apply noise reduction in post editing. Softening and image is the easiest thing to do in a video editor. Plus, you can surgically clean noise FAR more efficiently when editing than any camera can do live on the fly.

Applying +1 sharpening tells Ambarella's processor to ease up on this crappy noise reduction allowing more detail to come through. This gives you WAY more accurate options to soften and clean an that image in your editor.

Guys,...this one is going to shock you. I fell outa my chair on testing these. This are 400%+ crops on a chart print out.

Which one is the:

Mavic-II Zoom 28mm

Mavic-II Pro FOV Full

Mavic-II Pro HQ crop sensor mode

Phantom 4 Pro V2.0

All camera's set at 100 ISO (0db) and sharpness at +1

Wow......This is part of a shootout video I'm releasing next week.

[Cliff Totten]

7 hours ago, HockeyFan12 said:

I feel the opposite way, the Mavic Pro 2 HQ clips with sharpening at 0 look better than any consumer drone footage I've seen by far. Whereas even the clips posted above with +1 sharpening look more like over-sharpened consumer drone video to me, but still very good. The unsharpened log clips look much more like a cinema camera to me, though (then again, most 4k cinema cameras are very soft per-pixel, except maybe the F65). Overall, I think the Mavic Pro 2 HQ mode looks way better than any previous Phantom or Mavic or consumer drone, with tonality that resembles the Inspire raw footage (but nowhere near as sharp). But it's just my opinion. I was hoping not to like the footage since I don't need a drone, but now I'm looking at how I can afford one...

I'm guessing the sharpening setting will be able to fix things for you to your liking,  though but I also think mosquito noise and aliasing look a lot like sharpness and this seems to have less of both. (Just like how the 5D Mark II looks sharper than the 5D Mark III because of aliasing and noise, and imo it does look better in some cases.) For a super sharp image, maybe this isn't the right drone, but you could buy another Mavic Air if that's the case. That said, it looks sharper than an Alexa Mini, and the Alexa Mini drone footage in the Revenant intercut with Alexa 65 fine and looked fine from the front row, so I'll take it. .

But yes, compared with the older consumer drones and Inspire, it looks softer to me, too, but with much better tonality, which should mean it can take more sharpening without falling apart. Just a matter of taste whether the sharpening is something you want. I suspect in-camera sharpening will help get toward the image quality you want, and/or sharpening in post, or just using a higher contrast grade. I wouldn't give up on it yet!

One thing about noise reduction and detail - Ambarella noise reduction is not our friend. It's usually poor quality and ALL noise reduction destroys detail at certain levels. It's just a side affect that we need to live with. Noise reduction is also a DESTRUCTIVE process. Once you apply high amounts of noise reduction, it cannot be recovered or removed in post. Once noise reduction destroys detail, there is no plugin on planet Earth that can undue it when you get home. Therefore it's better to limit the amount of noise reduction in camera and capture more detail and noise in your file and then soften and apply noise reduction in post editing. Softening and image is the easiest thing to do in a video editor. Plus, you can surgically clean noise FAR more efficiently when editing than any camera can do live on the fly.

Applying +1 sharpening tells Ambarella's processor to ease up on this crappy noise reduction allowing more detail to come through. This gives you WAY more accurate options to soften and clean an that image in your editor.

[Robert Collins]

16 minutes ago, Cliff Totten said:

One thing about noise reduction and detail - Ambarella noise reduction is not our friend. It's usually poor quality and ALL noise reduction destroys detail at certain levels. It's just a side affect that we need to live with. Noise reduction is also a DESTRUCTIVE process. Once you apply high amounts of noise reduction, it cannot be recovered or removed in post. Once noise reduction destroys detail, there is no plugin on planet Earth that can undue it when you get home. Therefore it's better to limit the amount of noise reduction in camera and capture more detail and noise in your file and then soften and apply noise reduction in post editing. Softening and image is the easiest thing to do in a video editor. Plus, you can surgically clean noise FAR more efficiently when editing than any camera can do live on the fly.

Applying +1 sharpening tells Ambarella's processor to ease up on this crappy noise reduction allowing more detail to come through. This gives you WAY more accurate options to soften and clean an that image in your editor.

For the most part I dont disagree with you. But 'sharpening' is inherently destructive too - it is just that DJI's sharpening is less offensive than its noise reduction and easier to deal with in post. So with the Mavic 1 Pro, it was best to oversharpen +1 in order to minimise the noise reduction (and then soften in post.)

I would have thought though that unlike the Mavic 1 pro, the Mavic 2 Pro would have a '0' sharpening setting which had zero sharpening and zero noise reduction. I am guessing this isnt the case though.

[HockeyFan12]

53 minutes ago, Cliff Totten said:

One thing about noise reduction and detail - Ambarella noise reduction is not our friend. It's usually poor quality and ALL noise reduction destroys detail at certain levels. It's just a side affect that we need to live with. Noise reduction is also a DESTRUCTIVE process. Once you apply high amounts of noise reduction, it cannot be recovered or removed in post. Once noise reduction destroys detail, there is no plugin on planet Earth that can undue it when you get home. Therefore it's better to limit the amount of noise reduction in camera and capture more detail and noise in your file and then soften and apply noise reduction in post editing. Softening and image is the easiest thing to do in a video editor. Plus, you can surgically clean noise FAR more efficiently when editing than any camera can do live on the fly.

Applying +1 sharpening tells Ambarella's processor to ease up on this crappy noise reduction allowing more detail to come through. This gives you WAY more accurate options to soften and clean an that image in your editor.

Makes sense–I'm not that technical these days with so much information overload, so I just go with what I like visually, but that does make a lot of sense.

Thanks for posting the 400% crops. The zoom seems to have the most resolution and also the most sharpening. Seems like a really detailed image.

Weird behavior with the zone plates on the Mavic Pro 2, especially in HQ mode, though. Look kind of waxy. Never seen anything quite like that.

[Cliff Totten]

2 minutes ago, HockeyFan12 said:

Makes sense–I'm not that technical these days with so much information overload, so I just go with what I like visually, but that does make a lot of sense.

Thanks for posting the 400% crops, too. The zoom seems to have the most resolution and also the most sharpening. Seems like a really detailed image.

Weird behavior with the zone plates on the Mavic Pro 2, especially in HQ mode, though. Never seen anything quite like that. Maybe I have a preference for fuzzy detail? There was a weird waxy texture in some of the trees in HQ log clips I watched, and it probably correlates with whatever artifact that is. All the same, if I like it I like.

Oh,.....the list I made was NOT in order. Hehehe,....you need to guess which one is which. You will be probably be shocked when I tell everybody which one is which!

CT ?

[Snowbro]

3 hours ago, Cliff Totten said:

One thing about noise reduction and detail - Ambarella noise reduction is not our friend. It's usually poor quality and ALL noise reduction destroys detail at certain levels. It's just a side affect that we need to live with. Noise reduction is also a DESTRUCTIVE process. Once you apply high amounts of noise reduction, it cannot be recovered or removed in post. Once noise reduction destroys detail, there is no plugin on planet Earth that can undue it when you get home. Therefore it's better to limit the amount of noise reduction in camera and capture more detail and noise in your file and then soften and apply noise reduction in post editing. Softening and image is the easiest thing to do in a video editor. Plus, you can surgically clean noise FAR more efficiently when editing than any camera can do live on the fly.

Applying +1 sharpening tells Ambarella's processor to ease up on this crappy noise reduction allowing more detail to come through. This gives you WAY more accurate options to soften and clean an that image in your editor.

Guys,...this one is going to shock you. I fell outa my chair on testing these. This are 400%+ crops on a chart print out.

Which one is the:

Mavic-II Zoom 28mm

Mavic-II Pro FOV Full

Mavic-II Pro HQ crop sensor mode

Phantom 4 Pro V2.0

All camera's set at 100 ISO (0db) and sharpness at +1

Wow......This is part of a shootout video I'm releasing next week.

Second to last img is mavic 2 pro. It produces a great "cinematic" 1080p image in 4k mode ?

[wolf33d]

So which is which....? 

[HockeyFan12]

1 hour ago, Snowbro said:

Second to last img is mavic 2 pro. It produces a great "cinematic" 1080p image in 4k mode ?

I actually suspect you're right. Sorry if I came across as being pedantic, I forget other people have their own eyes sometimes.

[Snowbro]

2 hours ago, HockeyFan12 said:

I actually suspect you're right. Sorry if I came across as being pedantic, I forget other people have their own eyes sometimes.

Oh you're fine; it is plenty sharp for what almost everyone will use it for. Pretty much all content is consumed on cell phone screens now. The extra room to play in post will be amazing with the drone. I will inevitably get one at some point for it's portability. 

[Cliff Totten]

Hint,...the softest one with the most line skipping/pixel binning artifacts s the Mavic Pro-II FOV (wide) mode.

Even the Mavic Air EASILY beats it. (Mavic Air not pictured yet)

[snes1]

Number 3 seem most useful, no banding! is that the HQ crop?

3 hours ago, Cliff Totten said:

Even the Mavic Air EASILY beats it. (Mavic Air not pictured yet)

 Isn't the sharpness a bourgeois concept ?

[beamo]

Do these things use an AA filter? Image #3 shows a heckuva lot of false detail (the rest aren't spared, but they handle it much better).

[sanveer]

22 hours ago, Cliff Totten said:

One thing about noise reduction and detail - Ambarella noise reduction is not our friend. It's usually poor quality and ALL noise reduction destroys detail at certain levels. It's just a side affect that we need to live with. Noise reduction is also a DESTRUCTIVE process. Once you apply high amounts of noise reduction, it cannot be recovered or removed in post. Once noise reduction destroys detail, there is no plugin on planet Earth that can undue it when you get home. Therefore it's better to limit the amount of noise reduction in camera and capture more detail and noise in your file and then soften and apply noise reduction in post editing. Softening and image is the easiest thing to do in a video editor. Plus, you can surgically clean noise FAR more efficiently when editing than any camera can do live on the fly.

Applying +1 sharpening tells Ambarella's processor to ease up on this crappy noise reduction allowing more detail to come through. This gives you WAY more accurate options to soften and clean an that image in your editor.

Guys,...this one is going to shock you. I fell outa my chair on testing these. This are 400%+ crops on a chart print out.

Which one is the:

Mavic-II Zoom 28mm

Mavic-II Pro FOV Full

Mavic-II Pro HQ crop sensor mode

Phantom 4 Pro V2.0

All camera's set at 100 ISO (0db) and sharpness at +1

Wow......This is part of a shootout video I'm releasing next week.

The Mavic 2 Pro photos and Video have a strange colour cast.

Apart from the 10-bit video, if the Mavic 2 Pro doesn't have sharpness, details and dynamic range advantages over the Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro, it would mean the Hasselblad association hasn't really yielded any positive results. Obviously the Hasselblad collaboration is most likely only in name, with most likely only the colour science and some aspects of the image (such as the the highlight rolloff) proof of Hasselblad's involvement. But either ways, if what you're a suggesting is true, then it doesn't hold good for Hasselblad.

[wolf33d]

Can someone confirm if 10 bit is only available in HQ crop mode or not ?!? Cant believe after a week we still cant find a clear answer. 
Returned mine today. 

Also for people speaking about sharpness forget that. First of all turning +1 sharpness makes it sharp enough, secondly people did not understand how to focus the mavic 2 properly like it was the case on the 1st one. 
On the 1st one you had to autofocus far away then switch to MF, in this one switch to MF, do not go to infinity but touch the infinity symbol instead, it will put the drone in hyperfocal. 
Once people understand this and turn sharpness to +1 we sont hear anymore the Mavic 2 is not sharp. 
 

Now I would like to find answer to my question, also have a better view of the quality difference between HQ and FOV... 
For info the return process with DJI was a nightmare (box unopened) i will never order with them again. I ordered an other one from Adorama because I have a crash insurance with them. Adorama is backordered from day one though that sucks when you know I had the drone in hand.... But insurance is worth it (and I have it free.)

 

[Snowbro]

Read some comments on a very recent video. "So I just called DJI back and asked the question again to see if I was given the same answer. They said the firmware the drone is being shipped with has the limitation of 10 bit in HQ mode but once it is updated 10 bit is unlocked for full FOV as well. Mine is still in the mail so I'm anxious to hear your results."

"I updated the firmware on my 2 Pro and it allows me to choose D-Log, HDR, and normal in both frame sizes, full frame and hq."

[sanveer]

7 hours ago, wolf33d said:

Can someone confirm if 10 bit is only available in HQ crop mode or not ?!? Cant believe after a week we still cant find a clear answer. 
Returned mine today. 

Also for people speaking about sharpness forget that. First of all turning +1 sharpness makes it sharp enough, secondly people did not understand how to focus the mavic 2 properly like it was the case on the 1st one. 
On the 1st one you had to autofocus far away then switch to MF, in this one switch to MF, do not go to infinity but touch the infinity symbol instead, it will put the drone in hyperfocal. 
Once people understand this and turn sharpness to +1 we sont hear anymore the Mavic 2 is not sharp. 
 

Now I would like to find answer to my question, also have a better view of the quality difference between HQ and FOV... 
For info the return process with DJI was a nightmare (box unopened) i will never order with them again. I ordered an other one from Adorama because I have a crash insurance with them. Adorama is backordered from day one though that sucks when you know I had the drone in hand.... But insurance is worth it (and I have it free.)

 

"What is the difference between Full FOV mode and HQ mode under Mavic 2 Pro’s 4K resolution?

Full FOV down samples from the 5.5K sensor to 4K resolution while HQ crops in the center for finer image quality but less FOV. Full FOV view is 75° and HQ view is 55°. You can select between them according to your actual shooting demands.."

From the FAQ sector on DJI's site. 

https://m.dji.com/product/mavic-2

29 minutes ago, Snowbro said:

Read some comments on a very recent video. "So I just called DJI back and asked the question again to see if I was given the same answer. They said the firmware the drone is being shipped with has the limitation of 10 bit in HQ mode but once it is updated 10 bit is unlocked for full FOV as well. Mine is still in the mail so I'm anxious to hear your results."

"I updated the firmware on my 2 Pro and it allows me to choose D-Log, HDR, and normal in both frame sizes, full frame and hq."

Sounds very unusual. Not because it wouldn't seem possible, but because DJI is then releasing a half finished product.

But apparently the Mavic 2 is getting a new controller woth a build in LCD Screen, so there is a small likelihood that this may be possible. 

[Robert Collins]

10 hours ago, wolf33d said:

Can someone confirm if 10 bit is only available in HQ crop mode or not ?!? Cant believe after a week we still cant find a clear answer. 

The short answer is that both 4k FOV and 4k HQ shoot 10 bit with H.265.

Long answer.

I think Phillip Bloom confused matters by saying only 4k HQ shoots 10 bit. However, when you get your Mavic 2 Pro it asks you install a 23/08 firmware update. My guess is that this enabled FOV 10 bit but that Phillip Bloom was using earlier firmware (a couple of comments from DJI imply that a firmware update is needed.)

It is further complicated by the fact that nothing in the app (or online manual) says anything about 10 bit or 8 bit.

So I simply took some quick video in both 4k FOV and 4k HQ and looked at the underlying video exif using mediainfo. Mediainfo says both videos are 10 bit.

[wolf33d]

5 hours ago, Robert Collins said:

The short answer is that both 4k FOV and 4k HQ shoot 10 bit with H.265.

Long answer.

I think Phillip Bloom confused matters by saying only 4k HQ shoots 10 bit. However, when you get your Mavic 2 Pro it asks you install a 23/08 firmware update. My guess is that this enabled FOV 10 bit but that Phillip Bloom was using earlier firmware (a couple of comments from DJI imply that a firmware update is needed.)

It is further complicated by the fact that nothing in the app (or online manual) says anything about 10 bit or 8 bit.

So I simply took some quick video in both 4k FOV and 4k HQ and looked at the underlying video exif using mediainfo. Mediainfo says both videos are 10 bit.

Thanks man.