4K video quality mediocre

fredz · Jun 19, 2016

When I compare 4K video from the Typhoon H with a Phantom 3 or 4, it seems much worse to me. Not only is the lens certainly not better than the P3 or P4 (to put it lightly), but there is also an amazing amount of jello and vibration. I was flying in very sunny conditions, and I should have used a filter, but still, I flew the Phantom 4 at the same time (without filter as well), and the jello was less.
This was in 4096x2160 25fps at 49154kbps. (I probably should've used 30 fps, but couldn't find it that quickly)
The P4 flies in 3840x2160 29.97fps 59945kbps.
So that's 20% more bandwidth for less pixels.

Not saying the Typhoon H is bad, but these are just my observations. Maybe I should fly in 1080 anyway...

Has anyone flown here in 4K mode?

OnTheRopes · Jun 19, 2016

Yes, just put some in to Premier Pro, the light was very poor, I was running at 25fps and it seems pretty smooth to me though I am new to video so may not be the best of judges.

fredz · Jun 19, 2016

Can you upload a fragment Steve?

Ted · Jun 19, 2016

fredz said:
When I compare 4K video from the Typhoon H with a Phantom 3 or 4, it seems much worse to me. Not only is the lens certainly not better than the P3 or P4 (to put it lightly), but there is also an amazing amount of jello and vibration. I was flying in very sunny conditions, and I should have used a filter, but still, I flew the Phantom 4 at the same time (without filter as well), and the jello was less.
This was in 4096x2160 25fps at 49154kbps. (I probably should've used 30 fps, but couldn't find it that quickly)
The P4 flies in 3840x2160 29.97fps 59945kbps.
So that's 20% more bandwidth for less pixels.

Not saying the Typhoon H is bad, but these are just my observations. Maybe I should fly in 1080 anyway...

Has anyone flown here in 4K mode?

The 4096 x 2160 @ 24 fps sucks actually. I've tested it out a few times and it always looks awful compared to the 3840 x 2160 @ 30 fps. The difference is huge, at least on my setup. It doesn't matter what the lighting conditions are, the results are always bad. Why is this the case? I have no idea, but the just slightly lower res setting works great IMHO. If you shoot at that res and fps and the gorgeous setting the camera goes to around 60000kps and produces a reasonably decent image. Let's face it, the cameras on these things, DJI included at this price point, aren't really that good. When you start slinging a GH4 or somethings similar, then you've really got something.

I've never flown a DJI product, so far only Yuneec and I do wish they had some of the cooler features found on DJI stuff. I must say I've been looking at the Inspire with the recent price drop to $1999 here in the US. I already have a wandering eye.

In my other birds I've found that balancing the props helps eliminate almost all of the jello video you speak of. My H produces some jello video as well. I'm hoping to find a way to balance the props on the H to mitigate the jello.

Mickeyboo · Jun 19, 2016

I have no complaints with how beautifully smooth the H gimbal / camera combination is...and it can hold the horizon line better than virtually any other gimbal regardless of cost...I've never seen those who complain of jello in their video fly their drones but I suspect that may play a role in their complaints and unsatisfactory results...I've flown in 22 mph winds in Iceland and the client couldn't believe how smooth the video was. For $1299 I don't think there is anything better.

Steve Carr · Jun 19, 2016

A lot depends on the camera settings you are using. There are a lot of pro photographers using the H and get excellent results. You have to experiment to find the best settings. I generally use Natural mode. Gorgeous always looks bad on my camera. Set the ISO around 400-600 and shutter around 1/50 - 1/60 and adjust from there for the best look. You shouldn't be getting jello. If you are then check the gimbal dampers and props.

that1guy · Jun 19, 2016

I recently returned a P4 and will have an H tomorrow but this video makes me think I'm going to regret it

Ted · Jun 19, 2016

that1guy said:
I recently returned a P4 and will have an H tomorrow but this video makes me think I'm going to regret it

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The video for the H in that YouTube clip looks like the video from my camera at the 4096 x 2160 res.

Steve Carr · Jun 19, 2016

A quick look at that video and I'm suspicious. The most noticeable is the guy on the bike. Look at the shadows. The P4 was filming with the sun behind the camera and the H was shot with the sun in front of the camera which places the biker in a shadow. This makes me believe the comparison was intentionally biased. You can make a camera look good or bad simply by selecting the poorest or best settings for that camera.

Ted · Jun 19, 2016

Steve Carr said:
A quick look at that video and I'm suspicious. The most noticeable is the guy on the bike. Look at the shadows. The P4 was filming with the sun behind the camera and the H was shot with the sun in front of the camera which places the biker in a shadow. This makes me believe the comparison was intentionally biased. You can make a camera look good or bad simply by selecting the poorest or best settings for that camera.

I was thinking the same thing Steve.

Steve Carr · Jun 19, 2016

I also looked at another of his videos and he is clearly a fan of DJI and is not doing a professional comparison. Some of the other comparisons I've seen are much more objective. For those who missed it, DJI hired dozens of people to post negative comments about the H on Youtube about the time the H was released. Many of the professional comparisons were spammed with phony feedback. Youtube removed most of those fraudulent accounts. Perhaps they have changed their tactics.

CAPTAINDRONE · Jun 19, 2016

that1guy said:
I recently returned a P4 and will have an H tomorrow but this video makes me think I'm going to regret it

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The "H" video looks too blurry as if the guy never cleaned his lens properly. When he does the side by side in the flower garden, suddenly the H is sharp (did he clean the lens then)?

The "H" still does a good job of video and picture taking and it certainly takes better pictures/video in low light compared to the Phantom 3 or 4.

Did you ever notice that most people with an "H" have a tendency to film at sunset or sunrise and shoot into the sun? That's because the lower light and long shadows look great on the "H". But, have a look at video from the "H" at mid day on a sunny day. Seems a bit too bright for the camera to capture a great picture/video unless a filter is added or the settings are adjusted. I think such picture/video problems with the "H" can be fixed by software or post production. Perhaps a few firmware updates will make the quality better or Yuneec will come out with an upgraded aftermarket camera.

OnTheRopes · Jun 19, 2016

fredz said:
Can you upload a fragment Steve?

Struggling at the moment, Movie maker doesn't recognise 4K it seems and I have no idea how to save a project to a viewable format in Premiere Pro which I have just started to learn

OnTheRopes · Jun 19, 2016

CAPTAINDRONE said:
or Yuneec will come out with an upgraded aftermarket camera.

Unlikely at the moment but that is my hope, otherwise I will be using the H as a learning tool and moving on later.

Steve Carr · Jun 19, 2016

This was shot on a hazy day. Youtube does downgrade the video so a certain amount of definition is lost. There were no adjustments to video in post.

CAPTAINDRONE · Jun 19, 2016

Steve Carr said:
This was shot on a hazy day. Youtube does downgrade the video so a certain amount of definition is lost. There were no adjustments to video in post.

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Did you post process the color/tint? The reason I ask is because the hue is not exactly correct and reminds me of the older Q500 cameras and their yellowing issues. One thing that is missing from the video quality of the Typhoon H is the vibrance of colors which always results in a much flatter color palette. In the video you can see what I had previously mentioned in the water. As soon as there are dark colors and bright colors, the "H" camera blows them out (it's almost like the contrast setting is on the wrong curve).

My "H" has been away for a month being repaired. Once it returns I'll play with the video settings to find something that works in most kinds of lighting, or I'll have to rely on post processing.

Steve Carr · Jun 19, 2016

This is straight out of the camera. I'm a novice, so I wouldn't know how to make corrections. I'm confident if I understood the settings the quality would be much better. I've seen others do it, I just lack the skill, at least for the time being.

Tuna · Jun 19, 2016

I've used 4K and haven't seen 'jello'. However, the 4K bandwidth hammers my PC and it drops frames trying to keep playback going. A lot is down to the different codecs and graphics hardware - playback is much better on a MacBook Pro Retina (and looks gorgeous).

If you're editing, make sure you have the right framerate set in your project (particularly if you combine standard intro sequences, or shot from other sources). I made the mistake of having a project with video at two different frame rates, and you cannot avoid that jerkiness that results.

For best 'out of the camera' results, I now go with 1080x60fps which looks silky smooth, and the picture mode set to natural. If I wanted the best for YouTube I'd probably stick with 1080x60fps, but use 'raw' and colour grade in post. It seems to me that 4K gives very little benefit given how few people can see it in that resolution at present. Frame rate makes the biggest difference.

Ted · Jun 19, 2016

I upgraded my PC recently and have been having no problems working with 4K material. I'm fortunate enough to have a few 4K monitors as well. I can say that if you have enough power, I believe its best to capture and edit in 4K, then downscale to 1080p if you wish. Just as Tuna suggested, you want to stay in the same fps from shooting to editing to encoding. When you switch to one fps to another it seem to cause the video to stutter and look strange.