Inspire 2, X7 vs X5S.........THEY ARE VERY CLOSE!!!!

[Kirk Voclain]

So, I purchased an Inspire 2 with an X7 Camera and the 16mm lens.....sold all of my Inspire 1 products and took the money and purchased a backup Inspire 2......the backup came with an X5S camera and a 15mm lens........

Today, I got to wondering what was the difference between the 2 cameras....the MONEY difference is SUBSTANTIAL.....but what about the quality????

So, I put the X7 with the 16mm lens on the Inspire 2 and I took it up to 20 feet.....put down the Calibration Plate on the ground and pointed the lens straight down.....I did a shot center of the lens, upper left, upper right, lower right and lower left.......I then did EXACTLY the same thing with the X5S camera and The DJI 15mm lens......EACTLY the same!!!!

The following images are the results of my test........

My OBSERVATIONS.....the X7 is a tiny bit sharper (due to the larger chip size)....but it's not much.....if you are running on a budget....the X5S camera is awesome!!!

Kirk Voclain
kvphoto.com

 

[mmarian]

So, I purchased an Inspire 2 with an X7 Camera and the 16mm lens.....sold all of my Inspire 1 products and took the money and purchased a backup Inspire 2......the backup came with an X5S camera and a 15mm lens........

Today, I got to wondering what was the difference between the 2 cameras....the MONEY difference is SUBSTANTIAL.....but what about the quality????

So, I put the X7 with the 16mm lens on the Inspire 2 and I took it up to 20 feet.....put down the Calibration Plate on the ground and pointed the lens straight down.....I did a shot center of the lens, upper left, upper right, lower right and lower left.......I then did EXACTLY the same thing with the X5S camera and The DJI 15mm lens......EACTLY the same!!!!

The following images are the results of my test........

My OBSERVATIONS.....the X7 is a tiny bit sharper (due to the larger chip size)....but it's not much.....if you are running on a budget....the X5S camera is awesome!!!

Kirk Voclain
kvphoto.com

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The 16mm on X7 has the same FOV as Oly12mm on X5S, so something is not right with this test because the calibration plate seems to be about the same size on 16mm x7 and 15mm x5s. So the height must have been different, with the 15mm the drone must have been more like 30ft above ground.
So, it is not exactly apples with apples. But the DJI 15mm, if you are lucky enough to get a sharp copy can be a pretty awesome lens, especially when stopped down to f4 or f5.6. Some would even say that for stills the x5s can produce sharper more detailed photos due to a weaker AA filter.

 

[SanCap]

Your test is flawed until you try it with all 4 lenses on both cameras, in video and still photo mode. The DJI 15 mm lens is probably the worst of all lenses you could have chosen to use with the X5S.

 

[AVImagingllc]

In my humble opinion the cost of X7 with lenses for anyone who’s using it for purposes other then high end cinema or commercial work is just unjustified. If one has the funds and wants to get it to feel better about them self’s, go for it. It makes me chuckle when on YouTube some claim “because of X7 we’ve got great jobs” Well mister wizard, real talent is not in gear you use! It’s in the content you create! Believe me, sharpening, colors, dynamic range and all won’t matter if one relies on specs of camera instead of the creativity and content ! Now let the X7 owners take a swig at me in comments below

 

[Joris Van den Hauwe]

Your test is flawed until you try it with all 4 lenses on both cameras, in video and still photo mode. The DJI 15 mm lens is probably the worst of all lenses you could have chosen to use with the X5S.

Why is the 15mm lens the worst of all lenses for the X5S? I don’t get that.

 

[Kirk Voclain]

The 16mm on X7 has the same FOV as Oly12mm on X5S, so something is not right with this test because the calibration plate seems to be about the same size on 16mm x7 and 15mm x5s. So the height must have been different, with the 15mm the drone must have been more like 30ft above ground.
So, it is not exactly apples with apples. But the DJI 15mm, if you are lucky enough to get a sharp copy can be a pretty awesome lens, especially when stopped down to f4 or f5.6. Some would even say that for stills the x5s can produce sharper more detailed photos due to a weaker AA filter.

NO, it's was 20 foot off the ground....and if you notice the "Smaller" image not the bigger image....you will notice that the plate is smaller in the X5 images than it is in the X7 images.

I forgot to say....all image were created in Manual Mode. F8 at 1/60th of a sec.

Before each shot, I would carefully look over all my specs to make sure I was 20 foot, checked the focus, etc......

What you see is the test......

Seems to me the X7 w/ the 16mm lens and the X5 with The DJI 15mm lens are almost 100% identical.

I have owned 4 now 15mm DJI lens......1 from a crash........other than this one, all have been on Inspire 1 cameras......I have done this test over and over...each time......and this same SHAPNESS is what I have found.

So, either I'm SUPER LUCKY and have had 4 sharp ones....or.......they are just pretty sharp!!!????

Kirk

 

[Kirk Voclain]

Why is the 15mm lens the worst of all lenses for the X5S? I don’t get that.

See my last post.....

 

[Kirk Voclain]

Your test is flawed until you try it with all 4 lenses on both cameras, in video and still photo mode. The DJI 15 mm lens is probably the worst of all lenses you could have chosen to use with the X5S.

See my above post!!!!

 

[Kirk Voclain]

In my humble opinion the cost of X7 with lenses for anyone who’s using it for purposes other then high end cinema or commercial work is just unjustified. If one has the funds and wants to get it to feel better about them self’s, go for it. It makes me chuckle when on YouTube some claim “because of X7 we’ve got great jobs” Well mister wizard, real talent is not in gear you use! It’s in the content you create! Believe me, sharpening, colors, dynamic range and all won’t matter if one relies on specs of camera instead of the creativity and content ! Now let the X7 owners take a swig at me in comments below

Commercial Photography IS what I do. There is a long reason as to why I ended up with the X7......but, let me just tell you one story.

A car dealership recently hired me to photograph their dealership for billboard advertising and because they wanted to make a 24x30 print for the owner. The lady who hired me "JOKINGLY" said, "....now we don't need to worry about covering the license plates of our customers do we?"......

That got me to thinking.....I was doing the image with a Inspire 1 and X5 with the 15mm lens.......

And, when I was done.....YOU COULD READ the License Plates!!!! It was amazing......but I'm a perfectionist...and if there is a way to make it EVEN BETTER....I am always doing just that......so when my accountant said for me to "GO SPEND SOME MONEY" at the end of last year.....I did.....with an Inspire 1 and the X7....not, I can REALLY read the License Plates.



Kirk

 

[Kirk Voclain]

Your test is flawed until you try it with all 4 lenses on both cameras, in video and still photo mode. The DJI 15 mm lens is probably the worst of all lenses you could have chosen to use with the X5S.

In my photography, I only use the 15mm on the X5 (backup) and the 16mm on the X7......so, until I have a need for other lens, I will not be doing any other test......the TEST was for me.....and my style.....so, while it may be FLAWED for you and your purposes....it was not for me and mine!!!!



Kirk

 

[Joris Van den Hauwe]

In my humble opinion the cost of X7 with lenses for anyone who’s using it for purposes other then high end cinema or commercial work is just unjustified. If one has the funds and wants to get it to feel better about them self’s, go for it. It makes me chuckle when on YouTube some claim “because of X7 we’ve got great jobs” Well mister wizard, real talent is not in gear you use! It’s in the content you create! Believe me, sharpening, colors, dynamic range and all won’t matter if one relies on specs of camera instead of the creativity and content ! Now let the X7 owners take a swig at me in comments below

Right and not right I think. Of course content and talent is the most important than gear. I can imagine though that, since Super 35mm is the standard in film, those guys will look at it and even more because X7 has ProresRaw which ma

In my humble opinion the cost of X7 with lenses for anyone who’s using it for purposes other then high end cinema or commercial work is just unjustified. If one has the funds and wants to get it to feel better about them self’s, go for it. It makes me chuckle when on YouTube some claim “because of X7 we’ve got great jobs” Well mister wizard, real talent is not in gear you use! It’s in the content you create! Believe me, sharpening, colors, dynamic range and all won’t matter if one relies on specs of camera instead of the creativity and content ! Now let the X7 owners take a swig at me in comments below

Of course you’re right concerning content and talent but some technical issues do matter in some environments. As working in postproduction for movie for years, our team will without any doubt choose for the ProResRaw footage (which the X7 does and the X5s doesn’t) rather than the DNG Raw. The S-35mm sensor of the X7 is not only the cinema standard but it will also perform better in lowlight, dynamic range, green key situations and more... This test - sorry to say -has no much sense. Ps. I am not a X7 owned

 

[Black Sky]

Just built two ground rigs with inspire 2 and x7 with cineDNG.....there was the osmo with the x5 that would have taken no work and a LOT les money.After careful review of footage for weeks we decided to build our own system that doesn’t exist just because it’s that awesome. When have been using it for several weeks now and the ability to have two drones in the air filming and land then go to one or two ground rigs using all the same lenses is amazing. When you sit down and start editing and color grading is when your really see its value. The x7 cineDNG is a hands down winner. Yes the x5 is great for the price and maybe a better deal but we want to future proof some of what we are shooting , allowing the footage to be viable for many years.
We shoot for Florida TDC a fair amount,” ,”I love NY” campaigns. NBC Sports, PBS,BBC and Discovery Channel. and at Lot of Florida Keys clients. When I walk in and show them footage they are blown away. We have a few big 4K TVs is our restaurants (north and south) to show off our work.
We just added the new Loawa 9mm lense to our x7 setup and that is a game changer as well.
Thanks for the test.

 

[mmarian]

NO, it's was 20 foot off the ground....and if you notice the "Smaller" image not the bigger image....you will notice that the plate is smaller in the X5 images than it is in the X7 images.

I forgot to say....all image were created in Manual Mode. F8 at 1/60th of a sec.

Before each shot, I would carefully look over all my specs to make sure I was 20 foot......

Kirk

The plate should be bigger in 15mm shots than in 16mm shots.

My apologies, I was wrong in my previous post about the distance assumption and size of the plate in relation to FOV of those two lenses. The 16mm just covers bigger image circle but the magnification is almost identical hence the plate size from both lenses should be almost identical when projected onto the sensor.

 

[Kirk Voclain]

The plate should be bigger in 15mm shots than in 16mm shots.

My apologies, I was wrong in my previous post about the distance assumption and size of the plate in relation to FOV of those two lenses. The 16mm just covers bigger image circle but the magnification is almost identical hence the plate size from both lenses should be almost identical when projected onto the sensor.

All is good with me!! I mostly did the test for me to confirm the 2 camera/lens combos were similar. And the results (for me) confirmed that.

Kirk

 

[mmarian]

All is good with me!! I mostly did the test for me to confirm the 2 camera/lens combos were similar. And the results (for me) confirmed that.

Kirk

FWIW I am an commercial architectural photographer, so sharpness and pixel peeping is necessary part of my work and a bit of an obsession by my own admission .
I was seriously considering x7 when it was released. I downloaded every DNG file I could get my hands on and examined carefully the TIFF images processed in LR CC. At the end I could not justify the enormous price difference. And when shared my findings which actually favored the x5s over x7 purely for stills, many replied that the images from x7 are softer due to its AA filter fine tuned (understand stronger) for video and not so much for photos.

 

[Dobmatt]

On a more melancholic note, to anybody who start photography/videography adventure with VHS camcorder decades ago ... What we've got now it's beyond magic ... Yet, we're splitting the hair comparing sharpness and resolution of image, but forgetting the real aspects of good capture: object, story, lighting, angle, framing etc. That's what makes the image outstanding these days, not number of pixels.

Not long time ago the music recording industry was salivating about the benefits of 192KHz sampling frequency only bats could distinguish. We ended with brutal MP3 format compression for distribution of final product ...

 

[Joris Van den Hauwe]

Just built two ground rigs with inspire 2 and x7 with cineDNG.....there was the osmo with the x5 that would have taken no work and a LOT les money.After careful review of footage for weeks we decided to build our own system that doesn’t exist just because it’s that awesome. When have been using it for several weeks now and the ability to have two drones in the air filming and land then go to one or two ground rigs using all the same lenses is amazing. When you sit down and start editing and color grading is when your really see its value. The x7 cineDNG is a hands down winner. Yes the x5 is great for the price and maybe a better deal but we want to future proof some of what we are shooting , allowing the footage to be viable for many years.
We shoot for Florida TDC a fair amount,” ,”I love NY” campaigns. NBC Sports, PBS,BBC and Discovery Channel. and at Lot of Florida Keys clients. When I walk in and show them footage they are blown away. We have a few big 4K TVs is our restaurants (north and south) to show off our work.
We just added the new Loawa 9mm lense to our x7 setup and that is a game changer as well.
Thanks for the test.

Would you share how you build your rigs?

 

[The Editor]

Would you share how you build your rigs?

Please try the search function....

Vehicle mount Inspire 2

 

[Joseph perez]

I have seen a preview on the x7 and the x5s and from what I have seen is the x5s looked way better than the x7 I have the x5s with a 15 mm and the pitcher Incredibly clear I'm extremely happy with it I can't see spending kind of money unless a news Channel are making movies. Other than that their is no point of having that.

 

[Skylux Media]

I’ve found both lenses to be superior in different respects. We own both the X7 and X5s with all lenses, and shoot luxury films & photography for some of the top brands around the globe. As many have already proven on different threads on this site, the X5S is clearly a sharper camera when it comes to still photography. The internal filter on the X7 creates a softer image, and I’d even go as far as saying that the new Laowa 9mm is a sharper lens than any of the DJI DL lenses. Anytime we’re doing still shots, we go for the X5S.

However when it comes to video, as @Black Sky has keenly pointed out, there is no comparison for a camera with a Super 35 sensor that can capture far more information than a Micro Four Thirds sensor. The dynamic range, contrast, colour, highlights, shadows, etc are far superior. I needn’t discuss this as there’s ample evidence which can be found by a simple google search for comparisons.

My advice would be that if you’re looking to purchase only one, decide first what you’ll be using it for. If you’re main body of work will be photography, the X5S is going to be your best option for value and quality, and you’ll still get quality professional videos. If you will be primarily doing video, then the X7 is certainly worth the upgrade, and will still yield excellent photos when needed. But in the end, it’s whatever you can afford; and I concur with what many have already stated: the end result all comes down to the person standing behind camera.

For what it’s worth, multiple websites have confirmed that the sensor DJI used in the X5S, is the same sensor used in the Panasonic GH5; and the sensor used in the X7, is the same sensor used in the Panasonic EVA1.