Moire Issues - New Firmware improvement?

[Figbar]

I've updated all firmware with success and am still having issues with annoying moire or aliasing...especially on horizontal objects...building windows, wires, train tracks, etc. I have not noticed any change from the previous firmware. If I set the camera settings to soften...even -1...the footage looks bad...not crisp. Shooting the same footage with the GoPro4 does not have these issues. I love my Inspire and how I can control everything from my app on the ground, but I'm not happy with the quality of the footage I'm getting from the Inspire camera...any advice?

 

[Ferdi]

I've updated all firmware with success and am still having issues with annoying moire or aliasing...especially on horizontal objects...building windows, wires, train tracks, etc. I have not noticed any change from the previous firmware. If I set the camera settings to soften...even -1...the footage looks bad...not crisp. Shooting the same footage with the GoPro4 does not have these issues. I love my Inspire and how I can control everything from my app on the ground, but I'm not happy with the quality of the footage I'm getting from the Inspire camera...any advice?

I feel you man! For me it's not so much the moire but the muddled details the camera produce that drives me bonkers. I MUCH prefer the GoPro4 image (medium, protune, 2.7k, optic correction in after effects) appart from the horrible auto exposure changes of course.

All my footage is graded to match our Sony a7s and FS700 so, I'm shooting at -2 sharpness, -3 contrast, -3 color, log and it feels a bit better, haven't tried the new firmware though, horrible weather.

 

[Figbar]

The weather here is beautiful...I was just out shooting downtown Columbus, Ohio riverfront construction...almost a mile long reclamation project...thought it would be really great to have some before and after documentation. I edit with avid media composer...ama footage looks poopy...thin lines jumping all over the place. I have found if I initially take the footage into Adobe Premier...throw it into a sequence and then select the clip in the sequence and check the anti-flicker option...then spit this file out for avid...ama that file...then transcode it...it looks a lot better. Not perfect, but acceptable.

When I saw that the new firmware was supposed to address this moire issue, I was totally psyched...but am now bummed out again. From the getgo...when the Inspire was in beta testing and all the "experts" were touting this unit, none of them really critically talked about the quality of this camera.

The Inspire camera is inferior to the GoPro Hero 3 and 4...I wish this were not the case...but the quality difference is obvious. Maybe the Inspire camera is fine for making videos that are posted on YouTube computer screens...but it does not hold up anywhere as clean and crisp as the GoPro...which has not given me footage that is aliasing, flickering.

I will try your settings...-2 sharpness, -3 contrast, -3 color in log and see if that helps. I thought I had messed around with this before and thought the footage looked too soft, but I'll give it another try.

Having said all of this...the Inspire is so rock solid in the air...can't compare to my Phantoms...and to be able to adjust the camera settings, etc...pan and tilt...is crazy fabulous.

Sorry for ranting...this is very frustrating...maybe I'm missing something?

 

[Ferdi]

Don't worry, I had my rant a while back Was gutted by the image quality. I could only choose between over-sharpened or out of focus footage. Luckily the the excessive softness/sharpness issue was addressed in the previous FW update so you can easily shoot at -3 sharpness. You can always sharpen the image in post if you need to. In camera sharpening is never as good as in post.

I've heard reports that Avid is especially bad at handling the footage. Looks much more aliased than on other systems. Haven't used Avid in almost a year. Premiere and FCPX only. I also avoid shooting 4k if I'm not actually gonna output 4k. I could be wrong, but I feel like the 4k can look worse downsampled to HD with regard to aliasing. Also, 4k at 60mbs has more compression artifacts than HD at 60mbs. Just my 2 cents.

I feel like having the ability to change camera setting while in the air and not having those horrible GoPro exposure changes makes it worth the hit in image quality. Also, the modular design means we could possibly get a better camera on our birds before too long.

Looking forward to hear what you think.

Cheers

 

[Figbar]

Don't worry, I had my rant a while back Was gutted by the image quality. I could only choose between over-sharpened or out of focus footage. Luckily the the excessive softness/sharpness issue was addressed in the previous FW update so you can easily shoot at -3 sharpness. You can always sharpen the image in post if you need to. In camera sharpening is never as good as in post.

I've heard reports that Avid is especially bad at handling the footage. Looks much more aliased than on other systems. Haven't used Avid in almost a year. Premiere and FCPX only. I also avoid shooting 4k if I'm not actually gonna output 4k. I could be wrong, but I feel like the 4k can look worse downsampled to HD with regard to aliasing. Also, 4k at 60mbs has more compression artifacts than HD at 60mbs. Just my 2 cents.

I feel like having the ability to change camera setting while in the air and not having those horrible GoPro exposure changes makes it worth the hit in image quality. Also, the modular design means we could possibly get a better camera on our birds before too long.

Looking forward to hear what you think.

Cheers

 

[Figbar]

I'll definitely try those settings and see what happens. I'm hoping there might be a 3rd party camera with better quality soon...hopefully reasonable cost. My production house is all AVID...so I can do this pre-work in Premier.

I would purchase the Inspire again in a heartbeat...I just need to get this footage where it really needs to be. If I come up with anything or others chime in, I'll let you know.

This forum kicks ***!

 

[Ferdi]

I also avoid shooting 4k if I'm not actually gonna output 4k. I could be wrong, but I feel like the 4k can look worse downsampled to HD with regard to aliasing. Also, 4k at 60mbs has more compression artifacts than HD at 60mbs.

Hey Figbar, just wanted to mention that I was wrong about HD being 60mbps. Stupid assumption on my part. It's actually 40mbps for 1080p50. 60mbps is only for 4K.

How're you getting on with your tests? What's you're opinion on those setting?

 

[Figbar]

I wasn't really happy with reducing the sharpness...I'm really OK with the process I've developed using Premiere...then importing into AVID. AVID gave me no issues dealing with GoPRo footage...so I'm just trying to figure out why I have to work so hard to make the Inspire camera footage look as clean...but it's workable.

 

[Ferdi]

I wasn't really happy with reducing the sharpness...I'm really OK with the process I've developed using Premiere...then importing into AVID. AVID gave me no issues dealing with GoPRo footage...so I'm just trying to figure out why I have to work so hard to make the Inspire camera footage look as clean...but it's workable.

Yeah, it's a bummer that we have to work so hard to make the footage look like anything. I'll give your process a go. Anything to make the footage look better! Here's hoping we get a new camera soon...