Shoot 1080p OR 4K & Scale Down in Post?

[Smorgasbord]

On some cameras (mostly mirrorless), it's better to shoot 1080p natively, but on others you get better results shooting in 4K and then scaling down in post. The latter also gives you the advantage of a lossless digital zoom (up to 2X). However sometimes shooting 4K is pushing the codec's limits so you're better off with 1080p resolution. Hard to know without trying.

Has anyone compared the differences? If you have a link to a video comparison for the X5, I'd sure appreciate it as well.
TIA

 

[InterMurph]

For the X3, I think 4K is the right way to go.

For the X5, I think it depends on what you are shooting. If the scene involves a lot of quick motion, the 60 megabits/second compression might be too much in 4K, and you might be better off shooting in 1080p. But in general, would you rather have the X5 camera doing the conversion to 1080p, or your editing software? The answer is your editing software.

For the X5R, there is no compression involved, so 4K is the way to go.

 

[Smorgasbord]

But in general, would you rather have the X5 camera doing the conversion to 1080p, or your editing software?

I think it's highly unlikely that the X5 is doing downconversion, at least as a post-processing step - typically this comes down to how the photo sites are read out. The difference is that in post you're processing a pixel that has RGB values, whereas the camera's photo sites are individual R or G or B. So combining in camera (called "binning") can provide some benefits, but again that depends on how it's done and DJI doesn't say.

It seems that the X5 doesn't change effective focal length when changing resolution. That means the camera is either skipping pixels for 1080p or it may be binning to get to 1080p. If the focal length changes, then the camera would be using a smaller area of the sensor for 1080p, but that's not happening here). Skipping pixels reduces the amount of light recorded, so reducing in post would probably be better. Combining pixels maintains the amount of light recorded and so you may get codec benefits.

Another clue would be the Rolling Shutter Effect. This is on fast pans where vertical lines become angled. If this effect varies depending on resolution with the X5 then it's likely that the camera is using a smaller area on the sensor for 1080p versus 4K. So, I'm expecting the rolling shutter effect to be the same at 4K as it is at 1080.

If no-one has tried to test for this, then when my X5 arrives I'll see if I can put something together, since empirical evidence will rule. But, if someone has already done the comparison, I'd like to check it out.

 

[Nick H.]

I'm no expert, but I'm amazed at the difference of clarity between 4K and 1080p on my X5. Especially when it comes to noise (keeping all the settings the same). Everything just appears out of focus when shooting in 1080p. I don't know why. The only time I use 1080 is if I'm really close to what I'm shooting. I like using the 60fps as it takes care of all the "mush" for fast moving objects or quick panning. Other than that, I'm only in 4K. Hope for the day a camera comes out where we get 4K at 60fps.

 

[SkipTV]

Shoot 4K. Always shoot the highest resolution available, scale down if you have to and library the original content. More and more professional companies are only taking or are only going to take 4K (2.7K to 4K or more in the not to distant future)

 

[KyleIRYS]

Is anyone else still having the exact same issue? Massive differential in image quality between 1080p48 and 2160p25 (4K). I never use 1080 as it was horrible when I first got my X5 18 months ago: tried it again today and it is probably worse than the X3. Mushy, very un-sharp video, loss of dynamic range even. Didn't change a single setting between video formats. Makes utilizing 60 fps an impossibility.

1080 Screen Capture
4K Screen Capture

 

[Sunderlandgreen]

You can have a reference at this topic:
Why is 1080p better than 4k????