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Understanding shutter speeds

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Morning, what would you suggest at those distances?

Very simply put for video:

All else equal, a faster shutter will darken your exposure. Adjust your shutter until you have the exposure you want (how dark/bright your picture is) and ideally you should have your shutter as 1/x where x is a multiple of your FPS (or as close as possible). So if you shoot at 30fps, you could do 1/30, 1/60, 1/120 etc. If you shoot at 24fps, you could do 1/25, 1/50, etc. This will lessen "flickering" in your footage. If you cannot get the exposure you want with a shutter speed that is 1/x where x is a multiple of your FPS (or as close as possible), you can adjust your ISO. ISO is the sensitivity of your sensor. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive the sensor is, and the brighter your exposure will be.
 
Very simply put for video:

All else equal, a faster shutter will darken your exposure. Adjust your shutter until you have the exposure you want (how dark/bright your picture is) and ideally you should have your shutter as 1/x where x is a multiple of your FPS (or as close as possible). So if you shoot at 30fps, you could do 1/30, 1/60, 1/120 etc. If you shoot at 24fps, you could do 1/25, 1/50, etc. This will lessen "flickering" in your footage. If you cannot get the exposure you want with a shutter speed that is 1/x where x is a multiple of your FPS (or as close as possible), you can adjust your ISO. ISO is the sensitivity of your sensor. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive the sensor is, and the brighter your exposure will be.

Appreciate the video input:)
 
For video, you generally look to set the shutter speed to a multiple of your frame rate, so if using 30fps then pick 1/60, 1/120th etc and keep a bit of motion blur in the picture to keep it looking smooth in motion. That means you often need ND filters to bring the exposure down to manageable levels. Aperture is generally kept in the lens optical sweet spot - for the small lenses on the X5/X5s that's typically somewhere between f/4 and f/8.

With photos you're more concerned with getting things sharp and in focus... so you want the shutter speed to be a lot higher to make sure any motion is frozen (both subject and camera motion), and use the aperture setting to stay in the lens' sweet spot for optical sharpness. If you're taking photographs, then you're probably best to set the ISO around 100-200, set aperture priority mode, pick an aperture somewhere between f/4 and f/8 and let the camera work out the shutter speed for you. If it picks a speed below around 1/60th second, then bump the ISO up a stop or two, or you can lower the aperture to f/2 or f/1.8. As a generalisation, when flying, the lenses tend to be wider angle and the focus tends to on more distant objects, so the effects of wider apertures aren't quite as apparent as when using cameras close up and on the ground.
 
For video, you generally look to set the shutter speed to a multiple of your frame rate, so if using 30fps then pick 1/60, 1/120th etc and keep a bit of motion blur in the picture to keep it looking smooth in motion. That means you often need ND filters to bring the exposure down to manageable levels. Aperture is generally kept in the lens optical sweet spot - for the small lenses on the X5/X5s that's typically somewhere between f/4 and f/8.

With photos you're more concerned with getting things sharp and in focus... so you want the shutter speed to be a lot higher to make sure any motion is frozen (both subject and camera motion), and use the aperture setting to stay in the lens' sweet spot for optical sharpness. If you're taking photographs, then you're probably best to set the ISO around 100-200, set aperture priority mode, pick an aperture somewhere between f/4 and f/8 and let the camera work out the shutter speed for you. If it picks a speed below around 1/60th second, then bump the ISO up a stop or two, or you can lower the aperture to f/2 or f/1.8. As a generalisation, when flying, the lenses tend to be wider angle and the focus tends to on more distant objects, so the effects of wider apertures aren't quite as apparent as when using cameras close up and on the ground.
All good suggestions...BUT...the X5s does not have a mechanical shutter...meaning...that no matter what you set your shutter speed the camera still takes about 1/20 of a second or so (I believe - someone correct me if I'm wrong) so motion can still be a problem.
 
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If it was that slow, then any photo with a shutter speed faster than that would be blurry, as would video.

Yes, it'll take time to read off the sensor, but I'm pretty sure it'd not be that slow, or would it be able to reach either 50/60 frames/second, or the 120 frames of the 1080/120 setting.
 
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If it was that slow, then any photo with a shutter speed faster than that would be blurry, as would video.

Yes, it'll take time to read off the sensor, but I'm pretty sure it'd not be that slow, or would it be able to reach either 50/60 frames/second, or the 120 frames of the 1080/120 setting.
Instead, digital cameras turn each row of pixels on for 1/1000th of a second. This process starts with the top row and then moves down, until eventually (on my camera) it gets to row 3648. The entire process takes about a twentieth of a second (compared to 1/250th of a second for a mechanical shutter)

Today's photo lesson: electronic vs. mechanical shutters

Not saying this is the exact time for an X5s - but it is true for all electronic shutters - they're just not fast enough for pros yet..BTW I think the X4s has a mechanical shutter
 
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...lCgcQFggnMAE&usg=AOvVaw0HjuFyYnZL_Pq7792SPGUn

So if I'm flying at 100 feet, my shutter speed should be set to 250 & if at 200 feet, my shutter should be set to 125?

What? In a word, no. WAY too many variables are missing here to answer that question?

Video or stills?
What look are you going for?
Shooting for film? Or forensics?
Flying fast or standing still?
Daylight or night?

I could probably answer your question very succinctly if I new what you were trying to achieve and in what conditions.

D
 
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All good suggestions...BUT...the X5s does not have a mechanical shutter...meaning...that no matter what you set your shutter speed the camera still takes about 1/20 of a second or so (I believe - someone correct me if I'm wrong) so motion can still be a problem.

Following the 180° shutter rule, I've been able to get very good motion blur @ 24 FPS on both the X3 and X5 cameras. ND filters a must.
 
What? In a word, no. WAY too many variables are missing here to answer that question?

Video or stills?
What look are you going for?
Shooting for film? Or forensics?
Flying fast or standing still?
Daylight or night?

I could probably answer your question very succinctly if I new what you were trying to achieve and in what conditions.

D
I'll be in touch, got the basics down pretty much.
 
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If it was that slow, then any photo with a shutter speed faster than that would be blurry, as would video.

Yes, it'll take time to read off the sensor, but I'm pretty sure it'd not be that slow, or would it be able to reach either 50/60 frames/second, or the 120 frames of the 1080/120 setting.
I'll be in touch, got the basics down pretty much.

Good deal. There really is no canned answer. There are a myriad of settings to match a myriad of environment variables and cinematic goals. Good luck!
 
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My general rule is not to go below 1/320 - at all. I've seen 1/250 end up slightly blurry before.
 
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Good deal. There really is no canned answer. There are a myriad of settings to match a myriad of environment variables and cinematic goals. Good luck!
Old thread, but similar question. DroneDeploy mentions slower flight speeds if using LowLight setting. I noticed it changed ISO to 400. Does the drone speed Matter of using X4S Mechanical shutter?? If so, what is a reasonable slow speed? The default is 31mph. @Donnie Frank ?? Any experience with this?
 
Old thread, but similar question. DroneDeploy mentions slower flight speeds if using LowLight setting.

For mapping? I will assume so. I will also have to assume a minimal altitude of 250' AGL. I hate assuming but your question is vague.

The short answer: Yes and no.

The long answer: It's intuitive that you would fly slower in lower light or lower altitude. However, unless you're mapping at night or 100' AGL, the need to slow down doesn't come into play. You should be able to fly a good 26-27 mph on even the most cloudy days @ 250' AGL. If you fly 400' AGL, you should be able to fly faster...probably closer to the 31 mph you mentioned.



I noticed it changed ISO to 400. Does the drone speed Matter of using X4S Mechanical shutter??

Again, I have to assume the X4S is capable of f/2.8. Assuming so, you should be able to fly ISO 100 on Sunny days and ISO 200 on cloudy days. I rarely slow down my shutter more than 1/1600, but occasionally I HAVE had to slow it down to 1/1000. But that would be when skies are very dark, like pre-rain conditions.


If so, what is a reasonable slow speed? The default is 31mph. @Donnie Frank ?? Any experience with this?

31 mph is the setting for minimal speed. You can set a slower minimum speed if you wish. I'm not sure why anyone would want to do this, but the option is there. At least that's how it works with Map Pilot. I assume Drone Deploy probably has similar settings for similar reasons. That said...

Again, making more assumptions about the software you're using (I don't have Drone Deploy), the software will generally slow down your drone to compensate for blur conditions caused by slow shutter speeds. Any reason you may have for slowing down a shutter in real photography is moot in the mapping environment. For mapping you would use the same settings as you would action shooting. So I like an ISO of 200 because it allows me to shoot shutter speeds of 1/1600 on cloudy days and as fast as 1/3200 on sunny days. ISO 200 is native on the P4P, so I'm comfortable keeping it there permanently. I'm sure the X4S is happy @ ISO 200 as well.

Generally speaking, .6 inches of motion blur is the most blur your software will allow before slowing down the drone. Shooting Shutter Priority, ISO 200, 1/1600 shutter generally nets .2 inches of motion blur.

This was shot using the exact settings above @ 250' AGL on a cloudy day using a P4P Obsidian @ 26-27 mph. Notice the clarity:

DJI_0044.JPG



Even digitally zoomed with oncoming traffic traveling 60-70 mph, the photo has almost no motion blur.

1587939038241.png



And of course, the mechanical shutter insures against digital warping due to progressive scanning.

D
 
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Thanks Donnie! I have less than average knowledge of camera settings, even after 5 years of doing this type of aerial mapping. I have never experienced issues, so default settings have been great.

I typically fly at 350' AGL, covering thousands of acres for Ag. Farmers like to see the citrus trees. 250' has been a bit better, but 2x the flight time. May switch to a 45mm lens for those really wanting details, but the money is in the NDVI anyways.

The point I was making about DroneDeploy is that it recommends NOT slowing down below 31mph UNLESS flying in 'low light'. During rainy season, the clouds make it feel like near dusk sometimes, so I tried their LowLight option. I noticed it changed the ISO to 400. But, since I am using a Mechanical Shutter, do I really NEED to slow down? Do you think it would help At All?

-DrDrone
 
That's what I use, X4s rocks!
I thought so too until I tried x5s?. Do not get me wrong I am a big fan of x4s and it sure is a great little cam for I2. I used it a lot and I am sure it has its place for many applications. But purely for landscape photography the x5s has greater DR and ritcher colors. The x4s photos look somewhat flatt compared to those taken with x5s.
 

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