What photo quality should I expect from myspark. Spark advertised a large sensor with improved quality, but my old Samsung S5 cell phone takes better photos. I thought the issue might be vibration from the motors but I took a photo while holding the drone and the motors not running and it didn't improve the quality. I wonder if the camera focus was altered when I had the drone disconnect and drop from the sky (different thread). Here are two photos to compare the drone (12megapixel) with the cell phone (16 megapixel). Both photos taken at the same distance from object. (I'm not sure I've uploaded the photos correctly - they may not show up in this post).

That definitely doesn’t look right to me, have you tried taking a picture with the spark just resting on a flat surface if it still comes out like this?

Is it only me, or are the pictures from the Spark a lot better on the wall structure?
And the phone takes the gravel better?
Both fail on the txt on the cabinet thing?
Aside that I dont think, this is the best setup to test two cameras, but:
How about a more natural scene?
And checking if there is some rest of a fingerprint on the cam (sensor), both devices?

I would recommend you take off the Spark and take some natural scenery for further comparison.

The Spark uses a fixed focus lens and has a minimal distance under which it won't give proper results. You're likely very close to this limit.

Try having the Spark facing a distant subject and post again. I recommend you install the Spark on the edge of a table to make it stable and to avoid seeing the surface it's on.

I think this might be too close for Spark

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-1 22:49
I would recommend you take off the Spark and take some natural scenery for further comparison.

I've taken several photos comparing 16 MP cell phone against 12 MP drone at different distances and conditions. I've come to the conclusion that the cell phone provides a sharper image, which is probably the result of 33% more pixels, even though the sensor is considerably smaller than in the drone. It's a little disappointing since I justified buying the drone on the basis of the photo capability. That disappointment is probably offset by the enjoyment I get out of just flying the darn thing.

Sliderul Posted at 2017-9-3 09:51
I've taken several photos comparing 16 MP cell phone against 12 MP drone at different distances and conditions. I've come to the conclusion that the cell phone provides a sharper image, which is probably the result of 33% more pixels, even though the sensor is considerably smaller than in the drone. It's a little disappointing since I justified buying the drone on the basis of the photo capability. That disappointment is probably offset by the enjoyment I get out of just flying the darn thing.

Amount of pixels mean nothing if they are twice smaller on your phone than on a drone. Spark has a larger sensor therefore should produce better quality stills.
Post some scenery for proper comparisons.  Your shots of closeups might just be out of focus + there seems to be a low shutter because of lighting conditions. Also see if you have accidentaly set the low shutter speed.

Adomolis Posted at 2017-9-3 10:56
Amount of pixels mean nothing if they are twice smaller on your phone than on a drone. Spark has a larger sensor therefore should produce better quality stills.
Post some scenery for proper comparisons.  Your shots of closeups might just be out of focus + there seems to be a low shutter because of lighting conditions. Also see if you have accidentaly set the low shutter speed.

I agree with you and expected the large sensor to result in better photos, that's why I started this discussion in the first place. Included are two photos taken at a distance of 25 ft from the palm. Each JPG has been compressed 70% to allow inclusion in this message. Both were taken with autofocus and exposure. The cell phone photo properties are: iso 64, F-stop 2.2, 1/125 sec. The drone properties are: iso 100, F-stop 2.6 and 1/60 sec. The cell phone was hand held, the drone was on a table top without motors running  (the slower shutter speed shouldn't impact the quality). It appears to me that the drone photos are blurred, or they bleed, on the "Y" axis resulting in loss of definition.

the top part of the drone photo seems fine but theres definitely something wrong in the lower right corner there. Try getting some more test shots by getting it to the air and do a shoot on a bright daylight.

The images from my Spark are pin sharp! I was quite surprised in the quality especially compared to my Zenmuse X5 and Canon 5D with its L lenses. The first 2 images in my Flickr stream here https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhopley/ are from the Spark

That does look wrong indeed.
I would suggest try some pictures while flying in good light conditions and if they also look like this, DJI support it is.

D-DWL Posted at 2017-9-4 01:18
The images from my Spark are pin sharp! I was quite surprised in the quality especially compared to my Zenmuse X5 and Canon 5D with its L lenses. The first 2 images in my Flickr stream here https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhopley/ are from the Spark

Beautiful pictures!

D-DWL Posted at 2017-9-4 01:18
The images from my Spark are pin sharp! I was quite surprised in the quality especially compared to my Zenmuse X5 and Canon 5D with its L lenses. The first 2 images in my Flickr stream here https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhopley/ are from the Spark

Now now, lets not start comparing 35mm sensor with L glass with a Spark camera, shall we?
Imo its not even a competition, seriously.
p.s. thats why we need DNG/RAW support

My Spark pictures are sharp as well, no complaints. I notice however that pictures are rather fast overexposed. An ND filter can probably reduce this effect a little bit.

Montfrooij Posted at 2017-9-4 01:45
Beautiful pictures!

Thank you

ernieken Posted at 2017-9-4 02:29
My Spark pictures are sharp as well, no complaints. I notice however that pictures are rather fast overexposed. An ND filter can probably reduce this effect a little bit.

ND filter won't help with overexposure. Only when you hit the Spark maximum shutter + fstop.
I doubt you will ever hit that amount of light.

A ND is usually used to lower the shutter speed for smooth video.

The problem (usually) is when you have both sky and ground in one shot. (high contrast)
Now it's up to Spark to decide what is 'average' for this situation.
Usually that means washed out highlights.
You can lower the ev compensation to about -0,7 so it will always expose a bit darker.
That way you get less risk on over exposure.
The dark parts can be lifted easily in post.  

Montfrooij Posted at 2017-9-4 02:51
ND filter won't help with overexposure. Only when you hit the Spark maximum shutter + fstop.
I doubt you will ever hit that amount of light.

I tend to bracket the shot (AEB) when shooting in high contrast scenes, then HDR merge in Lightroom

D-DWL Posted at 2017-9-4 11:11
I tend to bracket the shot (AEB) when shooting in high contrast scenes, then HDR merge in Lightroom

Until Spark gets some sort of 'raw' (dng) option that is by far the best option.
But the most time consuming also
And even with dng the small sensor won't get much better.

I suppose if we compare it to Mavic everything is the same, it doesn't have dng raw but I have seen many really good shots taken with spark. The photographs I see above are not photos I would need to take with a drone, kodak instamatic maybe.
Good light and a reasonable good photographers will produce great shots with spark that can compare to much higher end drones. Seem like a case of workman blaming his tools again.

I have spent months shooting the spark to push and test its camera. Because its shoots jpeg and not raw your not going to be able to crop into the images. I would always shoot in manual and my your own settings in White balance. Keep the shutter about 1/500 as well. I found that it will help with sharpness even if the sparks not moving in the air.

Sliderul Posted at 2017-9-3 09:51
I've taken several photos comparing 16 MP cell phone against 12 MP drone at different distances and conditions. I've come to the conclusion that the cell phone provides a sharper image, which is probably the result of 33% more pixels, even though the sensor is considerably smaller than in the drone. It's a little disappointing since I justified buying the drone on the basis of the photo capability. That disappointment is probably offset by the enjoyment I get out of just flying the darn thing.

As discussed above, take off the drone and keep certain distance to take pictures or records. Then post your original file of SD card, I'd like to look into it.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-9-4 17:58
I suppose if we compare it to Mavic everything is the same, it doesn't have dng raw but I have seen many really good shots taken with spark. The photographs I see above are not photos I would need to take with a drone, kodak instamatic maybe.
Good light and a reasonable good photographers will produce great shots with spark that can compare to much higher end drones. Seem like a case of workman blaming his tools again.

I appreciate your interest in helping. You are correct in that the photos I included certainly aren't typical drone photos. I wasn't blaming the tools, I was trying to make comparisons by choosing subjects with sufficient detail while eliminating some variables, e.g., wind. The photos did indeed show me that there is some smearing throughout the field, particularly in the lower right quadrant. Knowing that, I was then able to go back in time and isolate a change in quality concurrent with a time the drone was caught in a whirlwind and dropped a significant distance to the ground. I suspect the camera was knocked slightly out of alignment.

Sliderul Posted at 2017-9-3 14:00
I agree with you and expected the large sensor to result in better photos, that's why I started this discussion in the first place. Included are two photos taken at a distance of 25 ft from the palm. Each JPG has been compressed 70% to allow inclusion in this message. Both were taken with autofocus and exposure. The cell phone photo properties are: iso 64, F-stop 2.2, 1/125 sec. The drone properties are: iso 100, F-stop 2.6 and 1/60 sec. The cell phone was hand held, the drone was on a table top without motors running  (the slower shutter speed shouldn't impact the quality). It appears to me that the drone photos are blurred, or they bleed, on the "Y" axis resulting in loss of definition.

This picture is definitely not correct.
The fuzziness in the lower right corner is abnormal. Looks like a lens issue.

Image quality of Spark is pretty good, but beware that you use a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake and low iso to avoid noise images

Sliderul Posted at 2017-9-5 06:51
I appreciate your interest in helping. You are correct in that the photos I included certainly aren't typical drone photos. I wasn't blaming the tools, I was trying to make comparisons by choosing subjects with sufficient detail while eliminating some variables, e.g., wind. The photos did indeed show me that there is some smearing throughout the field, particularly in the lower right quadrant. Knowing that, I was then able to go back in time and isolate a change in quality concurrent with a time the drone was caught in a whirlwind and dropped a significant distance to the ground. I suspect the camera was knocked slightly out of alignment.

Must be a camera defect I guess.

Erwin Beckers Posted at 2017-9-5 08:36
Image quality of Spark is pretty good, but beware that you use a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake and low iso to avoid noise images

https://www.erwinbeckers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/drone-bruiloft-boot-1.jpg[/img]

That looks good indeed Erwin!

Sliderul Posted at 2017-9-5 06:51
I appreciate your interest in helping. You are correct in that the photos I included certainly aren't typical drone photos. I wasn't blaming the tools, I was trying to make comparisons by choosing subjects with sufficient detail while eliminating some variables, e.g., wind. The photos did indeed show me that there is some smearing throughout the field, particularly in the lower right quadrant. Knowing that, I was then able to go back in time and isolate a change in quality concurrent with a time the drone was caught in a whirlwind and dropped a significant distance to the ground. I suspect the camera was knocked slightly out of alignment.

I'm sorry to hear such a news. The camera might be damaged in the crash. Please contact the Support Team to send it in for fully diagnosis: http://www.dji.com/support.