Are you going to do post-processing? Colorgrading?
I can't say yet if this is "the best", but I'm shooting "LOG"-color mode and going even further and in "Style" going for 0 sharpness (default) and -3 contrast (lowest) -3 saturation (lowest). That will produce an image that looks really dull, flat and boring right out of the camera. But it retains more detail in the image, more dynamic range, which is very useful in post-processing. So you have to add some color (colorgrade and contrast etc. in your video-editor or color-grading tool.
One disadvantage of shooting like I do is that also the image on the monitor/iPad is a bit dull. But it should give the possibility for the maximum quality end-result. But it takes a bit of work in post-production.
There is also the issue of exposing the shots. So that'll depend on your situation. But turn on zebra stribes / overexposure warning - that will show where the image is "blown out" - meaning there is no detail in that part of the image, it will be a solid white. You can adjust the Exposure Value (EV) when in auto setting with the right side dial on the remote. It is okay to have some zebras, but too many and you might ned up for example a sky with no definition/detail at all.
I have my Whitebalance in Automatic White Balance AWB.
I shoot RAW + JPG - the DNG Raw image will retain as much detail as possible which is better for post-processing (in Adobe Lightroom 6 in my case). It takes a bit longer for it to save images when shooting in RAW. The JPG is just handy because it can be viewed with anything. I edit in Lightroom 6 and export the images I like in JPG.
I shoot in maximum resolution 4:3 aspect for photos.
I often shoot 3 or 5 brackets (take the same photo with different exposure value, and then combine in Lightroom into HDR-images where it retains a mad amount of dynamic range and detail in both light and dark areas of the image - not least useful when shooting sunsets). if the scene is really dark (after sunset) shooting with longer exposure (set camera to manual) can work well (if not windy, going 4-8 secs will cause some shake, 1-2 secs works well I think).
For video, I'd shoot maximum resolution and framerate. In your case, I'd usually shoot at the max 1080P60 if you are going for smooth and fluid video. If going for a filmic look, you should do 24 or 25. It is worth noting that a rule of thumb is, that the shutterspeed should be twice your framerate, so about 60 for 30 fps and 120 for 60 fps. This can be difficult attaining in bright days without a strong ND-filter. The reason for this is that if the shutterspeed is ie 500 or 800, the frames will look crisp without motionblur. So it will appear "jumpy" if there is movement and there is a greater risk of jello (weavyness) in the video. At lower shutterspeeds there will be some in-frame blending if motionblur that will make motion look more natural.
FantomDK gives you good advice and asks good question, too. To get the best results from this, or most cameras, you'll need to customize for end use. Web use is gonna be different than brochure printing; using straight out of the camera is different than one you plan on post processing; combining into a pano or HDR even more settings.
I just got my P3 today, but I've been an Inspire 1 user for several months and made some tutorials to get the best image quality. The camera and settings are virtually the same and all the same concepts apply so have a look through them. I'll be doing some P3 specific tutorials sometime in the future, but on this subject all the info is the same.
I notice that with the Phantom 3 Pro, the exposure seems to change dramatically (the frame gets darker/lighter very quickly even with little movement). I'm thinking it might be better to set the white balance to custom to keep the camera from adjusting the white balance while filming to try to keep the shots more even. I've been using a GoPro Hero 4 on a Phantom 2 prior to using the Phantom 3 Pro and I noticed it would adjust the AWB too, but it wasn't as noticeable as with the Phantom 3 camera.
jimhare Posted at 2015-5-12 19:55
Hi Scott. You just need to put the camera in MANUAL and it won't change at all. This is the best ...
Won't the exposure change, unless you hit the little AE-lock? This can also be doin when not in Manual.
You can also click on the video for what to expose correctly (little yellow square). I'm not sure if you can do Center og Average or Center/Average. As far as I recall it is Center/Averaged by default.
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