Would anyone share tips for extracting the best still image quality from a Phantom 3? I shoot RAW and have around 10 years of experience with Photoshop and 5 years editing in Adobe Camera Raw. I've taken some decent shots but not as good as I've seen from some other pilots/photographers. I'm wondering if the better image quality I'm seeing in other shots is the result of conditions, better initial exposure, or better post-processing skills. I don't seem to have any balance issues with my rotor; flight and video are very stable.

One included question: do windy days play greatly into image quality due to movement? Nearly every time I've been out since receiving my P3 a month ago, I've encountered winds from 10-25 mph. Any and all comments are appreciated.

Saw some figures one day - DJI recommended not flying when wind speeds reached a certain level - the number 22 MPH sticks in my mind. However, it seems that even a little less than that could have serious impact on your still photography. If you're shooting video while flying downwind, you can probably get away with a lot.

The gimbal works pretty well - it could conceivably still do a pretty good job - the gustier the conditions the more difficult it might be. I'm not going to fly my bird in 25 mph winds, but, at 15 mph, it couldn't hurt to see how well the gimbal can perform.

I *would* refrain from flight modes other than GPS. If you're in a mode that maintains altitude but not position, you may rue the day a good breeze blows you into trouble while you're futzing with the camera settings!

Most people I hear take their stills from the video they take...  Give that a shot

Yes, the best way to get Still image quality from the Phantom 3, is to sell it, then take the money from the sale and buy a nice Camera, Best advice!!

leon Posted at 2015-6-16 13:00
Yes, the best way to get Still image quality from the Phantom 3, is to sell it, then take the money  ...

bad quality?

Many P3 Images from my Homepage
http://www.fotocommunity.de/foto ... mermann/fotos/35872

E. G.

leon Posted at 2015-6-16 13:00
Yes, the best way to get Still image quality from the Phantom 3, is to sell it, then take the money  ...

Clearly you're not interesting in photography or knowledgable regarding how to get the best from RAW files either.

Yes the stills from the P3 don't match an expensive DSLR / Lens combo but it's not exactly terrible by a long shot.

Furthermore it begs the question as to why you're even posting on here!

Mark97564 Posted at 2015-6-16 07:52
Most people I hear take their stills from the video they take...  Give that a shot

Poor advice ... stills from Phantom video will always be significantly lower quality than stills from the Phantom.

A short compilation of still photography advice I've collected here and other forums:

Image format - 4:3 - This gives you 4000x3000 resolution, the 16:9 setting crops the top and bottom for 4000x2250

Color - S-Log2 - preferred and gives additional data for Raw in Lightroom/photoshop

White Balance - manual - play with the settings depending on what works best at the moment.  Auto causes problems in video, may be fine for photos

ISO, Shutter - set manually.  Lens is fixed f2.8, so this is the only adjustment you have. You can use these if you want to fix one value and then adjust the other for a range of EV.

HDR - The automatic HDR is pretty weak.  You cannot set the spread, so at best you get a 5AEB at -0.7, -0.3, 0, 0.3, 0.7 EV. You also get to stare at the screen for 20+ seconds of blue spinning circle while the camera is locked up (until DJI fixes the bug that locks the SD bus at "Normal Speed) (12.5MB/s).

HDR Recommendation - Manual HDR (the P3 is extremely stable, almost tripod grade) - Take a photo at EV 0, then manual adjust to -2 and +2 and HDR in Lightroom or other HDR application.

Stefan@zimmerma Posted at 2015-6-16 06:52
bad quality?

Many P3 Images from my Homepage

My P3 Pro is no where near that sharp.  What the secret..?

leon Posted at 2015-6-16 13:00
Yes, the best way to get Still image quality from the Phantom 3, is to sell it, then take the money  ...

Hey that is a good idea. With the camera you can throw it in the air, with a 10 second timer setting, and it will take great pictures. A long pole might help too.

But do remember, it's only a 12MP camera.  Lightroom on a raw image comes out pretty fair for me, but will only blow up so large obviously.

I take almost exclusively stills and always take both RAW and jpeg at the same time.  
Rarely use jpeg, and I edit all my RAWs in Apple Aperture, then if I'm taking panoramas I use PTGui.
I always try to take my pictures in good weather and bright conditions, IMHO the dull daytime shots are always a disappointment.
Settings in P3P:
Exposure Auto, I use the exposure compensation dial and histogram to fine tune.
Iso Auto.  It seems to adjust in very fine steps to keep the shutter speed above 1/50th, but in good light you will be 1/1000th + at ISO 100.
WB auto.  Can always be changed in RAW conversion, and I always match the colour temperature of all shots taken for a panorama.
To make a shot appear sharp, I normally use far more sharpening than I would for my DSLR shots, I add contrast, and saturation, and very often vignette just to draw the eye into the picture.

chris.pugrud@gm Posted at 2015-6-16 15:11
A short compilation of still photography advice I've collected here and other forums:

Image format  ...

chris.pugrud:  "Color - S-Log2 - preferred and gives additional data for Raw in Lightroom/photoshop"

What is S-log2?

chris.pugrud@gm Posted at 2015-6-16 08:11
A short compilation of still photography advice I've collected here and other forums:

Image format  ...

Excellent advices on the 4:3 especially if doing a vertical crop.

liningiv Posted at 2015-11-11 12:19
I take almost exclusively stills and always take both RAW and jpeg at the same time.  
Rarely use jp ...

So from your settings, I assume you are shooting in auto and you are not in manual mode. Correct?

I would also check to see that your props are balanced. Vibration can be a problem (about 1/4 of the factory props need a small trim). Multiple shots can allow you to take the best frame. Personally, I'm quite impressed by the P3P's stability in wind.

Something nobody else has mentioned is shutter speed. Gimbal helps, but a shutter speed of 1/500 or better is best for stills. And making sure you have great light. Great light + crappy camera makes better pictures than great camera + crappy light. You're dealing with a tiny sensor, so maximizing your settings to allow for a good combination of fast shutter speeds and low ISO will go a long way. I've had really good luck with this. It's not the same as having a professional, full-frame DSLR on a tripod, so you have to set it for what it can do. And we've seen some of the amazing work people are doing with the Phantom 3!

If you can, stick to ISO100, smalls sensors get a lot of noise with high ISO's. Depending on the conditions you should be able to use quite long shutter speeds. 1/500 for an 20mm equivalent lens is overkill. Anything faster then 1/40 or 1/80 or so should be plenty sharp. You don't need 1/500 unless your using an 400mm+ lens

Shot these over last 3-4 days. Trick I'm finding & said by a few already is that this camera does not do well at higher ISOs so I'm keeping mine at ISO 100 or 200 if possible. The P3A is remarkably stable. These were shot at 1-2 secs in the cold & with some wind going on. Shoot a burst to mitigate movement. The camera is somewhat better than a point & shoot but is not a match for even an entry DSLR. Apparently I've read here & elswhere the camera will match the GoPro in quality & some argue is better. You must shoot raw (DNG) & this camera likes lots of light so use your histograph & make sure you expose to keep the pixels just touching the right side of the graph. As I've learned from masters & experienced personally "It is not the equipment that ultimately matters... its the photographer!"

mrginhop Posted at 2016-1-19 12:04
Shot these over last 3-4 days. Trick I'm finding & said by a few already is that this camera does no ...

Particularly like that first shot mrginhop

mrginhop Posted at 2016-1-19 12:04
Shot these over last 3-4 days. Trick I'm finding & said by a few already is that this camera does no ...

That is fantastic !

pantera989@gmai Posted at 2016-1-18 23:30
Particularly like that first shot mrginhop

Thank you.

DJI-Patrick Posted at 2016-1-19 03:04
That is fantastic !

Much appreciated!

Hi! Newbie in this forum.  I just want to share my photo using the HDR mode on the P3S today.  Windy weather condition and this was prior to a sudden downpour.  Luckily I was able to land the drone before it happened

Still searching for that better quality image. This is NJ Pinelands ...

ldallara924 Posted at 2016-8-1 00:52
Still searching for that better quality image. This is NJ Pinelands ...

What are you trying to improve exactly?

Like the others said: Shoot RAW, expose to the right (histogram barely touches right side), ISO 100, shutter speed faster than 1/80.

Not much more you can do with the settings. The rest is light, light, light. And subject.

chris.pugrud@gm Posted at 2015-6-16 16:11
A short compilation of still photography advice I've collected here and other forums:

Image format  ...

RAW is RAW data from the sensor. It has no color space so it doesn't matter at all what it's set to. This only matters when shooting video or JPG.

vdnavea@gmail.c Posted at 2016-7-6 17:35
Hi! Newbie in this forum.  I just want to share my photo using the HDR mode on the P3S today.  Windy ...

Nice, but make sure to use the Remove Chromatic Aberration function in Lightroom/Adobe Camera RAW (or any other program with the function) to get rid of the green edges on the buildings.

leon Posted at 2015-6-16 13:00
Yes, the best way to get Still image quality from the Phantom 3, is to sell it, then take the money  ...

You certainly cannot buy a nice lens and camera for the price of a P3. And you won't find many tripods that are as stable at 300 feet high.  ;-)

KM5RG-Robert Posted at 2016-8-8 10:36
You certainly cannot buy a nice lens and camera for the price of a P3. And you won't find many tri ...

I have a client who needs a file to size to A3 @ 300dpi
Whats the general feeling about the P3 Pro RAW file to achieve this?

Strange as I have shot tons of stills..but never been asked for A3...I will see myself in PSD but in the meantime any thoughts appreciated

robbi@robbinewm Posted at 2016-9-12 19:54
I have a client who needs a file to size to A3 @ 300dpi
Whats the general feeling about the P3 Pro ...

Hmmm, just did a test 420mm x 600 @ 300dpi on a Raw file and not bad once sharpening applied..surprising
More feedback appreciated

BlindFlight Posted at 2016-8-6 05:27
Nice, but make sure to use the Remove Chromatic Aberration function in Lightroom/Adobe Camera RAW (or any other program with the function) to get rid of the green edges on the buildings.

Thanks for the tip I forget about it some times. I will add it to my LR Dji preset