Hello,

Is there any way to activate the HDR mode on the Mini 3 ?
All the footage I've made up to now are always showing "SDR" when I read the MP4 files on my 4K TV.
And I always shoot in 25fps.
I also can't see any HDR metadata, when I analyse my MP4 files with a tool like MediaInfo.

Would be more than happy to share some of your experience on this.

Thanks in advance,
Phil.

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. Yes, the DJI Mini 3 supports DCG HDR. This shooting mode is enabled by default if you are recording videos at 24/25/30 fps. You may try to switch the frame rate and check if the issue persists. Please keep us posted. Thank you.

The same problem... I see no difference at all recording video between 30 FPS and higher FPS.
I have a Mini 3 Pro.

There is no HDR metadata in the file and the videos are always saved in a SDR format no matter what FPS setting I chose.

DJI Paladin Posted at 1-21 19:40
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. Yes, the DJI Mini 3 supports DCG HDR. This shooting mode is enabled by default if you are recording videos at 24/25/30 fps. You may try to switch the frame rate and check if the issue persists. Please keep us posted. Thank you.

Hi Paladin.

Thanks a lot for your fast reply.
I confirm : I've just shot a series of 6 mini videos, using :
- 2,7K @ 24fps
- 2,7K @ 25fps
- 2,7K @ 30fps
- 4K @ 24fps
- 4K @ 25fps
- 4K @ 30fps

None of them is showing HDR metadata.  
I attach 6 photos of my TV screen (Philips OLED55) all showing the "SDR" logo.

(thanks also to madao05 for confirming the same issue with his Mini 3 PRO)

Phil ZIMMER Posted at 1-22 01:08
Hi Paladin.

Thanks a lot for your fast reply.

Thank you for your response. The sensor of DJI Mini 3 adopts chip-level HDR technology, which can output images with high dynamic range, which is not reflected in the file information. Therefore, it is not HDR standard but has a higher dynamic range than ordinary video. Thank you for your understanding and support.

DJI Paladin Posted at 1-23 02:50
Thank you for your response. The sensor of DJI Mini 3 adopts chip-level HDR technology, which can output images with high dynamic range, which is not reflected in the file information. Therefore, it is not HDR standard but has a higher dynamic range than ordinary video. Thank you for your understanding and support.

But that is not HDR, it is the explanation of a good sensor with good dynamic range.
That is a completely an other thing...
You are advertising a product with a feature that it does not have.
A good tone mapping is not HDR.

Hi Paladin.

Thanks a lot for your answer.
But I fully agree with Madao05 : even if the Mini 3 sensor provides "a better dynamic range" than some other (older) DJI sensors, it is NOT delivering true HDR quality.
As you know, HDR standard is designed to offer a color coding on 10 bits, opposed to SDR, which only offers 8 bits.
With 8 bits, you have 256 levels of red, blue, green, i.e. a total of 16.777.216 colors.  With 10 bits, you get 1024 levels of RGB, i.e. a total of 1.073.741.824 of possible colors :
the difference is huge !
Unfortunately, we see that the Mini 3  and Mini 3 PRO don't deliver a single bit of HDR metadata in their MP4 files , so you cannot name it "HDR", and certainly not write it with
big letters on the drone box and use it as a selling argument.

I want also to highlight again that if I record a video at 30 FPS and at higher FPS I see no difference even if I use the Cinelike setting that is 10 bit.
Here two example
frame at 30 FPS

frame at 48 FPS

But are we the only two users that have this problem?

madao05 Posted at 1-23 03:30
But that is not HDR, it is the explanation of a good sensor with good dynamic range.
That is a completely an other thing...
You are advertising a product with a feature that it does not have.

Thank you for your response. We will coordinate this with our designated team for attention. Thank you for your understanding and support.

I analysed the 30 FPS and 48 FPS videos through DaVinci resolver and Final Cut Pro X and also the spectrogram as I would expect are completely identical. So no difference at all between 30 FPS and 48 FPS.
30 FPS



48 FPS

madao05 Posted at 1-23 03:30
But that is not HDR, it is the explanation of a good sensor with good dynamic range.
That is a completely an other thing...
You are advertising a product with a feature that it does not have.

HDR is not necessary HLG or HDR**+ or Dolby Vision.
With the words HDR you could mean many things.
DCG HDR, Smart HDR (by Apple) are not the HDR you expecting but they are HDR.  
HDR (High dynamic range... range of what?) could be on Luma, or exposure (or both).
Dual sampling is HDR. If you merge two or more exposure, it is HDR. To gain an image with more color information (more range) on highlights and shadows.

With HDR there is no many things that you could means. A picture or frame that has wider dynamic range with respect to the standard SDR range.
DCG HDR could be a possible way to collect at the sensor level more informations but if you then save those informations in a SDR format those information are lost no matter what.
And the final output is no more HDR.
You mentioned the Smart HDR of apple. Apple has implemented its own version of HDR but they are consistent on what they do. In fact if you analyse the output photo file is an HEIF at 10 bit and you need an HDR display to represent all the HDR informations present in the file. So apple is consistent, an iPhone preserve all the informations from the sensor to the saved file to deliver an HDR file. (it works in photos and videos).

Dual sampling, you are true, can be an HDR technique, but if the final saved file is an SDR file is no more HDR. It can be a "better" exposed file, but it will not be a HDR file.
When you merge two or more exposures to obtain an HDR file, the final file needs to have a higher bits depth.
Merging multiple exposures, with photoshop for example, the final result is a file with 16 or 32 bits. Then usually to represent all those informations on a display a tone mapping algorithm is applied.
But then if you save that tone mapped file in a SDR file, it is no more an HDR.

What is all about?
There is no HDR in Mini 3 Pro....is that shxxty implementation of DCG that DJI made it with their ASS, as is the worst ever seen at a sensor that is more than capable.
No metadata as this is no HDR sensor...so editing in HDR is a pain in the ass.
Limited RGB means a cut in Dynamic Range, exactly what the DCG wanted to improve, so is like you put a Ferrari car with a VAG engine in 3 valves....
At some point, DJI cut all the dynamics that this sensor is able to do....and cannot understand why...Just wanted to keep it low profile? Was unable to match the processing power needed for this sensor? They know...
But now is clear: Good sensor, capable DCG, shxxty implementation.

Cheers.

any news about the correct implementation of the advertised HDR function?

It's really bad that a device that looks so high quality can't shoot with iPhone quality. I bought this device because it has HDR. But no HDR.

so No HDR picture sensor .. is it right ?

DJI Paladin Posted at 1-21 19:40
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. Yes, the DJI Mini 3 supports DCG HDR. This shooting mode is enabled by default if you are recording videos at 24/25/30 fps. You may try to switch the frame rate and check if the issue persists. Please keep us posted. Thank you.

Just like madao05 i also  dont see any difference at all between 2.7k/25p and 2.7k/50p mode in high contrast scenes! So how HDR is used in 24/25/30p modes, when we dont see any advantages?!

relaxosmo Posted at 4-7 22:56
Just like madao05 i also  dont see any difference at all between 2.7k/25p and 2.7k/50p mode in high contrast scenes! So how HDR is used in 24/25/30p modes, when we dont see any advantages?!

Thank you for your response. DJI Mini 3 Pro uses DCG HDR technology, which is different from standard HDR (stack technology). DCG HDR is an HDR technology for CMOS, which can capture details in dark parts without losing details in highlights, thus generating multi-exposure fusion video. This video has a higher dynamic range compared with ordinary video, but the generated file is not standard HDR footage. So after being imported into the color correction software, there are not obviously visual differences between the HDR video of DJI Mini 3 Pro and a high frame rate video with same specification. You can adjust the exposure curve to see the differences in the dark part details. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Damn. I just got my drone last week and I am so disappointed. Can’t believe the biggest drone manufacturer had to pull spec tricks like this.

DJI Paladin Posted at 4-10 02:28
Thank you for your response. DJI Mini 3 Pro uses DCG HDR technology, which is different from standard HDR (stack technology). DCG HDR is an HDR technology for CMOS, which can capture details in dark parts without losing details in highlights, thus generating multi-exposure fusion video. This video has a higher dynamic range compared with ordinary video, but the generated file is not standard HDR footage. So after being imported into the color correction software, there are not obviously visual differences between the HDR video of DJI Mini 3 Pro and a high frame rate video with same specification. You can adjust the exposure curve to see the differences in the dark part details. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Do we have to shoot in cinemod to use DCG HDR technology?

djiuser_LtsP1djMfOXl Posted at 4-11 23:13
Do we have to shoot in cinemod to use DCG HDR technology?

Hi there. Thank you for your response. The DCG HDR of Mini 3 Pro is enabled by default if recording videos at 24/25/30fps. Hope this helps. Have a nice day ahead.

Another problem while shooting photos on my mini 3, a vertical black line appears. Videos are recorded fine

djiuser_1Q700paDlg5g Posted at 4-17 06:03
Another problem while shooting photos on my mini 3, a vertical black line appears. Videos are recorded fine

Hi there. Thanks for reaching out. May we ask for a sample photo for confirmation? Thank you.

Video engineer here.

DCG HDR by OmniVision is a proprietary HDR technology. It's not supported by file formats or playback equipment.

The files are stored in bog-standard SDR format, and thus  all devices play it back as bog-standard SDR.
It may look slightly better than SDR without DCG but it's still just slightly enhanced SDR, not HDR.

If the stored video file is not stored as HDR, then it is not HDR, and you can't advertise it can record in HDR.

All files stored are in SDR format, and even if the OmniVision HDR technology is an improvement and could be used to extract more dynamic range, no software will know it uses OmniVision HDR and can't decode it as such, as the files are always stored as saying they are bog-standard SDR files in BT.709 limited range SDR format with 8-bit YCbCr 4:2:0.

You claim it is HDR, and I have a right to believe it's really HDR by some established standard.

I believe the sensor used is OmniVision OV48C, as it's the only 48MP sensor with DCG HDR technology:


https://www.ovt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/OV48C-PB-v1.1-WEB.pdf

Where do I get my money back?

I really regret to have bought that DJI drone... it is really ridiculous that the drone is advertised with an important and a game changer feature that in reality it does not offer.

I know it does not change anything to them, but this one is my last drone from DJI.

madao05 Posted at 1-25 05:03
But are we the only two users that have this problem?

No, it bothers me as well. I am extremely disappointed by this. That HDR feature was the main point, why I bought this.

Omg, I'm very disappointed!!!
Bought this drone last week, took to Malaga, hoping I'll bring back real HDR videos back with me and boom!!! loaded to my TV and what can I see??? None of them are HDR!!!
The TV always switches to HDR mode while raising it's brightness to be able to play real HDR content, but not with videos from this drone!!! Further more it couldn't even fly more than 1500m without connection problems compared to stated in many sources 5km...
I thought DJI is a proper company, but now I can only say they are scammers!!!
I'm so angry...
I think I will return this peace of crap!!! Can't believe I paid £900 for it!!!

I agree I recorded several things in 4k 30fps and my TV does not switch to HDR format (* brighter colors) for the video.  It plays back in the normal NON HDR format..   AKA fireworks at night don't POP they just look like normal colors..   I called Support and they where confused..  They said reset settings and re-record.  Same thing.  Not surprising then eventually the support "lost connection" go figure after 26  minutes on the phone.   

Have to say I am REALLY not happy that I bought $800 USD of DJI stuff and it doesn't support  HDR format on the Mini 3. (* non pro).  There is no setting to switch it 10-bit color and nothing in the camera settings talk to HDR anything..  I have a $2,000 OLED TV and nothing..  

Seems to be a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Mini_3/UM/DJI_Mini_3_User_Manual_V1.0_EN.pdf



Robert

madao05 Posted at 1-25 05:03
But are we the only two users that have this problem?

I have the same experience. The dynamic range is quite bad. My Air2 was much better. It’s a shame. Blown out highlights or dark shadows is the choice I have to make each day

Until this day, I sincerely believed that my Mini 3 Pro supports HDR, I just thought I couldn't tell the difference. For the sake of this ghostly HDR, I lowered the fps to a stupid 30 instead of the normal 60, deliberately lowering the quality of my videos, which made me very sad, because before I bought it, I mistakenly thought that the drone supports HDR at 4k@60fps, but later I read that HDR only works on 30fps, which really disappointed me.
But today I found out that there is no HDR even at 30 fps, and all this time I was needlessly spoiling my videos with low fps.
This is the second time I have been disappointed with this drone.
I swapped out my compact Mini 2, which I loved so much, for this bulky drone, just for the sake of better video quality. Now I want my Mini 2 back, because the video quality has improved quite significantly, not in proportion to the increase in size and price.

I think DJI mini3 pro can shoot in D-cinelike 10bit mode, then make hdr video in final cut pro with bt2020 color space.

But D-Cinelike 10 bits is an other thing... it is not HDR

HDR was one major reason I purchased the Mini 3 over replacing my mini 2. With the oversharpening (no adjustment) and no HDR, I don't think this was the upgrade it was toted to be!

Here it is from the DJI Mini Specifications:
Video Resolution
4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30 fps
2.7K: 2720×1530@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps
FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps
HDR: Recording with the 24/25/30fps frame rate supports outputting HDR images.

DJI Paladin said it is not outputting standard HDR.
Can they claim outputting HDR when it doesn't support outputting any HDR standard?
Maybe they can claim DCG HDR sensor, but not an HDR output?

Yes It is a shame that they advertise the drone as HDR capable.

And now they started selling the Mini 4 Pro where they implemented the HDR correctly.

the most shameful thing is that now in the comparison section of their website between Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro, they highlight that the 4 is capable to record HLG HDR video and the 3 not.
It is really a SHAME

madao05 Posted at 1-25 05:03
But are we the only two users that have this problem?

I noticed this as well.

I just purchased a mini 3 thinking that would have HDR and nothing. Any updates form DJI about this? Where is Paladin to give us a solution?

Marco Luz Posted at 3-2 12:35
I just purchased a mini 3 thinking that would have HDR and nothing. Any updates form DJI about this? Where is Paladin to give us a solution?

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. The DJI Mini 3 supports DCG HDR. Please note that this shooting mode is enabled by default if recording videos at 24/25/30fps. Should you have other inquiries, feel free to contact us.