I have a pocket 2 device, no doubt it's a great device but I still haven't been able to figure out how to take good quality night photos, it always comes out blurry
I would appreciate recommendations

Another question that is not related to night photography but to horizontal photography such as a story for Instagram or TikTok, does the gimbal work well even when I hold the camera to the side?

Thank you

It depends on the types of pictures you are taking. Generally speaking, if you are shooting in the dark, you may want to use longer exposure times and the appropriate shutter speed, however this also means the camera will be more suspect to small bumps, movements etc. and can cause the blurred pictures you mentioned. To minimize that, it is recommended to use a tripod to stabilize the camera or get something else to support it so it will stay as still as possible while filming. You may also want to avoid subjects that move quickly and suddenly, unless you are looking for some artistic blur.

Also, it is not recommended to use the digital zoom with a powerful magnitude, as that easily causes blurry and noisy end results. Something to the magnitude of 2X could be still fine, but having it at 8X will probably cause noise and blur.

Another way to try to help the exposure issue is to bump up the ISO value, but that has it's own disadvantages as well. The higher the number at the end the ISO value is, the more there is a risk of excessive noise and artifacts in the picture. But some small adjustments could give you perfectly acceptable results.

Probably the best way to improve the quality of the picture (if the circumstances allow it) is to illuminate the subject with additional light sources, such as LED panels - but I do realize this is not always the optimal or maybe even a possible solution. So in those cases, you could try by adjusting the exposure times and ISO values, and using a tripod ar a similar support for the camera. To access the exposure, shutter speed and ISO value settings, make sure you have the Pro Mode enabled in the camera settings. Also, depending on the scenario, you may want to switch from automatic exposure settings to manual. One more tip: If you are in the manual exposure mode, you can set the camera in a way that allows you to keep the shutter speed statically at the same setting yet allows the ISO value to change according to the surroundings (Use the "MaxISO" settings to set the highest value allowed).

As for vertical photography, the Pocket 2 does have a vertical mode for what I can tell, but haven't tried it really, so don't know how well the gimbal stabilization works with that.

Good luck in your experimenting!

HGDC84 Posted at 4-16 11:37
It depends on the types of pictures you are taking. Generally speaking, if you are shooting in the dark, you may want to use longer exposure times and the appropriate shutter speed, however this also means the camera will be more suspect to small bumps, movements etc. and can cause the blurred pictures you mentioned. To minimize that, it is recommended to use a tripod to stabilize the camera or get something else to support it so it will stay as still as possible while filming. You may also want to avoid subjects that move quickly and suddenly, unless you are looking for some artistic blur.

Also, it is not recommended to use the digital zoom with a powerful magnitude, as that easily causes blurry and noisy end results. Something to the magnitude of 2X could be still fine, but having it at 8X will probably cause noise and blur.

Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it

Hi, djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP. Thank you for reaching out. Can you please provide us samples of blurry photos for further checking and the parameters you used when you shoot them?

The DJI Pocket 2 has a vertical mode which has a display ratio of vertical photos of 9:16 / 3:4, and a display ratio of videos of 9:16 that can be used for social media platforms. Hopefully, other users will be able to share their experience with the stabilization while in this mode. Please feel free to try it yourself as well. Thank you for your support.

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-16 12:29
Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it

No problem, I hope you find the tips useful

DJI Gamora Posted at 4-16 22:34
Hi, djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP. Thank you for reaching out. Can you please provide us samples of blurry photos for further checking and the parameters you used when you shoot them?

The DJI Pocket 2's has a vertical mode which has a display ratio of vertical photos of 9:16 / 3:4, and a display ratio of videos of 9:16 that can be used for social media platforms. Hopefully, other users will be able to share their experience with the stabilization while in this mode. Please feel free to try it yourself as well. Thank you for your support.

The first one: IOS 3200, EV 0
The second one: ISO 200 EV 0
In both I held the camera steady

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-17 11:34
The first one: IOS 3200, EV 0
The second one: ISO 200 EV 0
In both I held the camera steady

Were you holding the camera in your hand, or was it on a tripod/otherwise supported against something? Even a seemingly small movement on the camera can cause a drastic blur, partially depending on the settings too.

HGDC84 Posted at 4-17 11:41
Were you holding the camera in your hand, or was it on a tripod/otherwise supported against something? Even a seemingly small movement on the camera can cause a drastic blur, partially depending on the settings too.

And was your shutter speed setting on automatic when you took the pictures? If you adjusted it manually, what setting(s) did you use for them?

HGDC84 Posted at 4-17 11:42
And was your shutter speed setting on automatic when you took the pictures? If you adjusted it manually, what setting(s) did you use for them?

It's set to auto, I'm using pro mode

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-17 12:25
It's set to auto, I'm using pro mode

In some cases, if you set it to manual and then choose the shutter speed manually, you could eliminate some of the blur by reducing the shutter exposure time. The shorter the time (the bigger the value after the 1 and /), the less time the shutter is open, causing less light to get in and lessening the risk of the blur caused by movements. However, that also means less light entering the shutter, which can cause darker pictures, so you'll need to find an appropriate compromise that has enough light yet is not too long for the blurs to occur. That can be somewhat compensated with the ISO value settings, but having that too high will introduce noise and artefacts to the picture. If possible, try taking multiple pictures of the same subject with varying values to have a more versatility in your chances to select the best shot.

Does changing the EV affect the time the shutter is open?

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-17 12:44
Does changing the EV affect the time the shutter is open?

Had a quick look at that on my Pocket 2, that quick testing seemed to make changes on both the shutter speed and the ISO value, partially depending on the MaxISO value that was set.

HGDC84 Posted at 4-17 12:51
Had a quick look at that on my Pocket 2, that quick testing seemed to make changes on both the shutter speed and the ISO value, partially depending on the MaxISO value that was set.

How many EV and ISO would you recommend for night photography?

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-17 12:55
How many EV and ISO would you recommend for night photography?

That depends on a scenario. For instance, in the two pictures you previously posted here, I do think the first one has better sharpness (less movement and shorter shutter time perhaps?) but the second one has less noise graininess (probably due to the smaller ISO value). What also affects it is the amount, direction and brightness of the light sources involved in the picture. It's not easy to automatically say any fixed values. Also, I often tend to use manual settings myself and change them depending on the situation, also trying multiple different settings to see which works best for me. General rules of thumb are that smaller ISO value means less light but also less graininess and noise, shorter shutter speeds mean less light and less blur. Usually, when talking about the EV value, it is usually considered that having it at as close to zero as possible usually means a good balance in exposure, minus values mean underexposure and plus values mean overexposure. But even that is not always self-explanatory, as I've heard some people say they prefer to have on overexposure of about +1 with their Pocket 2 pictures, and you also want to have some more exposure when you film in the dark. However, it is good to know that either under- or overexposure to the extreme can make it impossible to correct the contrast of some areas in the post-processing, as they kind of "overburn" with darkness or brightness. When it is somewhere in between, you can bring up more detail in the post-processing by adjusting the picture brightness and contrast in your image editing software.

HGDC84 Posted at 4-17 13:08
That depends on a scenario. For instance, in the two pictures you previously posted here, I do think the first one has better sharpness (less movement and shorter shutter time perhaps?) but the second one has less noise graininess (probably due to the smaller ISO value). What also affects it is the amount, direction and brightness of the light sources involved in the picture. It's not easy to automatically say any fixed values. Also, I often tend to use manual settings myself and change them depending on the situation, also trying multiple different settings to see which works best for me. General rules of thumb are that smaller ISO value means less light but also less graininess and noise, shorter shutter speeds mean less light and less blur. Usually, when talking about the EV value, it is usually considered that having it at as close to zero as possible usually means a good balance in exposure, minus values mean underexposure and plus values mean overexposure. But even that is not always self-explanatory, as I've heard some people say they prefer to have on overexposure of about +1 with their Pocket 2 pictures, and you also want to have some more exposure when you film in the dark. However, it is good to know that either under- or overexposure to the extreme can make it impossible to correct the contrast of some areas in the post-processing, as they kind of "overburn" with darkness or brightness. When it is somewhere in between, you can bring up more detail in the post-processing by adjusting the picture brightness and contrast in your image editing software.

Thanks for your answers I really appreciate you!

What does each of the data mean?  I would be happy for details for those who know

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-17 20:56
Thanks for your answers I really appreciate you!

Glad to hear if I can help you with this.

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-18 03:12
What does each of the data mean?  I would be happy for details for those who know

The first one refers to the ISO value mentioned before, that here is the lowest possible setting on the Pocket 2 and if there is enough light, it usually is the recommended setting for minimizing the graininess and noise in the picture. The second one is the aperture of the camera, which usually allows you to change the depth of field in the pictures and video when adjustable, but in Pocket 2 it is fixed so that unfortunately cannot be changed (that usually is a value that can usually be changed on DSLRs and some other more expensive and sophisticated cameras). The third one is the shutter speed. Not sure about the fourth one.

Where did you find this information? If I knew where did you find it, I could possibly deduct the meaning of the value from that.

Also, if somebody else knows the meaning, feel free to tell us more about it.

EDIT: Not entirely sure about it, but could that be the exposure value?

HGDC84 Posted at 4-18 09:49
The first one refers to the ISO value mentioned before, that here is the lowest possible setting on the Pocket 2 and if there is enough light, it usually is the recommended setting for minimizing the graininess and noise in the picture. The second one is the aperture of the camera, which usually allows you to change the depth of field in the pictures and video when adjustable, but in Pocket 2 it is fixed so that unfortunately cannot be changed (that usually is a value that can usually be changed on DSLRs and some other more expensive and sophisticated cameras). The third one is the shutter speed. Not sure about the fourth one.

Where did you find this information? If I knew where did you find it, I could possibly deduct the meaning of the value from that.

Thanks for your answer, it's in the google images info

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-18 21:16
Thanks for your answer, it's in the google images info

Thanks for that information. I found the relevant information on the Google Images app on my own phone, they seem to be in a bit different order but mostly the same information.

What I did find out though is that the value I couldn't immediately tell about is NOT the exposure value, as for me, the corresponding value showed units as in millimeters, which are not used for measuring EV. From that fact, my next guess would be that it indicates the focal length. But not entirely sure.

EDIT: Found it out. It IS the Focal length value.

HGDC84 Posted at 4-19 10:57
Thanks for that information. I found the relevant information on the Google Images app on my own phone, they seem to be in a bit different order but mostly the same information.

What I did find out though is that the value I couldn't immediately tell about is NOT the exposure value, as for me, the corresponding value showed units as in millimeters, which are not used for measuring EV. From that fact, my next guess would be that it indicates the focal length. But not entirely sure.

I found that using minus ev improves the night image, does this make sense?

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-19 13:07
I found that using minus ev improves the night image, does this make sense?

I guess it depends on the results you want to achieve and the settings you are using. If you are completely satisfied with the results, then do by all means use them. While it is often said that having more light improves the image quality, it could be that in some occasions, decreasing the EV could possibly lessen the graininess and noise in the picture. Also, having 'real' exposure with natural light or lightsources such as lamps and LED panels usually are the better option for better image quality compared to using electronic settings for the adjustments. I guess the best way to find it out is to experiment with different settings and see which results look the best for your purposes.

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-17 11:34
The first one: IOS 3200, EV 0
The second one: ISO 200 EV 0
In both I held the camera steady

Hi, djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP. Thank you for the photos. The automatic exposure strategy of DJI Pocket 2 will give priority to controlling the ISO at a lower value to obtain better image quality, and the corresponding shutter speed will increase. For night photo scenarios, it is recommended to turn on the PRO mode of Pocket 2, set the shutter speed to 1/60 second or lower, and set the ISO to AutoMAX 6400 to achieve the shutter priority automatic exposure strategy. Thank you for your kind understanding and support.

Buy a small table top tripod if you want to avoid noise and camera shake which is what’s causing the blur/movement in your photos. Most cameras even professional cameras have great difficulty taking moving subjects at night unless long exposures which at night time are specialty photos.

So if you’re shooting people etc you need to tell them be still and use the lowest possible ISO to give you a shutter speed needed to avoid blur/movement .

I wouldn't really count on getting good low light pictures from the Pocket 2 even with it's F1.8 lens. However, It does do pretty decent low light videos. Like this

Wiz33 Posted at 4-22 08:38
I wouldn't really count on getting good low night pictures from the Pocket 2 even with it's F1.8 lens. However, It does do pretty decent low light videos. Like this

https://youtu.be/CkNQssUY1Zo

Totally excellent!  I would never have an issue with night shots that look that good.

DJI Gamora Posted at 4-20 21:02
Hi, djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP. Thank you for the photos. The automatic exposure strategy of DJI Pocket 2 will give priority to controlling the ISO at a lower value to obtain better image quality, and the corresponding shutter speed will increase. For night photo scenarios, it is recommended to turn on the PRO mode of Pocket 2, set the shutter speed to 1/60 second or lower, and set the ISO to AutoMAX 6400 to achieve the shutter priority automatic exposure strategy. thank you for your kind understanding and support.

So you recommend putting the camera mode on PRO and then on M?

Hallmark007 Posted at 4-21 06:19
Buy a small table top tripod if you want to avoid noise and camera shake which is what’s causing the blur/movement in your photos. Most cameras even professional cameras have great difficulty taking moving subjects at night unless long exposures which at night time are specialty photos.

So if you’re shooting people etc you need to tell them be still and use the lowest possible ISO to give you a shutter speed needed to avoid blur/movement .

Agree with this opinion, those certainly are useful tips for helping get better nighttime shots.

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-23 04:30
So you recommend putting the camera mode on PRO and then on M?

It allows for more control of the camera settings, so it is often a good idea. I usually tend to use Pro mode and M settings for my photography. There are some situations where automatic modes can occasionally be helpful though: For instance, if there is a lot of variance on exposure during your filming, you may want to use automatic settings in order to make sure you won't need to switch the settings manually every time  the amount of light and brightness changes. But if the exposure it reasonably static, then using manual mode instead could be a better idea.

djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP Posted at 4-23 04:30
So you recommend putting the camera mode on PRO and then on M?

Hi, djiuser_KyihnBPYnYaP. Turn on Pro mode and click exposure and choose M mode which is where you can set ISO and shutter manually.

For me the bad image quality in the low light is the biggest downside of the pocket 2

djiuser_iOlexk6ptk0u Posted at 5-2 09:48
For me the bad image quality in the low light is the biggest downside of the pocket 2

I think it is a quite ordinary problem with the cameras that have this small of a sensor, for what I have heard.