Hi folks,

I just got the Action 4 last week and tried it out today on a walk with my dogs. The results are extremely underwhelming. I must be doing something wrong?

I just posted this 15 second video on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0drNrIK7DY.

The first part of the clip is shot at 4K 24fps. The second slo-mo segment is shot at 4K 120fps, slowed down at 25% speed. Minimal editing done on DaVinci Resolve.

I bought the Action 4 because I bought the Mavic Air 2 and the 4K video quality on it is amazing. I use DaVinci to edit my drone videos and the 4K looks sublime.

With the Action 4, it looks like 720p, or maybe 1080HD at a push.

I'm not exporting anything different or uploading different as to how I would do my drone videos. And the 4K has loaded in case anyone thinks I'm being impatient.

What could it be?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we do apologize for the trouble. Could you please upload the original unedited video via Google Drive and then send the link here so we can check the video further? Please keep us posted. Thank you.

DJI Paladin Posted at 2-5 03:11
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we do apologize for the trouble. Could you please upload the original unedited video via Google Drive and then send the link here so we can check the video further? Please keep us posted. Thank you.

Yes. The first link is the footage I used in the first ~7 seconds of the YouTube video, from approximately 0:36 - 0:43.  As can be seen for most of the clip, the footage is pretty grainy. And although the day was mostly overcast, the sun wasn't due to set for another 20 minutes, so there was ok light. It was shot in 4K at 24 fps.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zfvKk9LZO8p5tPW49Cmc9lgvEFh-sgtL/view?usp=drive_link

The footage I used for the second part of the video runs from approximately 0:46 - 0:48. I have it slowed down to 25% speed in DaVinci Resolve. Please find that footage below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GDa87JDU9qBpPesWcjJmKwM3XEJ4tfJ9/view?usp=drive_link

I am by no means an expert with the Action 4, but straight out of the box, the Mavic Air 2 was majestic, whereas this camera isn't half as good. But it's very possible I'm doing something very wrong.

Thanks for your help!

need to explain your settings more
4K24 is not enough but works quite well if asked I do not expect anything more then this for me

Fishycomics Posted at 2-5 04:01
need to explain your settings more
4K24 is not enough but works quite well if asked I do not expect anything more then this for me

4K 16:9, 24fps , auto exposure, auto white balance, normal color 10 bit, ultra wide FOV, RockSteady+ is on, no digital zoom. That's all the info I can give I think?

thank you  hope Lutz... can offer a suggestion, I know certain settings get desabled with RS+ , like for me HB turned off  my Auto low light, even RS+. so recheck , reshoot find what works best, see what DJI has to offer

Fishycomics Posted at 2-5 04:44
thank you  hope Lutz... can offer a suggestion, I know certain settings get desabled with RS+ , like for me HB turned off  my Auto low light, even RS+. so recheck , reshoot find what works best, see what DJI has to offer

Will do, thank you Fishy!

Looks ok to me, did you wait for YT to finished processing? Did you choose 4K from the settings in YT?

BTW, 24fps ain't great for slow mo, i think it might look more blurry with it, ideally 60 or higher. Thats what i prefer anyway...

djiuser_3P084jibC8Tz Posted at 2-5 03:37
Yes. The first link is the footage I used in the first ~7 seconds of the YouTube video, from approximately 0:36 - 0:43.  As can be seen for most of the clip, the footage is pretty grainy. And although the day was mostly overcast, the sun wasn't due to set for another 20 minutes, so there was ok light. It was shot in 4K at 24 fps.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zfvKk9LZO8p5tPW49Cmc9lgvEFh-sgtL/view?usp=drive_link

Hi djiuser_3P084jibC8Tz,

I think your ...54_D.MP4 is suffering from the surrounding vegetation with bright sky behind them in the scene and their motion in the video is increasing the demand for data bandwidth a little too much.

But the allowable bitrate appears to be 83513kbps (from the video file properties ). When there is not enough data bandwidth (which is set by DJI depending on System on chip they use, H.264 vs HEVC choice, cropping factor fps...  and perhaps your memory card), camera's internal compression algorithms erode details starting mostly from the low contrast, low light areas of the video and as a result video can look like 720p. Not sure if switching off the HEVC can make a difference...

Cheers

fans0c6c1ced Posted at 2-5 22:00
Hi djiuser_3P084jibC8Tz,

I think your ...54_D.MP4 is suffering from the surrounding vegetation with bright sky behind them in the scene and their motion in the video is increasing the demand for data bandwidth a little too much.

Such a comprehensive answer, thank you so much!

The vegetation/sky idea makes a lot of sense. Unlike a green field, where the colour is pretty homogenous, the vegetation is very mixed between yellow, brown, and green. And our weather hasn't been the best lately, extremely overcast, so the sky looks very washed out.

The memory card I use is 128GB AData Premier Pro microSDXC CL10 UHS-I U3 V30 A2. I understand it's not the Kingston brand that DJI uses, but I have other reputable brands such as Sandisk, Samsung etc. with my Mavic Air 2, and the results have always been stellar. Do you know if there has ever been an issue with AData Micro SD cards that perhaps I'm not aware of?

The HEVC is good to know too, thanks again!

djiuser_3P084jibC8Tz Posted at 2-5 03:37
Yes. The first link is the footage I used in the first ~7 seconds of the YouTube video, from approximately 0:36 - 0:43.  As can be seen for most of the clip, the footage is pretty grainy. And although the day was mostly overcast, the sun wasn't due to set for another 20 minutes, so there was ok light. It was shot in 4K at 24 fps.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zfvKk9LZO8p5tPW49Cmc9lgvEFh-sgtL/view?usp=drive_link

Thank you for the information provided. We will coordinate this with the relevant team for further clarification. We will keep you posted.

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Hi there. Thank you for patiently waiting. We have received feedback from our engineers and as we refer to the original video files, it was found that this is under normal range. Please try to change the video player to further isolate the issue. Should you have other inquiries, feel free to contact us.

wow they narrowed your issue to the Player, Resolved. Happy filming

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osmonauta Posted at 2-11 19:06
And to be more specific, it was a VHS playa that caused the issue. The heads were not clean.

you meant Beta vhs be more  spacific ifasked,

Fishycomics Posted at 2-12 03:50
you meant Beta vhs be more  spacific ifasked,

Forgot to add the Humor icon sorry.   360P back then was awesome.

DJI Paladin Posted at 2-10 23:33
Hi there. Thank you for patiently waiting. We have received feedback from our engineers and as we refer to the original video files, it was found that this is under normal range. Please try to change the video player to further isolate the issue. Should you have other inquiries, feel free to contact us.

The video player? Do you mean there's an issue with my QuckTime Player? Sorry, I'm not sure I fully understand you. I understand in certain conditions, like the ones I uploaded here, I should be manually adjusting settings, instead of leaving them on auto.

What should I do about the player? Thank you!

patcdev Posted at 2-17 09:11
The video player? Do you mean there's an issue with my QuckTime Player? Sorry, I'm not sure I fully understand you. I understand in certain conditions, like the ones I uploaded here, I should be manually adjusting settings, instead of leaving them on auto.

What should I do about the player? Thank you!

We appreciate your response. Yes, you may try to use a different video player and check if the issue persists. If you still experience the issue, we highly recommend sending the unit in for proper diagnostics. You can contact our support team to start up a ticket at https://www.dji.com/support . Please note that the warranty can be applied depending on the damage assessment conducted on the unit and if the unit is within the warranty period. Should you have other inquiries, feel free to contact us. We appreciate your understanding.

I think Osmonauta gave you a good answer and help.

You could/should also set the sharpness to 0 and noise reduction to -2 for sharper footage.
And I also recommend setting it up to minimum 1/200s shutterspeed and rather let the ISO control the exposure. But Osmo mentioned it with his longer answer.