Here's some initial thoughts after playing with raw video files from Neo:

- Normal color profile is definitely oversaturated, can we please bring it down by at least 15%? We don't need or expect D-LogM on this cheap camera, but something a bit more realistic would go a long way in making videos from Neo look less cheap.
- Auto white balance seems to prefer going too cold, especially around grass/trees, algorithm definitely needs tweaking, and/or custom WB needs to be a choice in palm control.
- Amount of detail seems pretty decent considering relatively low bitrates, but lack of options between 1080p and 4K is a bit of an issue, since 4K30 is hard to fly in FPV due to latency, it would really help if there was 2.7K60 mode so we could get a bit higher resolution and bitrate than 1080p60 while still getting lower latency in FPV feed. If possible, that 2.7K60 mode should have 4:3 option. Seems like the sensor used in Neo (https://www.ovt.com/products/ov48b/) is capable of up to 4K2K at 60fps so hopefully 2.7K60@4:3 won't be a problem for Neo to process. We don't even need RockSteady in that resolution if it's too taxing, can always use Gyroflow - Default sharpness really needs to go down, and there needs to be a way to adjust it in the app (it's great that we can do it in Goggles 3, but not everyone has them).
- Auto exposure seems pretty decent overall, but tends to overexpose and blow out sky. Adjusting EV comp to -0.3 to -0.7 makes the videos look much better.

Overall I'm pretty happy with quality considering price and everything we get at that price in addition to the camera, and most of these small annoyances are fixable in post (other than lack of 2.7k60), but seems like it should be easy fixes that would improve the output a lot as most of Neo's target users probably won't even edit these videos.

Also just noticed this, at 4:3 the "1080p" resolution has less pixels than in 16:9. I get that 1440x1080 is technically still considered "1080p", but this is not what one would expect when doing 4:3 on a 4:3 sensor, it should have more pixels than it does in 16:9 (like it correctly does in 4K). Can "1080p" be changed to 1920x1440 when at 4:3?

I'd be happy with D-Cinelike just to have some more flexibility with color grading.

ryguyMN Posted at 9-6 08:36
I'd be happy with D-Cinelike just to have some more flexibility with color grading.

It would absolutely be a welcome addition, but I don't wanna get my hopes up as we might not get it in such a basic consumer product. 2.7K seems like a must though.

fichek Posted at 9-6 06:46
[view_image]

Also just noticed this, at 4:3 the "1080p" resolution has less pixels than in 16:9. I get that 1440x1080 is technically still considered "1080p", but this is not what one would expect when doing 4:3 on a 4:3 sensor, it should have more pixels than it does in 16:9 (like it correctly does in 4K). Can "1080p" be changed to 1920x1440 when at 4:3?

Yes, I noticed this too. They just added black bars to the left and right so you actually loses horizontal resolution in 4:3.

As a phone controller user I wish I could turn down the sharpness. It’s absurd I need a controller to change basic functions.

Hi there,

Thank you for your feedback. Everyone has their own unique preferences when it comes to photography styles. The current color mode of DJI Neo is set based on our user research and feedback prior to the release.

However, we will also record your style preferences and report to our engineers for rigid evaluation and further optimization.

In the meantime, you can adjust parameters such as saturation, contrast, and sharpness in post-processing software. Thank you for your understanding.

DJI Gamora Posted at 9-8 02:34
Hi there,

Thank you for your feedback. Everyone has their own unique preferences when it comes to photography styles. The current color mode of DJI Neo is set based on our user research and feedback prior to the release.

I am shocked *anyone* wanted this kind of processing, let alone majority of testers, but ok, let's say it was just a really badly selected test group

As for adjusting saturation, contrast and sharpness in post, that is not a lossless process, so not a solution for video that's already low bitrate as we will just lose more detail in the process. Defaults really need to be better, check the rest of forums (and comments on all social media platforms) for more feedback, literally everyone is complaining it looks bad. I am one of the few people defending Neo's camera because 1) it's cheap and 2) I see it has potential to be better with software update.

Although I agree that the color/sharpness/white balance looks a bit "too much" ( I don't have the neo but all the online stuff I have seen is as you noted), I wouldn't expect much anyway.
Most regular consumers like that kind of look since it makes everything "pop". I would hope that DJI will eventually add, as they have in a few models, some control over the default, I wouldn't be expecting it.

fichek Posted at 9-8 04:25
I am shocked *anyone* wanted this kind of processing, let alone majority of testers, but ok, let's say it was just a really badly selected test group

As for adjusting saturation, contrast and sharpness in post, that is not a lossless process, so not a solution for video that's already low bitrate as we will just lose more detail in the process. Defaults really need to be better, check the rest of forums (and comments on all social media platforms) for more feedback, literally everyone is complaining it looks bad. I am one of the few people defending Neo's camera because 1) it's cheap and 2) I see it has potential to be better with software update.

It's sad, but it's true.  A lot of people prefer the over saturated, over sharpened, over processed smartphone / action cam look.  Show them two photos and ask them which they like better; they will choose a smartphone photo over one taken by a professional photographer using medium format camera.

fansd08c4ea6 Posted at 9-7 08:18
As a phone controller user I wish I could turn down the sharpness. It’s absurd I need a controller to change basic functions.

Yes, sharpness is way too high, but I guess for social media it's fine... Definitely not for professional use.
I don't think they'll bring D-Cine because it's a little cheap travel drone, not professional equipment.

jmb63 Posted at 9-8 04:51
Although I agree that the color/sharpness/white balance looks a bit "too much" ( I don't have the neo but all the online stuff I have seen is as you noted), I wouldn't expect much anyway.
Most regular consumers like that kind of look since it makes everything "pop". I would hope that DJI will eventually add, as they have in a few models, some control over the default, I wouldn't be expecting it.

There is popping and there is exploding! Actually the online stuff I had seen didn't look too bad, but once I had taken some footage myself I couldn't believe the amount of oversharpening and oversaturatiion going on, it really isn't nice.

If DJI want to keep this as a default setting I have no issue, and I appreciate that this drone is supposed to be simple to use and don't expect to be delving into lots of manual settings, but we really do need to be able to change those defaults with or without a controller, and we should be able to keep them persistent for the quickshot modes.

I don't understand why the setting can't be changed using DJI Fly on a phone - hopefully this is something that can be added, and also won't need to be re-applied before every flight.

Sharpness -2 seems to fix the oversharping issue and newer video examples look better which may be firmware related. Depends how much effort went into post-production too. I'll just use Resolve to pull what I can out of the sensor for color once I get my hands on a Neo here in the States. Trying to avoid blown out backgrounds while the subject is underexposed is the end goal for usable footage on YouTube. Guessing D-Cinelike on something like this is a pipe dream, but maybe DJI will surprise us.

I'm probably spoiled a bit from the Mini Pro and Mavic series drones too and maybe my expectations are too much.

ryguyMN Posted at 9-10 08:30
Sharpness -2 seems to fix the oversharping issue and newer video examples look better which may be firmware related. Depends how much effort went into post-production too. I'll just use Resolve to pull what I can out of the sensor for color once I get my hands on a Neo here in the States. Trying to avoid blown out backgrounds while the subject is underexposed is the end goal for usable footage on YouTube. Guessing D-Cinelike on something like this is a pipe dream, but maybe DJI will surprise us.

I'm probably spoiled a bit from the Mini Pro and Mavic series drones too and maybe my expectations are too much.

Just came back from full afternoon of flying Neos and Avata 2 with my son and yeah, with sharpness -2 and manual WB image looks half-decent in sunlight, but the lower the sun set, the more over-processed it looked. Also, sharpness control is only available in goggles which doesn't help its primary purpose

I'm 100% convinced this drone can and should do better with normal color profile

Did some test flying with the Neo today adjusting camera settings. 4K 30, H264, -1 on sharpness, and -.03 on EV is as good as it gets until a firmware update.

Manitobahunter Posted at 9-10 11:19
Did some test flying with the Neo today adjusting camera settings. 4K 30, H264, -1 on sharpness, and -.03 on EV is as good as it gets until a firmware update.

Wait, you can adjust EV compensation in goggles? I don't remember seeing that, will have to try. The sky did seem to be blown out when I was flying towards the sun, but in proper daylight with sun behind the drone and sharpness at -2 I am actually quite happy with video quality (considering it's a 209€ flying camera). Now if only we could get 2.7K60 or at least 1080p 4:3 that isn't lower resolution than 16:9, as I absolutely can't fly FPV at 30fps

fichek Posted at 9-10 10:11
Just came back from full afternoon of flying Neos and Avata 2 with my son and yeah, with sharpness -2 and manual WB image looks half-decent in sunlight, but the lower the sun set, the more over-processed it looked. Also, sharpness control is only available in goggles which doesn't help its primary purpose

I'm 100% convinced this drone can and should do better with normal color profile

Yeah, I think there needs more tweaking to the image processing. Since this was marketed as something you pull from your pocket and launch, most will just use auto settings and not mess with exposure settings. The image should on par with the older Osmo Actions, like the 2 or 3 at least, but it's not quite there yet.
  
Don't mean to sound like I'm griping too much about the Neo. This has a lot of potential to be a great product and just want to see it headed in the right direction. Seems like DJI brought it to market unfinished. So many decisions...keep my Neo pre-order, wait for the Neo to mature more and cancel my pre-order for now, or wait for a Neo Pro, which seems inevitable.

If you know payload we can try insta 360 go 2 or 3 mount on neo. Tello can lift Insta go 1 camera

MARTINEZX Posted at 9-10 15:18
If you know payload we can try insta 360 go 2 or 3 mount on neo. Tello can lift Insta go 1 camera

Why would you ever want to slap a second camera onto a tiny drone like the Neo?

It's not just oversaturated but also overexposured.

And I cannot adjust it by mobile! Only with RC or Goggles.

This is auto - sky is washed out:


This is -1EV:

ryguyMN Posted at 9-10 12:17
Yeah, I think there needs more tweaking to the image processing. Since this was marketed as something you pull from your pocket and launch, most will just use auto settings and not mess with exposure settings. The image should on par with the older Osmo Actions, like the 2 or 3 at least, but it's not quite there yet.
  
Don't mean to sound like I'm griping too much about the Neo. This has a lot of potential to be a great product and just want to see it headed in the right direction. Seems like DJI brought it to market unfinished. So many decisions...keep my Neo pre-order, wait for the Neo to mature more and cancel my pre-order for now, or wait for a Neo Pro, which seems inevitable.

I agree 100%, it obviously has more potential and I think it's reasonable to expect a bit more than these defaults provide.

MARTINEZX Posted at 9-10 15:18
If you know payload we can try insta 360 go 2 or 3 mount on neo. Tello can lift Insta go 1 camera

I haven't tried Go3, but so far I prefer Neo camera over Go2 for sure, even at its current state.

I don't have the goggles 3, so am waiting impatiently for the firmware update for my Integra goggles and motion 2 as DJI did with the Avata 2, so that I can use them with the Neo.  I know that when flying my Mini 4 Pro with the Integra and motion 2, there are a lot of options missing in the menu vs flying the Mini 4 with the RC2.

I'll go out on a limb and say the Neo is the future come to visit, cross compatibility with other DJI and aftermarket products is the way to go here. Its just too bad they had to launch it with a camera that doesn't even hold a candle to my old Mini 2. Perhaps theres a firmware update in the works and we can hope the camera itself has some untapped potential.

Manitobahunter Posted at 9-11 09:47
I don't have the goggles 3, so am waiting impatiently for the firmware update for my Integra goggles and motion 2 as DJI did with the Avata 2, so that I can use them with the Neo.  I know that when flying my Mini 4 Pro with the Integra and motion 2, there are a lot of options missing in the menu vs flying the Mini 4 with the RC2.

I'll go out on a limb and say the Neo is the future come to visit, cross compatibility with other DJI and aftermarket products is the way to go here. Its just too bad they had to launch it with a camera that doesn't even hold a candle to my old Mini 2. Perhaps theres a firmware update in the works and we can hope the camera itself has some untapped potential.

Certainly looks like now with everything going O4, we will finally have cross-compatibility across entire DJI ecosystem once the transition is done, but G2/Integra are not O4-based so I wouldn't count on Neo being compatible with them. We knew it was planned for Avata 2 from day one, but with Neo they seem to be hinting that it's only gonna be compatible with Goggles 3 and later.

I do agree about Mini 2 having better video quality, even though it's 4 years old and had an even smaller sensor. That's a bit sad, but makes me hopeful for Neo firmware updates.

fichek Posted at 9-11 10:36
Certainly looks like now with everything going O4, we will finally have cross-compatibility across entire DJI ecosystem once the transition is done, but G2/Integra are not O4-based so I wouldn't count on Neo being compatible with them. We knew it was planned for Avata 2 from day one, but with Neo they seem to be hinting that it's only gonna be compatible with Goggles 3 and later.

I do agree about Mini 2 having better video quality, even though it's 4 years old and had an even smaller sensor. That's a bit sad, but makes me hopeful for Neo firmware updates.

I aready see lots of people asking for compatibility of the Neo and goggles Integra and Goggles 2, and well as the goggles 3 and Motion 3 now being sold out everywhere with an amazon date for delivery of the goggles 3 out towards the end of october. Maybe the Goggles 4 are being released wth ocusync 5

Manitobahunter Posted at 9-11 11:20
I aready see lots of people asking for compatibility of the Neo and goggles Integra and Goggles 2, and well as the goggles 3 and Motion 3 now being sold out everywhere with an amazon date for delivery of the goggles 3 out towards the end of october. Maybe the Goggles 4 are being released wth ocusync 5

They haven't even finished moving all products to O4

I'm sure many people will ask, but I don't see it happening before the new goggles are released.

fichek Posted at 9-11 10:36
Certainly looks like now with everything going O4, we will finally have cross-compatibility across entire DJI ecosystem once the transition is done, but G2/Integra are not O4-based so I wouldn't count on Neo being compatible with them. We knew it was planned for Avata 2 from day one, but with Neo they seem to be hinting that it's only gonna be compatible with Goggles 3 and later.

I do agree about Mini 2 having better video quality, even though it's 4 years old and had an even smaller sensor. That's a bit sad, but makes me hopeful for Neo firmware updates.

That's the part I don't understand. How an older, smaller sensor can pull off better IQ.

Being it's only costing me $200 (USD) and a looming U.S. ban on future drones, I'll give the Neo a shot and see what further updates DJI can do with this. I know the 1/2 inch sensor on the Mavic 3 tele camera wasn't the greatest when it wasn't released, but DJI was able to optimize it over time. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

fansd08c4ea6 Posted at 9-7 08:18
As a phone controller user I wish I could turn down the sharpness. It’s absurd I need a controller to change basic functions.

Agree, hope it's not deliberate to force people to buy the controller. Defeats the purpose of a ultra-light standalone drone for travel

bJako Posted at 9-11 00:26
It's not just oversaturated but also overexposured.

And I cannot adjust it by mobile! Only with RC or Goggles.

Thank you for your feedback. Everyone has their own unique preferences when it comes to photography styles. The current color mode of DJI Neo is set based on our user research and feedback prior to the release.

However, we will also record your style preferences and report to our engineers for rigid evaluation and further optimization.

In the meantime, you can adjust parameters such as saturation, contrast, and sharpness in post-processing software. Thank you for your understanding.

MARTINEZX Posted at 9-10 15:18
If you know payload we can try insta 360 go 2 or 3 mount on neo. Tello can lift Insta go 1 camera

Thank You for reaching out. DJI Neo takeoff weight approx. 135 g, kindly take note we do not recommend you use third-party accessories, because we cannot promise its performance, the compatibility of accessories may affect the flight performance and functions of the aircraft. Thank you for your understanding and support.

DJI Gamora Posted at 9-12 03:00
Thank you for your feedback. Everyone has their own unique preferences when it comes to photography styles. The current color mode of DJI Neo is set based on our user research and feedback prior to the release.

However, we will also record your style preferences and report to our engineers for rigid evaluation and further optimization.

I't not quite possible to correct overexposured and washed out sky... or sharpness.

Adding some additional controls to mobile app does not add costs to DJI...

fansd08c4ea6 Posted at 9-7 08:18
As a phone controller user I wish I could turn down the sharpness. It’s absurd I need a controller to change basic functions.

A bigger question is, if you adjust the sharpness with the RC, will it remember the setting when flying the drone in standalone mode?

Dirty Bird Posted at 9-12 12:48
A bigger question is, if you adjust the sharpness with the RC, will it remember the setting when flying the drone in standalone mode?

Unfortunately not, at least not for now.

fichek Posted at 9-12 13:06
Unfortunately not, at least not for now.

Hopefully DJI will correct this.

bJako Posted at 9-12 12:22
I't not quite possible to correct overexposured and washed out sky... or sharpness.

Adding some additional controls to mobile app does not add costs to DJI...

Hi there,

Thank You for reaching out. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience you are experiencing. As mentioned above we have send feedback to the relevant team. Thank you for sharing this information. Have a great day! Thank You!

Having tried 3 drones over the past decades, I'm quite sold on the Neo concept. Especially the remote-less Quickshots are something I could really use.

However, the default video quality reminds me of my Parrot drone from back in the day and makes me hesitate to order it.

Please provide in the DJI Fly app
1.  an option to change the default video settings for exposure, sharpness and saturation for quick shots
2.  an option to set an exposure lock when flying without a controller
and I will place an order immediately.

Ronin030 Posted at 9-13 05:40
Having tried 3 drones over the past decades, I'm quite sold on the Neo concept. Especially the remote-less Quickshots are something I could really use.

However, the default video quality reminds me of my Parrot drone from back in the day and makes me hesitate to order it.

Seems reasonable, and based on comments I see on social media, many potential customers feel the same. I imagine Neo is gonna be a hit anyway, but it would be an even bigger one with these few simple changes. Please DJI!

Danke, sehe die Probleme ähnlich.

Swedrone Posted at 9-10 23:44
Why would you ever want to slap a second camera onto a tiny drone like the Neo?

For better video and more posibilities. For example timelapses. As i have small insta go cam i can check. Tiny in tiny, very portable. Tello can lift this wihout problems

Very much agree - new Neo owner - without the RC the video is overly sharp, overly contrasty and the Noise Reduction is creating some mushy patches in complex detail.

Better WITH the RC and the sharpness and NR dialled down, but still looks quite washed out I find. Did a side by side recording between this and the Mini 3 Pro and the Pro is much richer and detailed. To be expected for price difference I guess, but the inability to change basic image settings in the app is a waste.