I finally got my CineSSD and wes able to go out and thest my I2 and after downloading the footage I noticed that everthing I captured in ProRes 4444XQ shows a slight fisheye distorsion, but that is not present on footage captured with the same camera setting on the micro SD card on H.264 looks fine (no diostotion). You can see it very clearly on the horizon. For some reason it looks like the lense profile info is not being applied to the 4444XQ footage but is is on the H.264.  
Any advise?

Would you say capturing on the SSD in ProRes 4444XQ made a visible difference in video quality compared to capturing 4K on the SD??

Video quality is pretty comparable, but the 4444XQ just gives you a lot more room to push the highs and low in post. If I could figure out how to get rid of that damm distortion we'd be in great shape.

At least at present, DJi hasn't applied the Automatic lens Corrections that are part of the Micro 4/3 lens design to the ProRes codecs coming out of the I2. (the lenses in this system generally trade high amounts of distortion, vignetting and CA, and digital correction for compactness and light weight). Why they haven't done this is a mystery. The primary benefit of ProRes is it's use in production environments without the need to transcode. Requiring the user to apply lens corrections in post kinda defeats the purpose. As for the ProRes 4444 giving you a "lot" more room to push the highs and lows in post. I'm not so sure at this point that this is true. I started a discussion over at RCgroups about this. In some preliminary testing, the 4444hq footage is identical with extreme grading to the 422hq and possibly -- gasp -- identical the 100Mb H.264 as well (except that the h264 includes the lens corrections. You should test for yourself, but I'm not seeing 12bits of data in the 4444 footage off the inspire2. (one positive caveat to all this is that the implementation of d-log seems to work incredibly well with the prores4444hq codec, using the stock Arri Alexa LUT supplied with FCPX. The best color I've seen off this camera has come from that workflow ---although the distortions are obviously still a problem...

Thank you for the above info. Can DJI please comment on the above?

Have you tried reformatting the SSD or restoring the unit to factory settings via the Assistant 2 software? Are you using the stock DJI 15mm lens or a 3rd party one?

fans48750221 Posted at 2017-1-29 15:00
At least at present, DJi hasn't applied the Automatic lens Corrections that are part of the Micro 4/3 lens design to the ProRes codecs coming out of the I2. (the lenses in this system generally trade high amounts of distortion, vignetting and CA, and digital correction for compactness and light weight). Why they haven't done this is a mystery. The primary benefit of ProRes is it's use in production environments without the need to transcode. Requiring the user to apply lens corrections in post kinda defeats the purpose. As for the ProRes 4444 giving you a "lot" more room to push the highs and lows in post. I'm not so sure at this point that this is true. I started a discussion over at RCgroups about this. In some preliminary testing, the 4444hq footage is identical with extreme grading to the 422hq and possibly -- gasp -- identical the 100Mb H.264 as well (except that the h264 includes the lens corrections. You should test for yourself, but I'm not seeing 12bits of data in the 4444 footage off the inspire2. (one positive caveat to all this is that the implementation of d-log seems to work incredibly well with the prores4444hq codec, using the stock Arri Alexa LUT supplied with FCPX. The best color I've seen off this camera has come from that workflow ---although the distortions are obviously still a problem...

Very interesting remarks...  I your opinion would I be wasting money in buying the SSD and licenses expecting better video quality?  As I understand from you the SSD & licenses will basically unlock the bit depth...  I'm no pro - just a hobbyist BUT I do want the best from my I2 (without wasting money).  Your comments please!

I 2 Fly Posted at 2017-1-29 22:43
Very interesting remarks...  I your opinion would I be wasting money in buying the SSD and licenses expecting better video quality?  As I understand from you the SSD & licenses will basically unlock the bit depth...  I'm no pro - just a hobbyist BUT I do want the best from my I2 (without wasting money).  Your comments please!

I think that the H.264 100Mb codec is pretty damn good. If you want ultimate control over the image, the raw workflow is in a different class, but is also very data and time consuming. Right now the ProRes implementation is incomplete at best. I'll be doing some more testing going forward, but right now I see no benefit to the 4444xq codec over the 422hq version.

If you consider yourself a hobbyist, start without the licenses and play with the h264 and h265. You may find it does everything that you need.

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2017-1-29 18:52
Have you tried reformatting the SSD or restoring the unit to factory settings via the Assistant 2 software? Are you using the stock DJI 15mm lens or a 3rd party one?

Hi Jamie,
Multiple users including myself have experienced the lack of Lens Corrections in ProRes on the x5s. Zero users have reported that the ProRes doesn't have the distortions. This isn't an "assistant" issue. (although it may be a future firmware issue.)  It occurs with all lenses including the dji 15mm. My SSD was formatted prior to first use.

fans48750221 Posted at 2017-1-30 10:28
I think that the H.264 100Mb codec is pretty damn good. If you want ultimate control over the image, the raw workflow is in a different class, but is also very data and time consuming. Right now the ProRes implementation is incomplete at best. I'll be doing some more testing going forward, but right now I see no benefit to the 4444xq codec over the 422hq version.

If you consider yourself a hobbyist, start without the licenses and play with the h264 and h265. You may find it does everything that you need.

Much appreciated!  Please do those tests and update us.  For now the SSD & licenses are on hold for me.....

I've posted some test images and conclusions over at rcgroups

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/ ... age249#post36775124

fans48750221 Posted at 2017-1-29 15:00
At least at present, DJi hasn't applied the Automatic lens Corrections that are part of the Micro 4/3 lens design to the ProRes codecs coming out of the I2. (the lenses in this system generally trade high amounts of distortion, vignetting and CA, and digital correction for compactness and light weight). Why they haven't done this is a mystery. The primary benefit of ProRes is it's use in production environments without the need to transcode. Requiring the user to apply lens corrections in post kinda defeats the purpose. As for the ProRes 4444 giving you a "lot" more room to push the highs and lows in post. I'm not so sure at this point that this is true. I started a discussion over at RCgroups about this. In some preliminary testing, the 4444hq footage is identical with extreme grading to the 422hq and possibly -- gasp -- identical the 100Mb H.264 as well (except that the h264 includes the lens corrections. You should test for yourself, but I'm not seeing 12bits of data in the 4444 footage off the inspire2. (one positive caveat to all this is that the implementation of d-log seems to work incredibly well with the prores4444hq codec, using the stock Arri Alexa LUT supplied with FCPX. The best color I've seen off this camera has come from that workflow ---although the distortions are obviously still a problem...

I don't think this is a biggie at all. Applying lens correction in post is a one click process (however, I think the corrections aren't widely available yet). As a pro, you are going to grade, edit, title etc. so its worth a footnote.

There is a logic to this, a power user would want freedom to apply his/her own post processing from the ground up.

Still, it wouldn't be a problem for DJI to put this correction step in as an option; to be left off by default.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-1-31 17:05
I don't think this is a biggie at all. Applying lens correction in post is a one click process (however, I think the corrections aren't widely available yet). As a pro, you are going to grade, edit, title etc. so its worth a footnote.

There is a logic to this, a power user would want freedom to apply his/her own post processing from the ground up.

If you wouldn't mind. Please explain how you correct micro 4/3 lens distortions in ProRes with one click.

Barry Goyette Posted at 2017-1-31 18:35
If you wouldn't mind. Please explain how you correct micro 4/3 lens distortions in ProRes with one click.

Hi Barry,
Looked at your other posts and clearly you know your stuff.

In Adobe Premiere CC there is a tab where you can apply lens corrections.

See https://helpx.adobe.com/x-produc ... rofile-support.html

Apparently, for MFT lenses, corrections are always applied, so they haven't included profiles. Its a little bit of a puzzle why (if its really so, DJI chose to undo this automated feature.)

Lets hear what others say.
Nobody has ever to my knowledge complained about this matter with the X5R which should have the same issues.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-1-31 20:04
Hi Barry,
Looked at your other posts and clearly you know your stuff.

Thanks for the Kind remark Mike.

I've been posting on this on a lot of forums, so I don't know if I'm repeating myself here, but here goes.

ProRes is a compressed format just like h264, or X-AVC or .jpg in the still side. Every still camera made, when outputting a compressed non-raw format like a jpg, applies lens corrections internally in RAW before encoding that file. Doing it in photoshop would be destructive and time consuming. In the case of the I2, when producing 4k ProRes files, the camera is starting with a 5.2k raw file. This is a prime moment to apply lens corrections...to an oversampled RAW file--the oversampling and pre-bayering giving us the least destructive path. While this concept is somewhat new to high end video, mostly because PL lenses generally lack the ability to add metadata to camera files, but also because generally these lenses don't need much correction. Canon builds lens profiles into it's encoding path on its Cinema Eos Cameras, which allows you to use lightweight pancake lenses with relatively large distortions and not worry about it.  DJI is certainly doing it in their h264 implementation for both the x5s and x4s and every phantom since the 3(?). Panasonic applies the M4/3 corrections in it's higher bit codecs on the Gh4/gh5. It's really the best path.

I've come across several folks who've argued that they'd rather handle corrections in post, but lens corrections, especially the M4/3 ones, aren't part of any "video" workflow I know of. (The link you posted was to a photoshop/lightroom/ACR application of profiles --this is part of a raw workflow...not a video workflow. Cinema DNG is a essentially a still photography workflow no matter how you slice and dice it). ProRes is a production type Video Codec, and as far as I know there is no way to apply the M 4/3 profiles to it in post.  Final Cut Pro offers a very rudimentary tool for correcting "fisheye" which apple says can be used for "imprecise" correction of other distortions. I'm not familiar with Premiere, but doing a google  search, I find no method for applying lens profiles to video files like ProRes in Premiere.

As you mentioned Micro 4/3 lens corrections are a special animal. They are automatically applied in ACR (you can't turn them off) because they are integral to the design of the lenses. Nor would you want to. They are ugly distortions, not subtle in anyway, designed to be corrected in software without the user's involvement and allowing the manufacturers to design compact lightweight lenses that can be mounted on an I2.

So when you look at the available codecs on the X5s you have RAW which automatically applies the corrections, (the only way to turn them off is to use a program that doesn't support them, like Resolve),  you have h264 and h265 which automatically apply the corrections, and then you have the odd man out...Pro Res, the only true "production codec"  of the bunch, (meaning its the one you turn to when you want a quality, ready to edit codec), which would require the time consuming destructive process of correcting them in post -- although there doesn't seem to be a way to accurately do this. It doesn't make any sense. That's the crux of this.

Oh, and relative to the X5r --this camera doesn't process directly to ProRes. Again it's  RAW workflow in which the corrections are applied, followed by a conversion to ProRes in post. Really different thing.

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2017-1-29 18:52
Have you tried reformatting the SSD or restoring the unit to factory settings via the Assistant 2 software? Are you using the stock DJI 15mm lens or a 3rd party one?

Hi Jamie. The short answer is yes, yes and yes to all your questions. But still get the distortion. What baffles me is that the automatic lens correction is applied on footage captured on H.264 but not the ProRes 4444XQ.

fans48750221 makes sense but it would be great to get confirmation from DJI if it indeed the case that this is simply a matter that will be resolved by DJI on future updates.

I 2 Fly Posted at 2017-1-29 22:43
Very interesting remarks...  I your opinion would I be wasting money in buying the SSD and licenses expecting better video quality?  As I understand from you the SSD & licenses will basically unlock the bit depth...  I'm no pro - just a hobbyist BUT I do want the best from my I2 (without wasting money).  Your comments please!

I'm not the one to say what is a good investment for you or not. But What I get as a professional that justified my additional $2K (ssd's and liceses) investment id the ability to record maximum information on my footage that can help me maximize my flexibility on post. Without the camera automatically clipping the highs and lows for me. That way I can give my final product the best look and feel for the benefit of my client.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-1-31 17:05
I don't think this is a biggie at all. Applying lens correction in post is a one click process (however, I think the corrections aren't widely available yet). As a pro, you are going to grade, edit, title etc. so its worth a footnote.

There is a logic to this, a power user would want freedom to apply his/her own post processing from the ground up.

Don't get me wrong. I'm with you, this is not a big issue. I found an easy way to solve it via FCPX plugin ( https://www.fcpeffects.com/colle ... tion-cam-essentials)
It just caught me by surprise that DJI missed this opportunity to tackle this long-standing issue that comes with the territory of filming with wide angle lenses. It's is also a bit of a pain to add on more step to the workflow. Call it lazyness or pickiness but I'll take any chance I can get to do less work while getting the best product.

fans48750221 Posted at 2017-1-30 10:32
Hi Jamie,
Multiple users including myself have experienced the lack of Lens Corrections in ProRes on the x5s. Zero users have reported that the ProRes doesn't have the distortions. This isn't an "assistant" issue. (although it may be a future firmware issue.)  It occurs with all lenses including the dji 15mm. My SSD was formatted prior to first use.

After further digging, the ProRes codec does not have automatic lens correction applied. There will be firmware coming out to apply the automated correction, but you will have to correct in post until then. Like Mike-the Cat mentioned, it is a process that is very common to most professionals and doe not take a whole lot of time to do.

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2017-2-1 08:36
After further digging, the ProRes codec does not have automatic lens correction applied. There will be firmware coming out to apply the automated correction, but you will have to correct in post until then. Like Mike-the Cat mentioned, it is a process that is very common to most professionals and doe not take a whole lot of time to do.

Hi Jamie, Thanks for the digging, and that it will be fixed in firmware is good news. Regarding the "common" process of applying m 4/3 lens corrections to ProRes video in post...feel free at any time to enlighten this professional as to that workflow. :-)

Barry Goyette Posted at 2017-2-1 08:05
Thanks for the Kind remark Mike.

I've been posting on this on a lot of forums, so I don't know if I'm repeating myself here, but here goes.

Barry,
Im not trying to thread jack.. so could you please help me with something? I was wondering if you had any knowledge of the question at hand in my thread:
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... 58&page=1#pid674562
You seem to be quite knowledgeable on these subjects and would appreciate your input please.
Thank you,
-Andre

nuts4drones Posted at 2017-2-1 08:24
Don't get me wrong. I'm with you, this is not a big issue. I found an easy way to solve it via FCPX plugin ( https://www.fcpeffects.com/collections/entire-catalogue/products/action-cam-essentials)
It just caught me by surprise that DJI missed this opportunity to tackle this long-standing issue that comes with the territory of filming with wide angle lenses. It's is also a bit of a pain to add on more step to the workflow. Call it lazyness or pickiness but I'll take any chance I can get to do less work while getting the best product.

thanks for the link. Certainly there are number of these programs, mostly targeted at GoPro users. Final Cut's "fisheye" tool will do most of what this does, although this looks a little more elegant.  

This approach works to some extent, but is somewhat imprecise (compared to a quality lens profile created by the lens manufacturer), certainly destructive, and of course, time consuming. These kinds of fixes in 4k tend to be taxing on most machines. I still hold out that the "best"practice is to apply the corrections to a RAW, oversampled file prior to encoding.  In micro 4/3, lens corrections should be "invisible" to the user. It sounds like that's in the works.

Since there is still no sign of a Inspire 2 firmware that has M4/3 lens correction baked into the ProRes formats (which it really should since it is supposed to be an editable format that doesn't require reprocessing), what are people doing to correct it for video? Cheap plugins won't do this well. As said above, M4/3 lens corrections are complicated. The whole point of the M4/3 system is the physical limitations of the lens are fixed automagically.

And question for DJI, will this firmware that includes ProRes lens correction materialize soon?

ianwood Posted at 2017-6-24 12:49
Since there is still no sign of a Inspire 2 firmware that has M4/3 lens correction baked into the ProRes formats (which it really should since it is supposed to be an editable format that doesn't require reprocessing), what are people doing to correct it for video? Cheap plugins won't do this well. As said above, M4/3 lens corrections are complicated. The whole point of the M4/3 system is the physical limitations of the lens are fixed automagically.

And question for DJI, will this firmware that includes ProRes lens correction materialize soon?

Ian, I use the Alex4D fisheye correction plugin in FCPX to remove distortion in the 12 and 15mm lenses, the 25 and 45mm are generally okay although mild distortion is still present. This is fine for 4K to 1080 delivery but produces a noticeable reduction in 4k quality so not ideal.

I still haven't worked out an easy way to fix CA and this has ruined some backlit shots for us, particularly with the 25 and 45mm lenses.

fans48750221 Posted at 2017-1-29 15:00
At least at present, DJi hasn't applied the Automatic lens Corrections that are part of the Micro 4/3 lens design to the ProRes codecs coming out of the I2. (the lenses in this system generally trade high amounts of distortion, vignetting and CA, and digital correction for compactness and light weight). Why they haven't done this is a mystery. The primary benefit of ProRes is it's use in production environments without the need to transcode. Requiring the user to apply lens corrections in post kinda defeats the purpose. As for the ProRes 4444 giving you a "lot" more room to push the highs and lows in post. I'm not so sure at this point that this is true. I started a discussion over at RCgroups about this. In some preliminary testing, the 4444hq footage is identical with extreme grading to the 422hq and possibly -- gasp -- identical the 100Mb H.264 as well (except that the h264 includes the lens corrections. You should test for yourself, but I'm not seeing 12bits of data in the 4444 footage off the inspire2. (one positive caveat to all this is that the implementation of d-log seems to work incredibly well with the prores4444hq codec, using the stock Arri Alexa LUT supplied with FCPX. The best color I've seen off this camera has come from that workflow ---although the distortions are obviously still a problem...

Please, do not share uncorrect information.
Most of people that not see difference between a 4444 prores and a high compressed h264 100mb is near to be blind in a post and color professional environment.
Prores not offer you only more room to push high and low info but avoid a lots of compression artifact that appear immediately when you start to push a bit on shadow of h264.
Not only, H264/h265 destroy most of high frequency dectails, then you have a smoother and less dectailed shooting, if you shoot a simple beach pan and see prores and h264 4k you see immediately the difference.
If you work with a 8bit h264/265 when you push a bit saturation you can see immediately banding appear in the sky and in every other smooth gradient.
Obviously that if you do test with a rought tool like premiere you can't seen big difference (but you can see), but if you use a more pro tool like Resolve you can see a difference between a simple citycar (h264) and ferrari (prores or dng raw shooting).
If you think that raw or prores 4444 is a waste of disk space you probably not need of it, be cause you not need that kind of quality and you not have a tool to use it.

It minds me of DJI splitting video files in 4G size on the X5 camera and others. It creates an issue with losing about 10 frames when files are switched back together. People paid the extra money on a good camera expect nothing but the best. However, DJI has never fixed these issues and left it unresolved since day one. Now they have technology to resolve this issue on their new camera ie I2, P4P, they have not come back and fixed this issue with their X5 camera user. In fact, they have never admitted the short coming too. I have lost confidence with this company among other current issues with the FW update. I am very disappointed.

ianwood Posted at 2017-6-24 12:49
Since there is still no sign of a Inspire 2 firmware that has M4/3 lens correction baked into the ProRes formats (which it really should since it is supposed to be an editable format that doesn't require reprocessing), what are people doing to correct it for video? Cheap plugins won't do this well. As said above, M4/3 lens corrections are complicated. The whole point of the M4/3 system is the physical limitations of the lens are fixed automagically.

And question for DJI, will this firmware that includes ProRes lens correction materialize soon?

Lens distortion correction is not able to support due to limited DDR bandwidth.