I've been setting my Mavic to shoot at 4k, 30fps. But when I load the videos onto my computer for editing, they are always at 29.97fps. Same thing happened last summer when I was shooting at 1080p. What's going on here??

30fps *is* 29.97fps.
We call it "30fps" because "twenty nine point nine seven" is quite a mouthful.
There's nothing wrong with your Mavic, or your editing software.

Ray, please don't feel worry about that. Jyunte is right, you can use the video without problem.

Some background info
http://theautomaticfilmmaker.com ... es-or-why-2997.html

Ok, thanks!

Ray_Dunakin Posted at 2017-11-24 11:47
Ok, thanks!

Sometimes they invent ingenious ways to overcome difficult problems

i tried  4k@120fps when i looked at the fike it said 4k @29.97fps i am confused

Jyunte Posted at 2017-11-23 19:13
30fps *is* 29.97fps.
We call it "30fps" because "twenty nine point nine seven" is quite a mouthful.
There's nothing wrong with your Mavic, or your editing software.

This is not fully correct.

30fps flat is unique from 29.97 (pulled down)

The same way that 24fps flat is unique from 23.976 (pulled down), or 60fps flat is unique from 59.94 (pulled down)

The "pulled down" frame rates are only for compatibility with the now obsolete NTSC system—A system that was replaced by HD nearly 20 years ago. Today in 2022, we are "more likely" to want a flat rate and not a pulled down rate. Some productions still work in pulled down rates, but more and more productions are working at flat rates, and we really SHOULD have a way to turn off pulled down rates!!


I was rather surprised when shooting at 24fps on the Mini 2 that it was at the pulled down 23.976... I'm guessing due t the region being the USA?

I'd venture a guess that DJ products for the EU are all set t flat rates... can anyone confirm?

Myndex Posted at 2022-10-22 12:16
This is not fully correct.

30fps flat is unique from 29.97 (pulled down)

I am sorry to disappoint you, but your guess is wrong. I shot a lot of clips with my mini 2, and I landed on this topic to better uderstand what happens, and now everything is clear.
If I set frame rate to 30, my clips are pulled down to 29.97 (even though I have a EU version of the drone).
This is not a big problem (IMHO) , because drone's shots have no audio track to syncronize with.

dcsergio Posted at 1-13 18:09
I am sorry to disappoint you, but your guess is wrong. I shot a lot of clips with my mini 2, and I landed on this topic to better uderstand what happens, and now everything is clear.
If I set frame rate to 30, my clips are pulled down to 29.97 (even though I have a EU version of the drone).
This is not a big problem (IMHO) , because drone's shots have no audio track to syncronize with.

No, I think you are misunderstanding me.

I am not talking specifically about DJI drones. I am talking about the professional world of postproduction, where 30 FPS flat is different from 29.97 FPS.

I am well aware that DJI, for whatever reason, uses pull-down frame rates not just for 30, with DJI shooting instead at 29.97 but also shooting 24 not flat but at 23.976 (!!!)

I'm assuming this is because whatever chipset they are using defaults to pulldown frame rates.
But if you're saying that in the EU they are not shooting flat but in fact pulling down? What about 25 and 50 which should never be pulled down? Does the DJI also pulling down at 60 in the EU? And what about 24?

jaybee2786 Posted at 2022-5-14 11:51
i tried  4k@120fps when i looked at the fike it said 4k @29.97fps i am confused

Well it's seeming that DJI defaults to 29.97… When you're shooting at 120, it's assumed that you're trying to get Slomo, which will only be Slomo if you play it back at a "normal" frame rate such as 24 or 30...

Myndex Posted at 2022-10-22 12:16
This is not fully correct.

30fps flat is unique from 29.97 (pulled down)

no, just bought osmo action 4 and while importing the frame rate was pulled down