The Spark seems pretty terrible at night time filming. Any pointers on camera settings, etc. that have helped you? Also, has anyone used those light adapters like this ( RCstyle DJI Spark Night Cruise Hi-Lite Led Lamp Light Kit Drone Accessories) or others like it? Do they help much with filming? Thanks for your thoughts!

What are you trying to film at night?

RobertWSimpson Posted at 2018-3-1 11:03
What are you trying to film at night?

Mostly band concerts in some outdoor venues with minimal lighting.I'm in the process of uploading a video of one of the places, but filmed during the day...

Best to check with your national aviation authority. We're not allowed to fly at night in the UK and especially near large groups of people such as open air concerts as considered a congested area. Go very careful!

A CW Posted at 2018-3-1 11:48
Best to check with your national aviation authority. We're not allowed to fly at night in the UK and especially near large groups of people such as open air concerts as considered a congested area. Go very careful!

We are not allowed to fly at night in the U.S. either.  I have seen drones being flown at outdoor concerts, but not over the crowds.. back behind the crowd of people.. I don't think they would get a very good view of the concert from that far back.

Given the lighting conditions you're describing, I don't think you're going to be able to get very compelling footage.

LouisP Posted at 2018-3-1 11:52
We are not allowed to fly at night in the U.S. either.  I have seen drones being flown at outdoor concerts, but not over the crowds.. back behind the crowd of people.. I don't think they would get a very good view of the concert from that far back.

Yeah, 150m/500' minimum in the UK from the crowd... At night with a spark - nah LOL

The camera of the spark has a bad aperture, you can't film at night. You need a camera with a wide aperture, good quantum efficiency and a good software correction for low-light.

Teah, I got a great video editing program the other day - Davinci Resolve. Amazing and free!! It has helped a good deal. I'm going to keep trying some things. Ideas still welcome.

djiuser_a674wNvybfvB Posted at 2018-3-1 12:18
The camera of the spark has a bad aperture, you can't film at night. You need a camera with a wide aperture, good quantum efficiency and a good software correction for low-light.

The aperture is set to f2.6.  That's plenty wide.  It's the sensor that's the problem.

RobertWSimpson Posted at 2018-3-1 12:23
The aperture is set to f2.6.  That's plenty wide.  It's the sensor that's the problem.

Yes it's not bad actually
Quantum efficiency is probably low (it's a small sensor 1/2,3")

Now that i'm thinking about it, the low resolution should bring a pretty good performance at night. Other DJI's are better in low-light with 4K ?
maybe photos can be taken at night, with an exposition long enough.

djiuser_a674wNvybfvB Posted at 2018-3-1 12:39
Yes it's not bad actually
Quantum efficiency is probably low (it's a small sensor 1/2,3")
But maybe photos can be taken at night, with an exposition long enough.

yes, but I've yet to find a night with calm enough conditions.  the slightest bit of wind creates a blurry exposure, especially with very long shutter speeds.

The bottom line is that this is a $400 flying camera.  It is not the BEST at flying or taking images.  But, it does pretty darn well at both!

I did...and quite satisfied with the result

will upload share you the link

You might want to ask Illuminations about his low light experiences with the Spark.

Here's a forum link to one of his night flight videos:

https://forum.dji.com/thread-128854-1-1.html

A CW Posted at 2018-3-1 11:48
Best to check with your national aviation authority. We're not allowed to fly at night in the UK and especially near large groups of people such as open air concerts as considered a congested area. Go very careful!

Both of those situations are illegal in the U.S. too.

LouisP Posted at 2018-3-1 11:52
We are not allowed to fly at night in the U.S. either.  I have seen drones being flown at outdoor concerts, but not over the crowds.. back behind the crowd of people.. I don't think they would get a very good view of the concert from that far back.

nor are we here in Canada.  No flying at night and no flying near concerts or near people.