I understand there are multiple variables that will determine which of these options is best suited for a specific situation.  However, my question is just in general which of these modes do you choose to shoot and why (no situational specifics)?  As someone who's new to drones and camera settings I have the following opinion which may or may not be accurate based on my limited knowledge.

It seems to me that the option which offers the most flexibility when we're talking about a non-specific situation would be 4K at 60FPS.  My assumption is based on the following:
1. Most people will not be exporting a final product in anything higher than 4K and if they did there are even fewer end users that would benefit from anything greater than 4K.
2. The only benefit I see to shooting 5.4K over 4K is the ability to zoom in during post and export as 4K without impacting the video quality.
3. Shooting 4K at 60FPS gives you the option to slow down your footage in post without impacting the video quality.

It seems to me that the ability to slow down your footage in post (when shooting 4K at 60FPS) would come into play much more often than would the need to zoom in during post (when shooting at 5.4K at 30FPS).  So, those are my own personal assumptions based on my current experience with the drone and camera settings.  I'm interested to hear from more experienced people on this topic as I want to learn as much as possible to get the most out of my new drone.  Feel free to let me know if I'm way off base with my assumptions.

So please take a minute to vote and let us all know why you selected the option you did.

I shoot my videos in 5.4K 30fps because it looks better to me.

Unfortunately living in EU I use 4K 25fps. Wish it was 50fps or even 100fps. Very difficult when panning. It get jittery or stutters if you move to fast.

kyalami Posted at 5-2 23:07
Unfortunately living in EU I use 4K 25fps. Wish it was 50fps or even 100fps. Very difficult when panning. It get jittery or stutters if you move to fast.

Oh man, I didn’t even consider PAL standards when setting up my poll.  Didn’t mean to leave Europeans out of this conversation. Which brings up another question, unless you’re shooting for broadcast television does PAL even come into play?  For example, I wouldn’t imagine there would be any reason to shoot PAL standards if your primary means of distribution is the web.  Is that correct?

Suren Posted at 5-2 21:26
I shoot my videos in 5.4K 30fps because it looks better to me.

Do you still export in 4K?  If so, do you believe the 5.4K video looks better exported in 4K than a clip that was originally shot in 4K or are you exporting in 5.4K?  Thanks for your participation in the discussion.

Chuck Campfield Posted at 5-3 05:33
Oh man, I didn’t even consider PAL standards when setting up my poll.  Didn’t mean to leave Europeans out of this conversation. Which brings up another question, unless you’re shooting for broadcast television does PAL even come into play?  For example, I wouldn’t imagine there would be any reason to shoot PAL standards if your primary means of distribution is the web.  Is that correct?

No. I do not film for broadcasting TV. but yes, Pal is all we have in EU and 25fps is in todays standard and very low and used by older equipment. My normal camera does easily 50 fps and newer ones does even 100fps.
Even for myself and for my you tube channel and for my editing in Pinnacle 24 U, I have problems with the jerkiness, however for my own TV at 4 K direct from the SD cards it seams OK for some reason. It must somehow even this out to be good to watch. But 50 fps would be very nice to have. You can pan normally although still slow and it looks much better, like it does for the US NTSC at 60fps.

Chuck Campfield Posted at 5-3 05:38
Do you still export in 4K?  If so, do you believe the 5.4K video looks better exported in 4K than a clip that was originally shot in 4K or are you exporting in 5.4K?  Thanks for your participation in the discussion.

I did some 4K but when I watched the 5.4K on my PC, I prefer that so most if not all my videos now if possible is copied over in 5.4K

I'm a photographer, so the main purpose of my flights is landscape photography, but I record the entire flights at 4K 30, as if it was a dashboard camera. When i see a nice photo, I just switch to photo mode and when I'm finished I record video again.

In 4K60 the FOV is reduced and at 5.4K the you can't zoom in, so for my purpose 4k/30 is the best option. I could also use 2.7K or 1080, but I think keeping the videos at least at 4K will be valueable to me in the future, as it's nice to review the footage as time passes by.

I reencode all the videos to H265, 35Mbps with media encoder to reduce weight. My 2070 RTX does this job quite fast, so I just reencode them at the end of the day.

If I'd do professional videography of course, 5.4K dlog would be the way to go.

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 5-4 03:47
I'm a photographer, so the main purpose of my flights is landscape photography, but I record the entire flights at 4K 30, as if it was a dashboard camera. When i see a nice photo, I just switch to photo mode and when I'm finished I record video again.

In 4K60 the FOV is reduced and at 5.4K the you can't zoom in, so for my purpose 4k/30 is the best option. I could also use 2.7K or 1080, but I think keeping the videos at least at 4K will be valueable to me in the future, as it's nice to review the footage as time passes by.

I did not realize the FOV was reduced when shooting in 4K 60FPS. Do you know what the actual difference in the FOV is when comparing 4K 30FPS to 4K 60FPS?  

I may have to rethink my position that 4K at 60FPS would be my go to shooting mode in general situations  and maybe default to 5.4K 30FPS instead.  It’s a shame the FOV is reduced when shooting 4K 60FPS.

Chuck Campfield Posted at 5-4 06:48
I did not realize the FOV was reduced when shooting in 4K 60FPS. Do you know what the actual difference in the FOV is when comparing 4K 30FPS to 4K 60FPS?  

I may have to rethink my position that 4K at 60FPS would be my go to shooting mode in general situations  and maybe default to 5.4K 30FPS instead.  It’s a shame the FOV is reduced when shooting 4K 60FPS.

Yep, it just crops the sensor to be able to withstand all the calculations... don't know the exact factor but one of the main reasons I like the Air2S over my Mini 2 is the increased FOV you get either for video and photography, so wouldn't like to crop it down.

It's a pitty.

Chuck Campfield Posted at 5-4 06:48
I did not realize the FOV was reduced when shooting in 4K 60FPS. Do you know what the actual difference in the FOV is when comparing 4K 30FPS to 4K 60FPS?  

I may have to rethink my position that 4K at 60FPS would be my go to shooting mode in general situations  and maybe default to 5.4K 30FPS instead.  It’s a shame the FOV is reduced when shooting 4K 60FPS.

The cropping is not dramatic. It's slightly tighter than I would like but I haven't had the issues I thought I might have with it. The lens itself is slightly wider than my previous MA2 and Mini 2. So with the crop, it's not too far off from what I was used to.

I shoot everything 4K60. In addition to be able to slow it down, I just like the nice fluid look of it.

DGCA3 Posted at 5-5 15:41
The cropping is not dramatic. It's slightly tighter than I would like but I haven't had the issues I thought I might have with it. The lens itself is slightly wider than my previous MA2 and Mini 2. So with the crop, it's not too far off from what I was used to.

I shoot everything 4K60. In addition to be able to slow it down, I just like the nice fluid look of it.

Yeah, the ability to slow down footage in post was why I thought 4K60 would be a good all-around shooting option but I didn't know about the cropping until it was mentioned here.  I'll have to do some test shooting in both 4K30 and 4K60 and see if I can live with the difference between the two.

If I find the difference is too dramatic for my taste then I'll most likely go to 5.4K. If I'm going to shoot at 30FPS I may as well do it at the highest resolution offered.

But now that brings up another question regarding bit rate.  Do you know if there's any difference in bit rate between 4K30, 4K60, and 5.4K30?

Chuck Campfield Posted at 5-5 18:00
Yeah, the ability to slow down footage in post was why I thought 4K60 would be a good all-around shooting option but I didn't know about the cropping until it was mentioned here.  I'll have to do some test shooting in both 4K30 and 4K60 and see if I can live with the difference between the two.

If I find the difference is too dramatic for my taste then I'll most likely go to 5.4K. If I'm going to shoot at 30FPS I may as well do it at the highest resolution offered.

"But now that brings up another question regarding bit rate.  Do you know if there's any difference in bit rate between 4K30, 4K60, and 5.4K30?"

I don't know, as I've only shot 4K60. It's bit rate is always shown to be 150mbps. Just do some experimenting and see what works good and looks good to you.

DGCA3 Posted at 5-5 20:46
"But now that brings up another question regarding bit rate.  Do you know if there's any difference in bit rate between 4K30, 4K60, and 5.4K30?"

I don't know, as I've only shot 4K60. It's bit rate is always shown to be 150mbps. Just do some experimenting and see what works good and looks good to you.

Sounds like a plan, thanks.

As the max processing flow is 150mbps, from over 30 fps 4K is cropping the sensor in order to get same max 150mbps.
In fact, you do not have 1inch sensor over 30 fps, is a scam....you have a cropped sensor...like APS-C cameras, DJI made this trade in order to keep same processing power and not invest in a new Ambarella CPU.
(Probably will be in next Mavic).
So you need to have a better quality, you stay up to 30 fps...over 30fps you don't use the all 1inch sensor, but a crop one.

Also for Kyalami: I am in EU also, no problems using 30 fps, as I edit the image and the final one can be 24fps or 25fps... Also remember one thing: panning left-right up-down needs to be very slow, in order to avoid artefacts. You have a free RED TOOLS on Android....check it out... The full 180 degrees panning at 30 FPS must take AT LEAST 22 seconds in order not to have artefacts !!! At 24fps you need at least 26 seconds...and this is calculated for a Red Dragon camera ))))

FB: GeoDrone4K Posted at 5-13 22:16
As the max processing flow is 150mbps, from over 30 fps 4K is cropping the sensor in order to get same max 150mbps.
In fact, you do not have 1inch sensor over 30 fps, is a scam....you have a cropped sensor...like APS-C cameras, DJI made this trade in order to keep same processing power and not invest in a new Ambarella CPU.
(Probably will be in next Mavic).

Great explanation!  So is there any downside to shooting 5.4K 30FPS vs. 4K 30FPS?  From what I recall there is no in-camera zoom available in 5.4K (I'm pretty sure, but not 100%).  That being said, you could easily zoom/crop 5.4K footage in post on a 4K timeline without losing any quality.  Other than no in-camera zoom in 5.4K (assuming I'm correct) is there anything else you sacrifice when going from 4K 30FPS to 5.4K 30FPS?  Just trying to get the most out of this awesome little drone!

Chuck Campfield Posted at 5-14 08:20
Great explanation!  So is there any downside to shooting 5.4K 30FPS vs. 4K 30FPS?  From what I recall there is no in-camera zoom available in 5.4K (I'm pretty sure, but not 100%).  That being said, you could easily zoom/crop 5.4K footage in post on a 4K timeline without losing any quality.  Other than no in-camera zoom in 5.4K (assuming I'm correct) is there anything else you sacrifice when going from 4K 30FPS to 5.4K 30FPS?  Just trying to get the most out of this awesome little drone!

Use 5K 30 as you like, can edit it in Premiere for zoom.
Also you will not have tracking in 5K...only 4k and below.

FB: GeoDrone4K Posted at 5-14 09:47
Use 5K 30 as you like, can edit it in Premiere for zoom.
Also you will not have tracking in 5K...only 4k and below.

Thanks for the mention of not being able to use tracking in 5.4K, that's something to consider when choosing between 4K and 5.4K.

I shoot 4k at 25fps normally not just because it the European PAL standard but also i think it gives a good cinematic effect. I also will use 5.4k when i know i might want to zoom in post but I do not see the point of exporting in anything other than 4k at present.

DGCA3 Posted at 5-5 20:46
"But now that brings up another question regarding bit rate.  Do you know if there's any difference in bit rate between 4K30, 4K60, and 5.4K30?"

I don't know, as I've only shot 4K60. It's bit rate is always shown to be 150mbps. Just do some experimenting and see what works good and looks good to you.

Max bit rate is 150mbps, so anything over 4k 30fps is cropped.

For example I always use 4K 30 fps. I am in Europe but there is no more PAL standard as all new TV LED and Plasma have adaptive refresh.
At 4K 30fps advantages:
- enough to slow down at 80% if needed
- tracking is working
- image is not cropped from the sensor.
- you have 2x zoom without losing quality.
- in night you can go down to 1/60 SS... Of course if is dark you will go down to 24 Fps and 1/48 SS, in order to keep ISO under or equal 1600 (night).

Only the profile I change: D-Log in day and normal in night.
Always H265.

5k is good for large landscapes but in real estate is better to have 4k Zoom loosles than 5K...

Cheers.

kyalami Posted at 5-2 23:07
Unfortunately living in EU I use 4K 25fps. Wish it was 50fps or even 100fps. Very difficult when panning. It get jittery or stutters if you move to fast.

Thats not a problem. If you record in 25FPS, just use 1/50 shutter speed (with ND filters) to get a proper motion blur.

If you record in 30FPS - use 1/60 shutter speed
If you record in 50FPS - use 1/100 shutter speed

Luminancestudio Posted at 7-7 14:53
Thats not a problem. If you record in 25FPS, just use 1/50 shutter speed (with ND filters) to get a proper motion blur.

If you record in 30FPS - use 1/60 shutter speed

Yes thanks. I have learnt that my setting for 25fps should be 1/60. It is stuttering a bit on my computer, but not on the TV. I guess my computer is getting a bit old and I need an upgrade.

kyalami Posted at 7-7 23:21
Yes thanks. I have learnt that my setting for 25fps should be 1/60. It is stuttering a bit on my computer, but not on the TV. I guess my computer is getting a bit old and I need an upgrade.

For 25 FPS if you put 1/60 SS, each second you will "see" a almost imperceptible jitter...
Try the setting 1/60 SS with 30 FPS...then reinterpret your footage as you like, 24 FPS if you need it, in Premiere will make is very good. Will be slowed down as you don't skip frames in reinterpreting but you change the video speed, but this will give you a butter smooth movement.

We create commercials content and never had a problem delivering to customer a 30 FPS footage or a 24 FPS footage, as 90% of TV's and monitors can handle now multiple of 24 and 30...In fact this is why you do not see a mess on your TV, is adjusting to handle the multiple of FPS by frequency...almost all LED TV have 24p for movies and at least 60 Hz for computer HDMI inputs.
Cheers.

FB: GeoDrone4K Posted at 10-19 01:40
For 25 FPS if you put 1/60 SS, each second you will "see" a almost imperceptible jitter...
Try the setting 1/60 SS with 30 FPS...then reinterpret your footage as you like, 24 FPS if you need it, in Premiere will make is very good. Will be slowed down as you don't skip frames in reinterpreting but you change the video speed, but this will give you a butter smooth movement.

Hi there and thanks for your information. Yes I have now changed to 30fps and 1/60 and it certainly improved and works fine now. Plus I am panning much slower as well. Thanks again for your help.

kyalami Posted at 10-21 06:20
Hi there and thanks for your information. Yes I have now changed to 30fps and 1/60 and it certainly improved and works fine now. Plus I am panning much slower as well. Thanks again for your help.

You're welcome.
Safe flights !

I shot in 5,4K30 or 4K30 d-log. I think it is the mode to get the best quality from 10bit and 1"sensor.

I'm going to try 4K 30 fps, even though I'm based in South Africa (EU standards), I'm hoping I will get a smoother image when exporting to 25fps.

kyalami Posted at 5-3 10:43
No. I do not film for broadcasting TV. but yes, Pal is all we have in EU and 25fps is in todays standard and very low and used by older equipment. My normal camera does easily 50 fps and newer ones does even 100fps.
Even for myself and for my you tube channel and for my editing in Pinnacle 24 U, I have problems with the jerkiness, however for my own TV at 4 K direct from the SD cards it seams OK for some reason. It must somehow even this out to be good to watch. But 50 fps would be very nice to have. You can pan normally although still slow and it looks much better, like it does for the US NTSC at 60fps.

Hi how is it that some countries have different settings i don't understand how that happens. So if you're in the EU OR EUROPE. And you brought your drone with you to Australia would you get the extra fps.or if came to the eu would my drone settings change. This baffling me why does it matter where in the world u are. I hear from people saying they don't have 60 fps in 4k  i just don't understand
Does it matter where you bought the drone or where you are located in the world. In Australia we hardly have any drone laws ay all just common sense stuff. Cheers

djiuser_co43r6PJI8ux Posted at 12-23 06:39
Hi how is it that some countries have different settings i don't understand how that happens. So if you're in the EU OR EUROPE. And you brought your drone with you to Australia would you get the extra fps.or if came to the eu would my drone settings change. This baffling me why does it matter where in the world u are. I hear from people saying they don't have 60 fps in 4k  i just don't understand
Does it matter where you bought the drone or where you are located in the world. In Australia we hardly have any drone laws ay all just common sense stuff. Cheers

You are right. It does not matter where you are in the world and the fps settings you wish to have. The camera can not change your settings when you travel from one place to another in the world. You set it to what you need for various type of filming you want to do, as long as the camera can handle it.
Edit: When I ansvered this thread I was fairly new to this, so I did not really know everything. NTSC and PAL is something that you do not talk about any more. It was for the old glass tube CRT TV some time ago.

4K/60FPS

I've only shot my first video today

kyalami Posted at 2021-5-2 23:07
Unfortunately living in EU I use 4K 25fps. Wish it was 50fps or even 100fps. Very difficult when panning. It get jittery or stutters if you move to fast.

You should be able to shot in 4K at 50fps and also 60fps. The diference is if you shot at 60fps with artificial lights they will flicker, no problem in sun light. This is because current in US is 60Hz and Europe is 50Hz.

Miguel Leitao Posted at 1-30 05:56
You should be able to shot in 4K at 50fps and also 60fps. The diference is if you shot at 60fps with artificial lights they will flicker, no problem in sun light. This is because current in US is 60Hz and Europe is 50Hz.

Hi,
Thanks for your input.
Just checked the manual for the Mavic 2 Pro and there is only for 24/24fps available for 4K which I have.You might be confused as I am posting in the Air 2S thread.

Wow, a lot of good info and 'food for thought' in this thread. Have received my recently I have been playing around a lot with the different shooting settings. The way I look at it, if I am going to be shooting in anything 30fps or under I'm going to be shooting in 5.4k as there is no reason (to me) to have a 4k shot with the same fps and lower resolution. Yes, file size will be less, working with it in post will be easier, but the 5.4k will allow a cropping with cleaner results. If I'm shooting in 4k I am going to be at 60fps.

I love how easy it is to change the shooting settings on the 2s vs the MPP. It is very easy, and fast, to accomplish.

I have played with the zoom abit, but don't see myself using that feature too much at this point in time so that is another reason to push for the 5.4k.

I was a bit annoyed to find when I realized 4k @ 60 would not give me the full sensor though, then again when I shoot at higher rates I'm usually shooting subjects moving a bit quicker and sometimes being able to be further away is a benefit.

I usually shoot videos at 4K 30 fps. When shooting at 60 fps, APAS and Focus track are not available and 30 fps are enough for the kind of videos I usually shoot. Most of the times, when postprocessing I need to accelerate some shots, not to slow down.

You blokes must love huge file sizes

1080p 60 cos is what I use all the time. Looks fine on my 55 inch TV and I don’t need those huge file sizes

I film in 5.4K because my client requires it..They want a higher resolution video.  I don't ask questions, as I say "When they Pay, do as they Say".  Otherwise I film in 4K 60 frames as there aren't many things that use a higher resolution consumer wise.