Wondershare ultimate video converter handled the H265 files for me nicely yesterday ... It was a 4k H.265 to 1080p ProRes 422 conversion - no issues. Everything looked great.
DJI Phantom 4 PRO!!!
- Thread starter Alpha Beta Omega
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Wondershare ultimate video converter handled the H265 files for me nicely yesterday ... It was a 4k H.265 to 1080p ProRes 422 conversion - no issues. Everything looked great.
markoconnell
Well-known member
Drag and drop the clip into Premiere Pro, you'll get a prompt saying you need saying you need a codec, Premiere should then download it and you'll be able to play the files.
Copied from the DJI forum:
Official Adobe answer from Adobe Dave (yes, I work for Adobe) ...- just saw this post - as some of you might know, I work very closely with DJI with our tools and we try and test as early as we can. With new cameras/codecs/ firmware changes it takes time.. just being honest here... (feel free to forward threads/topics on my youtube channel as that will forward to my inbox automatically - just search dhelmly on Youtube.
Here's what actually happening with the H265/HEVC issue where some people can import and some can't. We first started support in CC2015 so any earlier versions don't have the codec. When you first try and import a H265 file a message should appear telling you that you need to license the codec . The license is part of Premiere Pro CC but not automatically turned on for every user unless they use it. WHY? there is actually a license fee that we manage for you and it gets activated with your first Import or Export. You need to be connected to the internet for the first time you use it and once you do that you don't need to be connected to license again unless you re-install or there is a major update. We are always "tweaking" playback with CPU/GPU support.. BTW - H265 playback is decent in Premiere Pro CC 2017. Lots of people use it as a H265 player - BUT, Encoding takes a longtime - just give us more time on that I hope this helps .. Dave..
Also:
Hi Dave, the issue is that on the Phantom for h265, there is a choice of .mov or .mp4. If you use .mov, you cannot import the files into Premiere. You MUST use .mp4 OR simply rename your files to .mp4. After that, Premiere prompts for the HEVC codec and all goes well.
Thanks,
Copied from the DJI forum:
Official Adobe answer from Adobe Dave (yes, I work for Adobe) ...- just saw this post - as some of you might know, I work very closely with DJI with our tools and we try and test as early as we can. With new cameras/codecs/ firmware changes it takes time.. just being honest here... (feel free to forward threads/topics on my youtube channel as that will forward to my inbox automatically - just search dhelmly on Youtube.
Here's what actually happening with the H265/HEVC issue where some people can import and some can't. We first started support in CC2015 so any earlier versions don't have the codec. When you first try and import a H265 file a message should appear telling you that you need to license the codec . The license is part of Premiere Pro CC but not automatically turned on for every user unless they use it. WHY? there is actually a license fee that we manage for you and it gets activated with your first Import or Export. You need to be connected to the internet for the first time you use it and once you do that you don't need to be connected to license again unless you re-install or there is a major update. We are always "tweaking" playback with CPU/GPU support.. BTW - H265 playback is decent in Premiere Pro CC 2017. Lots of people use it as a H265 player - BUT, Encoding takes a longtime - just give us more time on that I hope this helps .. Dave..
Also:
Hi Dave, the issue is that on the Phantom for h265, there is a choice of .mov or .mp4. If you use .mov, you cannot import the files into Premiere. You MUST use .mp4 OR simply rename your files to .mp4. After that, Premiere prompts for the HEVC codec and all goes well.
Thanks,
filmguy123
Veteran
Anyone/anywhere comparing P4pro IQ to Mavic in more depth?
filmguy123
Veteran
anyone have some impressive Mavic Pro footage?
I just bought one but am still nervous about it VS the Phantom 4 Pro. The portability is important to me, but I'm worried the P4Pro looks significantly better and I'll be disappointed with Mavic Pro quality. I haven't seen a ton of great looking stuff online shot from it, but that could just be the demographic it is drawing?
I just bought one but am still nervous about it VS the Phantom 4 Pro. The portability is important to me, but I'm worried the P4Pro looks significantly better and I'll be disappointed with Mavic Pro quality. I haven't seen a ton of great looking stuff online shot from it, but that could just be the demographic it is drawing?
James Carpenter
Well-known member
I'm in the same bucket.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
The P4Pro does have significantly better quality, larger sensor, higher bit rate recording, better glass, no doubt about it. As far as if the Mavic footage disappoints you, that will depend on how discerning you are and how talented you are at drone photography, being a DP with natural light, using NDs intelligently, how you handle post and post CC and sharpening too, etc. Mavic footage is more compressed, will have more compression artifacts, noise, both fixed pattern and moving.
FWIW, I too have not seen any Mavic Pro footage that blew me away but I have seen P4Pro footage that did. I don't think it's the pilots either. I've seen some decent Mavic Pro footage that I would use in a project but nothing that made me say, "Wow!" You pay the price for convenience and portability. With the P4Pro, you pay the price for it being bigger, heavier and a lot more of PITA to hike with it to a good shoot/launch location. This kind of goes back to the old photography axiom, "What is the best camera? The one you have with you." To me, if you are a videocentric person concerned about having the best image quality, it's simple, buy the P4 Pro. If you care most about being able to shoot almost anywhere at any time, the MP is the way to go. I can see a legitimate reason to own both of them, if you have the financial means.
FWIW, I too have not seen any Mavic Pro footage that blew me away but I have seen P4Pro footage that did. I don't think it's the pilots either. I've seen some decent Mavic Pro footage that I would use in a project but nothing that made me say, "Wow!" You pay the price for convenience and portability. With the P4Pro, you pay the price for it being bigger, heavier and a lot more of PITA to hike with it to a good shoot/launch location. This kind of goes back to the old photography axiom, "What is the best camera? The one you have with you." To me, if you are a videocentric person concerned about having the best image quality, it's simple, buy the P4 Pro. If you care most about being able to shoot almost anywhere at any time, the MP is the way to go. I can see a legitimate reason to own both of them, if you have the financial means.
Erik Naso
Veteran
I think if the GoPro Karma was a better drone it would be a better option. HERO5 is a better camera in a more packable drone than the Phantom's. The Mavic has all the advanced features that make it so easy to fly. Unfortunately the image just lacks. They need to bring up the data rate so it's not so mushy. That would take care of a lot of the IQ issues it has. Obviously the Mavic is a hit and DJI will make a advanced model that will fix all the IQ issues and cost twice as much. Even if they did kick up the price I think it would sell.
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indiawilds
Veteran
filmguy123
Veteran
Ok so, the Mavic Pro is worse IQ than the Phantom 3 Pro?
If I can deal with the space, just get the P4 Pro or wait until the P4Pro quality fits inside the Mavic Pro form factor?
ALSO: Is it likely to see much trouble entering countries with a drone? Flying internationally. IE entering India, Nepal, South Pacific islands, etc. Is there anti-drone sentiment or will they stop you and question you carrying a P4 Pro case with a bunch of batteries and all your camera gear on a tourist visa?
If I can deal with the space, just get the P4 Pro or wait until the P4Pro quality fits inside the Mavic Pro form factor?
ALSO: Is it likely to see much trouble entering countries with a drone? Flying internationally. IE entering India, Nepal, South Pacific islands, etc. Is there anti-drone sentiment or will they stop you and question you carrying a P4 Pro case with a bunch of batteries and all your camera gear on a tourist visa?
Having owned the P3 Pro, Phantom 4, Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro (as well as the Inspire with X3, X5 and now X5R cameras), here's my take.
The Mavic Pro is slightly better IQ than the Phantom 4 (although the difference is minor), but nowhere near the Phantom 4 Pro. All three of these (P4, Mavic, P4 Pro) are better than the P3 Pro by substantial margin.
Some of the Mavic footage suffers from people not realizing the camera isn't fixed focus like the one in the P3 Pro and P4 (or GoPro). When focused and in good light, it does pretty well.
The 1" sensor and 100Mb h.265 codec on the P4 Pro makes it a completely different beast. P4 Pro is my go-to drone when I don't want to bring the Inspire out for 1.7Gbps raw files.
I sold my Mavic, but only because I don't travel with a drone much. If I was traveling a lot and wanted to bring a drone along, the Mavic would win nearly 100% of the time. Especially when the trips weren't 100% photo/video trips and I wanted to travel lighter. Carrying a P4-size drone is a commitment. The Mavic just packs into another bag.
You might be waiting for a while before they can fit that 1" sensor and the glass for it inside the size of camera the Mavic carries. That thing is TINY.
The Mavic Pro is slightly better IQ than the Phantom 4 (although the difference is minor), but nowhere near the Phantom 4 Pro. All three of these (P4, Mavic, P4 Pro) are better than the P3 Pro by substantial margin.
Some of the Mavic footage suffers from people not realizing the camera isn't fixed focus like the one in the P3 Pro and P4 (or GoPro). When focused and in good light, it does pretty well.
The 1" sensor and 100Mb h.265 codec on the P4 Pro makes it a completely different beast. P4 Pro is my go-to drone when I don't want to bring the Inspire out for 1.7Gbps raw files.
I sold my Mavic, but only because I don't travel with a drone much. If I was traveling a lot and wanted to bring a drone along, the Mavic would win nearly 100% of the time. Especially when the trips weren't 100% photo/video trips and I wanted to travel lighter. Carrying a P4-size drone is a commitment. The Mavic just packs into another bag.
You might be waiting for a while before they can fit that 1" sensor and the glass for it inside the size of camera the Mavic carries. That thing is TINY.
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I know this is being said quite a lot in this thread, but I couldn't disagree more. As someone who originally bought the Mavic Pro and who now owns the Phantom 4 Pro instead, I really think the size factor is totally overrated and a bad decision to buy lower quality thinking you'll be saving so much space.
Yes, the Mavic folds into a small bag quite nicely (but doesn't really fit in the bag that is part of the "kit"). But my Pro came in a styrofoam case that's about 12"x14"x8" and I can put 3 batteries along with the controller, iPad mini, and spare blades all in there. And that would be one of the smallest cases I take on any of my shoots. Pretty certain a case that size will fit in large backpacks but can also simply be carried via the built in handle.
I would suggest the size of traveling with it should hardly be a factor into the decision.
It really depends on what you mean by "traveling."
If I'm traveling by car, who cares... I'll take the P4 Pro... or even the Inspire 1.
If I'm traveling by air for a drone shoot, then the same applies because I'm likely not carrying a load out of other gear and I'll have support to move the gear around when I get to where I'm going (and someone else is paying baggage fees!).
If I'm traveling by air for fun (or even for a terrestrial shoot) then the drone isn't a priority and I'll opt to travel lighter. In that case, the P4 case (I don't consider the beer cooler packaging it comes in a "case" for travel purposes, I use a GPC Compact case for my P4 Pro) is large enough that it's either going to be my "carry on" or it's going to get checked (costing money). The Mavic folds up, is placed in a large lens bag and slides right into whatever camera bag (or carry on) I'm already taking.
It's the same reason I don't drag my FS5, A7RII and lenses along on family vacations. I take my RX100 Mark IV. Am I giving up some quality? Yes... but in exchange I'm getting a much happier experience and I'm much more likely not to leave it back at the hotel.
So yes, if most of your travel is by car or in a situation where a bigger case is no big deal... I'd completely recommend the P4 Pro. It's an awesome drone and is my go-to for anything that doesn't call for the Inspire 1 Raw. But if you're going to be traveling a lot where a hard case is a pain in the ass, the Mavic is no slouch quality-wise.
The best camera you own is the one that's with you. The P4 Pro doesn't do you much good sitting at home because you didn't feel like carrying it. The Mavic on the other hand is far more effortless to grab and go. Just like the RX100... it's no big deal to throw that in my pocket and head out for happy hour.
And the Mavic fits fine in the case that comes with the Fly More Combo. Along with the controller, two spare batts, chargers (car and wall), charging hub, USB adapter and one set of spare props. That's how I had mine packed and it worked fine.
I sold my Mavic because I found I really wasn't interested in traveling with a drone when I'm not being paid for it (plus with a little guy we find it easier to drive on a lot of our trips), but if you DO want to travel (especially in cases where you're schlepping your stuff yourself and have other gear to bring along), I'd take the Mavic every day and twice on Sunday. The image quality isn't as bad as some would make it sound (there's been a lot of pretty stuff shot with a P4 non-Pro and Inspire 1 X3 and both are behind the Mavic in IQ) and its an order of magnitude more pleasant to pack along.
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dustylense
Veteran
The P4Pro is the best drone they make for the money.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
The name P4 Pro cracks me up. I can tell you that at least in the film and TV world, a professional drone costs more like $50k to $80k, that's what the real drone pros use.
Last year, in May, as we were entering Morocco with a lot of cases of gear, the soldiers and customs officials at Casablanca Airport made me open every case we had and show them every piece of gear we had brought into the country. We were shooting EPK with a regular camera and VR with the Freedom 360 ten camera Go Pro rig. They kept thinking the VR set up was a drone and they grilled me for almost three hours, repeatedly asking me, "Did you bring a drone?", "Is this part of a drone?". The take away is, DON'T bring your consumer drone to Morocco. Ever. It will be confiscated, I can guarantee. The show we were shooting for, a big Fox action show, ironically, had tons of drone work that I shot BTS footage of, they flew in two of the best drone pilots from Finland and they had an Alexa Mini mounted to their octocopter, that thing was amazing and they were incredibly good pilots. So if you are working with the film commission and have the proper permits and clearances, no problem. But for a tourist or small time drone guy, avoid Morocco.
rob norton
Veteran
They may cost $50-$80K but I doubt many people are buying drones that expensive in 2017. It seems like, unless a production uses a lot of drone footage, it's either a smaller drone e.g. P4 pro, then if that doesn't cut it, it becomes a traditional aerial. Surely those expensive drones are in no man's land? The IQ on these smaller drones is improving so quickly, those super expensive ones will remain as specialty pieces of equipment (i.e. helicopter too big, but "x" cam still needs to be used etc.), but will get phased out otherwise. It may be different in LA where only drone pilots with cameras capable of carrying larger loads are getting hired. I'm guessing there are loads of TVCs here (Australia) that used Inspires or Pros.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
I'm pretty far from a drone expert, all I can tell you is what I see on the various shows that I shoot BTS on over the past few years and the trend is not small, consumer drones, it's bigger and more massive octocopters that have a two to four person crew. I have never seen a Phantom drone on any set for TV or Film, here or abroad. Doesn't mean it never happens. But 90% of the shows I work on shoot Arri Alexa and or Arri Mini and you can't really bolt an Arri Mini onto a Phantom drone. Makes sense to me, why would you hire a pilot with a $1,500.00 drone when you can hire a pilot for a few thousand a day with a drone that can carry your A or B camera? In features and commercials too, I have seen a few fly REDs. P4Pro is very much a consumer(ish) product, not that it doesn't look good or have a nice image. But at least in Hollywood, you aren't going to see one shooting your favorite TV shows and movies.
filmguy123
Veteran
Regarding Mavic Pro, I am wondering how to squeeze more quality out of it. Many of the online videos look like they have weird compression artifacts. Maybe this is people who are clueless about how to export or upload properly?
Or, I wondering if people are using 4K recording and it's stretching the 60 Mbps codec too thin. I see on P4 Pro 4k is 100mbps, Mavic Pro is 60mbs max. I am considering shooting 2.7K on Mavic Pro instead? But then I read this (lame!): https://forum.dji.com/thread-87530-1-1.html
Thoughts?
Also, what about Sharpness/Contrast/Saturation? Bring down everything?
ALSO: This is shot on Mavic Pro, but at 4K. But this guy seems like he knows what he is doing with his edit and workflow, uses NDs etc. The compression artifacts on the elephants look awful! Also the distance seems to do random little pixel jumps (can't tell if it's an auto setting on camera, or compression artifacts).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KnkHwWLGW0&list=PLkaoI6xBVLZ9xlmw6M90q_o8eodixo4VD
The Mavic portability is excellent but if this is REALLY the best it can do, I'm worried.
Or, I wondering if people are using 4K recording and it's stretching the 60 Mbps codec too thin. I see on P4 Pro 4k is 100mbps, Mavic Pro is 60mbs max. I am considering shooting 2.7K on Mavic Pro instead? But then I read this (lame!): https://forum.dji.com/thread-87530-1-1.html
Thoughts?
Also, what about Sharpness/Contrast/Saturation? Bring down everything?
ALSO: This is shot on Mavic Pro, but at 4K. But this guy seems like he knows what he is doing with his edit and workflow, uses NDs etc. The compression artifacts on the elephants look awful! Also the distance seems to do random little pixel jumps (can't tell if it's an auto setting on camera, or compression artifacts).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KnkHwWLGW0&list=PLkaoI6xBVLZ9xlmw6M90q_o8eodixo4VD
The Mavic portability is excellent but if this is REALLY the best it can do, I'm worried.
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First off, I wouldn't judge compression artifacts based on a YouTube video. It's really hard to tell if the blocking on that video of Thailand is from the Mavic (probably not) or YouTube (most likely culprit). DJI codec gunk normally shows itself in greenery where it gets blurry and turns mushy. At least in my experience.
Second, understand that in most cases if the content is compelling the technical aspects of the image are only going to matter to a teeny tiny subset of the viewing public that's specifically looking for them. If I'm watching a movie and it has me hooked, I'm not going to notice compression artifacts when it cuts to GoPro footage.
Second, understand that in most cases if the content is compelling the technical aspects of the image are only going to matter to a teeny tiny subset of the viewing public that's specifically looking for them. If I'm watching a movie and it has me hooked, I'm not going to notice compression artifacts when it cuts to GoPro footage.