Best Settings for 7 bracket to get full HDR range on Anafi
- Thread starter Plastic3D
- Start date
neworldphoto
Member
Well, here are my findings: after some testing, I have discovered that the highest shutter speeds from 1/4000 all the way up to the maximum of 1/10000 are indeed available, but ONLY in “PRO” (manual) mode! And in bracketing mode with PRO settings, no matter if you lock the ISO value manually or set it to Auto ISO, the highest shutter speed attained when you shoot the bracketing sequence is still limited to 1/4000. HOWEVER, if you MANUALLY select one of the “difficult-to-obtain” highest shutter speeds from 1/5000 to 1/10000 and shoot the bracketing sequence, what happens is that ALL the 7 frames are shot at that same high speed, but the ISO value is automatically adjusted through the entire ISO 100-3200 range to obtain the exposure difference. This means that the most underexposed image will be at ISO 100, and the most overexposed one will have ISO 3200 or the highest value, depending on the shutter speed selected. Here’s a screenshot that shows what happens:
And here you can see how the ISO value changes according to the shutter speed selected manually in bracketing mode:
And here you can see how the ISO value changes according to the shutter speed selected manually in bracketing mode:
neworldphoto
Member
I made an HDR from the 1/10000 set and the 1/5000 set to see how they come up. (Full resolution samples below). Because the 1/10000 bracketing set biased towards using higher ISO values than the 1/5000 set, which used lower ISO’s through all the ISO range, the details quality of the 1/5000 set is a bit better than the 1/10000 one, due to the lower ISO’s used. Here are the results:
Two 1/10000 HDR’s processed with 2 different HDR software:
View attachment 47FA1A79-4AC1-48B8-BD94-8BD63D5DA652.jpeg
View attachment ED0460F6-3E57-4878-97A1-3586B6EDFA84.jpeg
And the two 1/5000 HDR’s done again with the same 2 HDR programs:
View attachment 86A2E6A6-2844-4B2E-BA87-D839E883B824.jpeg
View attachment 47D294E8-2729-4AFA-B1A3-7894F927FB08.jpeg
Because the underexposed images used lower ISO’s than the overexposed ones, this helps somewhat to maintain an acceptable quality, since an overexposed image taken with high ISO doesn’t show the noise so bad like a high ISO dark underexposed image.
Two 1/10000 HDR’s processed with 2 different HDR software:
View attachment 47FA1A79-4AC1-48B8-BD94-8BD63D5DA652.jpeg
View attachment ED0460F6-3E57-4878-97A1-3586B6EDFA84.jpeg
And the two 1/5000 HDR’s done again with the same 2 HDR programs:
View attachment 86A2E6A6-2844-4B2E-BA87-D839E883B824.jpeg
View attachment 47D294E8-2729-4AFA-B1A3-7894F927FB08.jpeg
Because the underexposed images used lower ISO’s than the overexposed ones, this helps somewhat to maintain an acceptable quality, since an overexposed image taken with high ISO doesn’t show the noise so bad like a high ISO dark underexposed image.
neworldphoto
Member
Of course, to obtain the best results in a very bright sunny view, the bracketing has to be done manually in order to use the highest shutter speeds that the auto bracketing mode refuses to use (the 1/5000 to 1/10000 range). To do this the fastest way possible, simply use PRO mode in “single” photo mode, lock the ISO to a low value like ISO 100, and in the “ruler” graphic at the bottom that shows all the available shutter speeds, begin touching 1/10000 first, then take the shot; next touch to select a lower shutter speed and take the second shot, and continue doing the same until you reach the overexposed +3 EV image. The disadvantage of this method is that it takes more time and the drone can move slightly between shots.
I’ve attached below a series of screenshots to show how to do the manual bracketing sequence, plus two processed HDR's of the manual bracketing series:
And the 2 processed HDR's samples:
View attachment 498C7E48-5E8C-4F60-A1B0-21CA20D74E60.jpeg
View attachment E897CCC4-8B09-47F2-98FD-519E8FA243A5.jpeg
I’ve attached below a series of screenshots to show how to do the manual bracketing sequence, plus two processed HDR's of the manual bracketing series:
And the 2 processed HDR's samples:
View attachment 498C7E48-5E8C-4F60-A1B0-21CA20D74E60.jpeg
View attachment E897CCC4-8B09-47F2-98FD-519E8FA243A5.jpeg
Thanks Augustine for confirming the problem. I have written tech support tonight and hopefully they will address the issue in a future firmware update.
Thanks NewWorldPhoto! I really appreciate your effort of testing and documenting your work!
Apologies for delay, I've taken a break since we have only sad blue skies here with no clouds whatsoever for over TWO WEEKS now
I don't recall even seeing a 1/10000 option in manual single shot mode but will check again tomorrow. I am taking spherical photos, so all that effort would take at least 5 minutes, in which time the scene, clouds etcetera will have changed dramatically by the time of completion.
I need to lock the ISO so that all seven bracketed photos can be merged together in my pano-software (PTGUI Pro). Unfortunately I can't have variability in all option settings, otherwise the software won't recognize them as a bracketed series.
The only times I ever get seven varied exposures are when the sky is darkish, but the sunset is bright. But even then, the shutter is limited to 1/4115, and the settings range max 2.5EV to -2.5EV.
(Image posted in earlier message, repeated here for good measure).
Thanks again for everyone's help in discovering that this is not a unique problem. I really hope Parrot's developers will look into this and find a proper seven shot bracketing solution that ranges the full -3+3 spectrum.
Perhaps this is a "catch-all" equation that works fairly in many conditions. It would be ideal to have a "PRO" bracketing preference mode where the user can force values that are technically supported by the camera.
Apologies for delay, I've taken a break since we have only sad blue skies here with no clouds whatsoever for over TWO WEEKS now
I don't recall even seeing a 1/10000 option in manual single shot mode but will check again tomorrow. I am taking spherical photos, so all that effort would take at least 5 minutes, in which time the scene, clouds etcetera will have changed dramatically by the time of completion.
I need to lock the ISO so that all seven bracketed photos can be merged together in my pano-software (PTGUI Pro). Unfortunately I can't have variability in all option settings, otherwise the software won't recognize them as a bracketed series.
The only times I ever get seven varied exposures are when the sky is darkish, but the sunset is bright. But even then, the shutter is limited to 1/4115, and the settings range max 2.5EV to -2.5EV.
(Image posted in earlier message, repeated here for good measure).
Thanks again for everyone's help in discovering that this is not a unique problem. I really hope Parrot's developers will look into this and find a proper seven shot bracketing solution that ranges the full -3+3 spectrum.
Perhaps this is a "catch-all" equation that works fairly in many conditions. It would be ideal to have a "PRO" bracketing preference mode where the user can force values that are technically supported by the camera.
Last edited:
neworldphoto
Member
Well, after doing these tests, I found a faster way to change the shutter speed: if you configure the right rocker trigger switch in the controller to control exposure instead of zoom, you can use the rocker trigger to rapidly change the shutter speed in manual (pro) mode, instead of touching the "ruler" in the screen to select the speed, which is more cumbersome. And you can also do this even during video recording, switch from "Auto" to "Pro" and change ISO/shutter speed manually while recording, without interrupting the video. Oh, and in video mode, the "Auto" mode also limits the shutter speed to 1/4000 maximum, so you have to switch to "Pro" to manually select shutter speeds up to 1/10000!
I discovered that same behavior while taking videos of sunsets, when the sun is very bright, you have to switch to "Pro" and manually select ISO 100 and 1/10000 so the sun achieves the correct exposure; then as the sun goes "down" and gets darker, you just hit the trigger switch to gradually change to lower shutter speeds and brighten the image. I did this in today's sunset, the sun was very bright at first, so I changed to PRO / ISO 100 / 1/10000 and suddenly everything got dark and the sun got reddish, then I adjusted the shutter as the sun went down. Here's a link to the video, you can see the exposure difference from 1/10000 all the way down to 1/200 at the end I think.
Also I notice that in the ISO selection "ruler" there's an ISO 50 setting that is ALWAYS grayed out and disabled! There's no way to select it, no matter if it's in PRO mode, video or whatever, it's impossible to select that ISO 50! Another firmware glitch it seems...
I discovered that same behavior while taking videos of sunsets, when the sun is very bright, you have to switch to "Pro" and manually select ISO 100 and 1/10000 so the sun achieves the correct exposure; then as the sun goes "down" and gets darker, you just hit the trigger switch to gradually change to lower shutter speeds and brighten the image. I did this in today's sunset, the sun was very bright at first, so I changed to PRO / ISO 100 / 1/10000 and suddenly everything got dark and the sun got reddish, then I adjusted the shutter as the sun went down. Here's a link to the video, you can see the exposure difference from 1/10000 all the way down to 1/200 at the end I think.
Also I notice that in the ISO selection "ruler" there's an ISO 50 setting that is ALWAYS grayed out and disabled! There's no way to select it, no matter if it's in PRO mode, video or whatever, it's impossible to select that ISO 50! Another firmware glitch it seems...
Thanks neworldphoto, I have the same issue, ISO 50 greyed out. I currently have my rocker switch for exposure, and may try that for a 360, but I'll have to drink a pot of coffee and do some yoga before attempting! The mental focus and physical performance involved on doing that seven times per 45 degree angle on a 360 under time pressure is going to be intense!
One series is a total of 112 photos! If there are any low-lying clouds that are moving, it will be impossible to stitch them together because of a discontinuation of patterns to align in software. Out of over 100 different attempts, I have yet to break the one-minute mark to achieve this, even with the firmware bracketing.
I even attempted to create a Flight Plan to address spinning around and taking bracketed photos, but unfortunately it took the bracketed shots while spinning, so they don't overlay so nicely. Would be great if there was a way to edit on a computer, or minimally cloning position points and rotation angles, etc. With my clumsy fingers, the position points only are accurate up to about two feet from each other, so it would be moving around before getting to each angle to prep for a bracket set.
On a side note, it would be great if Parrot put in some time to make a sky hemisphere or ground hemisphere mode, with the option of bracketing!
BTW that is really cool video, to see the sun moving in that short period of time!
One series is a total of 112 photos! If there are any low-lying clouds that are moving, it will be impossible to stitch them together because of a discontinuation of patterns to align in software. Out of over 100 different attempts, I have yet to break the one-minute mark to achieve this, even with the firmware bracketing.
I even attempted to create a Flight Plan to address spinning around and taking bracketed photos, but unfortunately it took the bracketed shots while spinning, so they don't overlay so nicely. Would be great if there was a way to edit on a computer, or minimally cloning position points and rotation angles, etc. With my clumsy fingers, the position points only are accurate up to about two feet from each other, so it would be moving around before getting to each angle to prep for a bracket set.
On a side note, it would be great if Parrot put in some time to make a sky hemisphere or ground hemisphere mode, with the option of bracketing!
BTW that is really cool video, to see the sun moving in that short period of time!
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