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Phantom 4 Pro – Thinking About Thinking

Continued testing and practicing with the Phantom 4 Pro. This video, Thinking About Thinking, was shot with the drone set to: 23.98 fps, 2.7K, Color “None”, and Custom Settings of -2, -2, -1 for sharpness, contrast, and saturation. Shutter at 1/50 and the aperture was between f/2.8 and f/5.6.

Thinking About Thinking from Jon Roemer.

Music: Every Cowboy by Cellophane Sam. Creative Commons Attribution license via Free Music Archive.

PolarPro Filters; ND 16, ND 8, and UV; were used as needed as the light fell from late afternoon to dusk.

As a follow up to my post, Phantom 4 Pro – Thoughts & Best Image Settings, I am very happy with the color settings of “None” plus Custom Settings of -2, -2, -1 for sharpness, contrast, and saturation. In 2.7K mode it seems to strike the right balance of in terms of sharpness as well as leaving a bit of flexibility in post for grading with the Custom Settings all down as described. Highlights clip at ~95 IRE with the settings. Whether there would be more headroom with one of the other color modes (D-log, D-Cinelike, or TrueColor) I have yet to determine.

With these settings the color in video mode is a very close match to the stills created by the drone in Jpeg and in Raw mode. The latter processed in Capture One.

The video above was filmed at the Updike Farmstead and Institute Woods. The two abut each other and the area is rich in history tied to the Battle of Princeton during the Revolutionary War. It’s also one of New Jersey’s larger stands of old growth forest.

I have made two other films in this area:

From Grey to White (2017) from Jon Roemer.

Into the Woods (2016) from Jon Roemer.

Like Thinking About Thinking, From Grey to White was also filmed with the Phantom 4 Pro. Into the Woods used the Phantom 4.

It’s great to have a local place to return to time and again. The Updike Farmstead/Institute Woods has been that spot for me, a source of solace and inspiration.

Some stills from a recent foray into the woods:

Dog walker. Institute Woods. Phantom 4 Pro. Princeton, NJ. November, 2017.
Cars along Quaker Road. Updike Farmstead. Phantom 4 Pro. Princeton, NJ. November, 2017.
Caesar and I. Updike Farmstead. Phantom 4 Pro. Princeton, NJ. November, 2017.