Low light performance was traditionally a weak point of drones, due mostly to the tiny sensors. Until a couple of years ago, the results were disappointing, with noticeable noise. The issues were mostly for footage, as in photography it is possible to use much slower shutter speeds to gather more light
Things have improved a lot with the last generation of DJI models, especially with the Mavic 3 and 3 Classic and their larger 4/3” sensor, and with the Mini 3 Pro, thanks to its very wide aperture of f1.7
The Mavic 3 and 3 Classic have new functionalities for improving low light performance: the new Night mode and the ability to shoot at a higher ISO value in the two 10 bits modes, D Log and HLG
Night Mode failed to impress me and needs some more work, but the quality of low-light footage with the Mavic 3 and 3 Classic is now excellent. I suggest using HLG at ISO 400 which does a sensational job. If a higher ISO value is needed, the choice is between Normal and HLG, according to personal preference
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DJI Mavic 3 and 3 Classic Low Light Test
Before the latest firmware update, the quality of low-light footage with the Mavic 3 in Normal mode was already excellent, with maybe just a bit of luminance noise. In D Log there was in my opinion more room for improvement
I often see tests of low-light performance with footage shot at night in some big cities with huge amounts of artificial light. Even though the images are often very interesting, I would not consider them a good test for the low-light capabilities of a camera
These are not low-light situations at all, actually, there is even too much light and the challenge is to avoid overexposing the highlights. The shadows will always be completely black, regardless of the sensor’s ability
For a better test of a camera’s ability in low light, it is preferable to shoot about an hour after sunset, with the last bit of twilight choosing a scene with a limited amount of artificial lights and plenty of unlit areas with vegetation, the sea, or the sky
Under these circumstances, there will be different degrees of dark areas and it will be possible to test the ability to reproduce them properly and recover the shadows
The process of a sunset is much faster here in Sicily compared to areas further up North, therefore the intensity of the light decrease in a matter of a few minutes. To get the same light conditions for this test I shot the footage in the same location on different days but at the same time, between 5 and 5.15 pm
DJI Mavic 3 and 3 Classic: How Good is Normal Mode for Low Light Footage?
In normal mode at ISO 800, the footage looks extremely good: there is plenty of detail in the shadows, the colors are very rich and pleasant and there is not a hint of noise. It looks almost like daylight in cloudy conditions, but believe me, it was very, very dark. Here they are trying to save money on energy as much as possible, so if artificial lights are on it must be pitch dark
At ISO 1600 and there is no degradation in the footage: the detail and the colors are still excellent and again, hardly any noise at all, just the first hint, but very hard to notice it
At ISO 3200 there is a slight loss of quality. The detail is not as rich as before, although more than acceptable, the same goes for the colors. There is a hint of noise, but very well controlled. I would probably prefer to use ISO up to 1600, which is fine on most occasions, but if needed 3200 is still very usable
At ISO 6400 there is no degradation at all compared to 3200, the footage is still excellent. Comparing it to other footage taken a few months before, I have the impression that the quality of Normal mode at high ISO has improved a lot, and this is not a surprise, as with every update of the Mavic 3 I have noticed increased quality, both for video and photos
DJI Mavic 3 and 3 Classic Night Mode
In the main Photo/Video menu above the shutter, there is an icon to access the new Night Mode. The image punches in, as the field of view is slightly tighter. Obstacle avoidance is not available. It is available at a resolution of 4k and a frame rate of 30fps. The maximum ISO value is 12800 and some noise reduction is automatically applied
There is absolutely no noise and this is remarkable at such a high ISO
But there is less detail in the shadows compared to Normal, as we can clearly see in this side by side
The noise reduction looks very aggressive and there is something fake in the buildings, they look a bit like plastic, In this clip, the see looks like a uniform mass of blue, without any waves or reflections from the sky
Night mode might be interesting for users who don’t rely on computer post-processing and need to use footage just out of the camera, maybe for social media. But I am much more impressed by the improvements made in the standard Normal mode, which looks absolutely excellent now with high ISO values. After denoising, I certainly much prefer the results
To reduce noise I always use Neat Video, an excellent video denoiser. More details about Neat Video in my specific article
DJI Mavic 3 and 3 Classic: D Log and HLG Modes for Night Footage
Another new feature is the increased maximum ISO value for the two 10 bits mods: DLog and HLG. Previously in these two modes, the only ISO values available were 400 and 800, while now it is possible to push it to 1600
The best surprise for low light footage with the Mavic 3 comes with HLG mode. At ISO 400 the detail is mesmerizing, the colors are wonderful and the structure of the sky is excellent. Noise is nowhere to be seen. The scene looks perfectly natural and organic. One of the best low-light renditions I have seen with any drone
Let me reiterate one more time that it was very dark, although it might not seem so. The 4/3 sensor is able to make the most of the tiniest amount of light
At 800 ISO the footage is still very good, but part of the magic has gone. There is some nose both in the sky and in the dark areas, the detail and the colors have lost part of the magic powers
At ISO 1600 there is no real degradation compared to 800
This is DLOG at ISO 800. Although I do like DLog in the Mavic 3 in most situations, I always found it a bit lacking in low-light conditions: compared to Normal mode there is certainly more noise, the colors are not as exciting and there is less detail in the shadows
At ISO 1600 with the same light conditions, I find that DLog behaves a bit better, although a good dose of the magic Neat Video is needed