DJI Mini 5 Pro Night Photography – How to Take Photos in Low Light

When I analyzed the Mini 5 Pro for photography, I was surprised by the quality of the still images. The improvement over the previous DJI lightweight model, the Mini 4 Pro, was more than I expected in all situations

In this video, I will focus on how to get the best results in low-light photography, using all the different options offered by the Mini 5 Pro

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Settings

The most important spec affecting photo quality is sensor size, and DJI has finally managed to squeeze a true 1” CMOS sensor on a model under 250 grams, something unthinkable until a few years ago

Compared to the 1/1.3” sensor of the Mini 4 Pro and Mini 3 Pro, the new one can capture richer details and gather more light, which is particularly useful in low-light and high dynamic range situations

As in the Mini 4 Pro, the field of view is equivalent to 24mm, while the aperture is slightly smaller at f1.8 rather than f1.7. This should not cause issues, as the previous model already has good low-light performance, and the Mini 5 Pro’s larger sensor should gather enough light to compensate for the slightly smaller aperture

We can choose to save photos in RAW or JPEG or both formats, which is what I generally do. Until a few years ago, I would only use RAW, but the JPEG format has constantly improved, and in the Mini 5 Pro, it can be successfully used when we need to post an image quickly, or when an editing device is not available

The Mini 5 Pro offers two resolution options: the traditional 12MP mode and the 50 MP one, obtained by splitting each pixel into four smaller ones. I will not go into technical details about the 50MP mode, as I have already made a specific article about it

Later on, I will show you examples of the two modes. The 50MP images are very demanding in terms of computer resources. For this reason, they are meant for advanced users with a powerful computer and good editing skills

In the Photo menu above the shutter, we can choose Auto Exposure Bracketing to take 3, 5 or 7 photos in rapid succession with different exposure values, each image with a difference of ⅓ of a stop compared to the previous one

On most occasions, I use this option for two reasons. First of all, to make sure I always have at least one photo perfectly exposed. It also allows me to merge the images to HDR for better results in certain light conditions

For merging to HDR, I use Luminar Neo, my favorite photo editing program. Here you find info about the price together with a coupon for 10% discount code (Vicvideopic). It is an affiliate link, so I get a small commission in case of purchase

Another major feature of the Mini 5 Pro is the presence of a 48mm Med Tele mode, offering a 2x zoom with higher quality compared to the digital zoom of previous models. With this mode, we can get closer to targets that cannot otherwise be reached, increase the parallax effect when different layers are present in an image, and obtain better separation between a target and the background

Images

Let’s have a look at some images

The best time to test the low-light capabilities of a camera is during the blue hour, more or less an hour after sunset, according to the latitude, when the artificial lights are on, but there is still a hint of natural light. I prefer to include some artificial lighting alongside unlit areas to test how shadows are rendered

I often see low-light tests taken late at night in urban areas. This is not a suitable scenario for comparing the low-light capabilities of different cameras, as the shadows will always appear black regardless of the camera used

I took all the images in rapid succession, under the same light conditions. With its large sensor and wide aperture, the Mini 5 Pro collects plenty of light, and the results are astonishing across all available methods. Some viewers may think that shots were taken in good light conditions, but believe me, it was very dark

RAW vs JPEG

JPEG files are pre-processed in the camera and ready for use, although a touch of extra contrast and saturation is often useful

They are suitable for beginners and for users who need to share their images quickly. The quality of this format has greatly improved recently, and in the Mini 5 Pro, the difference compared to the RAW files is not too evident

RAW files require full editing. The colors are richer, and the sky structure is often superior. They contain more information and respond better to post-processing, allowing for the adaptation of an image to the color scheme of a specific project

50MP photos

The 50MP images produced by the mini 5 Pro are a massive improvement over the 48MP ones of the Mini 4 Pro

The differences with the RAW images are subtle, and they can produce better results on certain occasions. The 50MP images are particularly suitable for large prints or deep crops

The downside of this format is that the files produced are very large and extremely demanding in terms of computer resources. For this reason, they should only be used by advanced users

Merged to HDR

When merging five images to HDR, the software takes the highlights from an image with low exposure and the shadows from one with high exposure. This can be beneficial in high dynamic range situations to help recover the shadows without burning the highlights

The differences with a single RAW image are often very subtle, but it is a tool worth trying when the outcome of the RAW image is not satisfactory. In previous models, merged images tended to look overprocessed; this is not the case with the Mini 5 Pro

Med Tele Mode

The 48mm Med Tele mode takes advantage ot the larger sensor of the Mini 5 Pro to deliver a 2x zoom with a quality close to a true optical lens

With footage, this mode is very effective, and the benefits over a digital zoom are evident. However, the quality of RAW photos with the Mini 5 Pro is excellent even at 2x zoom, and it is hard to detect major differences when using the Med Tele mode

In photography, I only suggest using the Med Tele mode when shooting in JPEG

Summing up, the quality of photos taken in low light with the Mini 5 Pro is sensational. I suggest using JPEG images and the Med Tele mode for beginners or when an in-depth post-processing is not possible. More experienced users who rely heavily on computer editing have a wider array of tools to make the most of each image