Let's start with the settings
The menu is compact sensitive. In other words, the settings are not the same in video or in photo mode
So, make sure you choose photo in the photo video menu and then tap on the three dots on the top right
to accept the settings and go to the camera tab. As you can see, the menu now relates to photo
The first choice is the size. If we select for 3, we get the full resolution of the sensor
4032 by 3024. Slightly more than 12 megapixels. If we choose 69, we get a version cropped to the height of 2268 pixels
which fits a traditional 4K landscape video format. I always choose 4 by 3
as it gives more options for reframing or cropping to different formats
Then we have a switch to toggle the histogram on and off
I keep it always on as the histogram is the main tool I use for exposing
I make sure that there is some space between the left bar to the right
and the right edge to avoid overexposing. Picking level is the tool for focusing
It outlines in red the element in focus but only when using manual focus
It comes with three strength levels. I only use it when focusing manually on a subject close to the camera
All other occasions I leave it off as I find it distracting
A simpler way to focus on most other occasions is to simply tap on the screen to focus on the middle of the image
and get everything in focus starting from a distance of about 12 meters
The next option, overexposure warning, is another tool for exposure. It overlays white stripes on the overexposed areas
I never use it as I find it really distracting. Then we have the possibility to overlay grid lines
I like to add one in the middle to apply the rule of thirds
When taking photos with drones, we often have the horizon line in the frame
Rather than having it in the middle, it is more interesting to divide the scene in two thirds
and have the horizon either on the higher or on the lower third
In other occasions, especially for top-down shots, we might want a symmetric framing
in which case the same overlay helps position the subject. Further down we find this new function style with two sliders
One for sharpness, with five steps from minus 2 to plus 2
Another one for noise reduction, with four steps from minus 2 to plus 1
Let's start with sharpness. This is a photo taken with the value 0 for sharpness
When I switch the sharpness value to minus 2, the image gets softer
Going from minus 2 to the maximum value, plus 2, the difference is very evident
There are a few other settings here that we can disregard as we will find them somewhere else for easier access
So, let's go to the control tab. In minimal mode we have a choice between follow and FPV modes
It is meant for video and we generally keep it on follow
but if we switch to FPV, the aircraft is in sideways while turning
like a real plane. This gives us a sense for some unusual creative shots
Further down we have gimbal calibration. Here we can automatically calibrate the gimbal if we are prompted by the app
but we can also access a manual slider if we have the horizon slightly slanted
And we can tune it