Help with DNG images

[b.seoighe]

I am looking for some help from someone more knowledgeable than me. I have recently got into drone photography. I shoot in both JPEG and DNG.
I would very much like to print some of my photos. I realise that DNG files need to be rendered before they are full quality so I have ON1 Raw to edit them.
See snip from ON1 Raw image editor- it looks like it was drawn by crayon. A phone would take a better image. Same result when I edit and export and print.
When I capture the photo, writing and other details in the photo is crystal clear but when viewing after, writing on the signs is just non-existent and it just generally looks bad.
I've tried a whole range of shutter speeds, ISOs etc and the result is the same. I'm reluctant to think that it's an issue at the time of capturing as it's more than it been blurry or overexposed or any usual error - it looks positively pixelated.

Am I missing something? I've seen others online using the software mid editing images and it doesn't look in anyway as bad.
Is there something wrong with my drone? It's a DJI mini 4 pro with /1.3-inch CMOS sensor with 48MP resolution, a 24mm equivalent lens, and an f/1.7 aperture.
ON1 Pro says it can edit DNG - I have also tried to edit in Adobe Premiere and the result is the same.
I don't know anyone who is into photo editing - is there anyone who would take a DNG file of mine and open it open on their photo editing software to see can I shed some light on the issue?
Thanks for any help - it's just I'm disheartened as I took a lot of nice photos on holiday and until I figure this out, they are unusable.

I'd be really grateful for any help!

 

[Ysarex]

I am looking for some help from someone more knowledgeable than me. I have recently got into drone photography. I shoot in both JPEG and DNG.
I would very much like to print some of my photos. I realise that DNG files need to be rendered before they are full quality so I have ON1 Raw to edit them.
See snip from ON1 Raw image editor- it looks like it was drawn by crayon. A phone would take a better image. Same result when I edit and export and print.
When I capture the photo, writing and other details in the photo is crystal clear but when viewing after, writing on the signs is just non-existent and it just generally looks bad.
I've tried a whole range of shutter speeds, ISOs etc and the result is the same. I'm reluctant to think that it's an issue at the time of capturing as it's more than it been blurry or overexposed or any usual error - it looks positively pixelated.

Am I missing something? I've seen others online using the software mid editing images and it doesn't look in anyway as bad.
Is there something wrong with my drone? It's a DJI mini 4 pro with /1.3-inch CMOS sensor with 48MP resolution, a 24mm equivalent lens, and an f/1.7 aperture.
ON1 Pro says it can edit DNG - I have also tried to edit in Adobe Premiere and the result is the same.
I don't know anyone who is into photo editing - is there anyone who would take a DNG file of mine and open it open on their photo editing software to see can I shed some light on the issue?
Thanks for any help - it's just I'm disheartened as I took a lot of nice photos on holiday and until I figure this out, they are unusable.

I'd be really grateful for any help!

You can't post it here but upload a DNG from the camera to a service line dropbox or google drive and post a download link here. We'll have a look.

 

[greybeard]

The only reason I can see for you to shoot in DNG is if you need to do a lot of editing of your image and then export them as a jpeg or tiff. If you are not doing heavy editing then just shoot in jpeg and be done with it.

 

[b.seoighe]

The only reason I can see for you to shoot in DNG is if you need to do a lot of editing of your image and then export them as a jpeg or tiff. If you are not doing heavy editing then just shoot in jpeg and be done with it.

I want to do learn photo and video editing hence the DNG. Also, I want to print photos fairly big 8 x 10 or above and JPEG just doesn't cut it!

 

[b.seoighe]

You can't post it here but upload a DNG from the camera to a service line dropbox or google drive and post a download link here. We'll have a look.

Thanks so much! I've uploaded an image to google drive - here's the link. Even to open it as you would normally a DNG file would help narrow down the issue. It displays a preview of the image here but if you click on the arrow in the top right hand corner, it'll take you so you can download

 

[smoke665]

here's the link. Even to open it as you would normally a DNG file

Didn't have much time to work on it, busy day, but a few quick edits/problems:
1. White balance needed adjustment
2. The low sun/temperture is causing some extreme Dynamic Range issues, with both luminosity and color
3. Sharpness really isn't that bad, I cleaned it up a little. The issue could be both the aperture f/1.2 and shutter 1/120. It's what I would expect at those settings. Any motion/movement by the drone is magnified at distance using a faster shutter will minimize that movement blur.

edited copy:

 

[21limited]

Thanks so much! I've uploaded an image to google drive - here's the link. Even to open it as you would normally a DNG file would help narrow down the issue. It displays a preview of the image here but if you click on the arrow in the top right hand corner, it'll take you so you can download

The only reason I can see for you to shoot in DNG is if you need to do a lot of editing of your image and then export them as a jpeg or tiff. If you are not doing heavy editing then just shoot in jpeg and be done with it.

As long as the camera is set to the best quality jpeg, this may be true.

 

[Ysarex]

I am looking for some help from someone more knowledgeable than me. I have recently got into drone photography. I shoot in both JPEG and DNG.
I would very much like to print some of my photos. I realise that DNG files need to be rendered before they are full quality so I have ON1 Raw to edit them.
See snip from ON1 Raw image editor- it looks like it was drawn by crayon. A phone would take a better image. Same result when I edit and export and print.
When I capture the photo, writing and other details in the photo is crystal clear but when viewing after, writing on the signs is just non-existent and it just generally looks bad.
I've tried a whole range of shutter speeds, ISOs etc and the result is the same. I'm reluctant to think that it's an issue at the time of capturing as it's more than it been blurry or overexposed or any usual error - it looks positively pixelated.

Am I missing something? I've seen others online using the software mid editing images and it doesn't look in anyway as bad.
Is there something wrong with my drone? It's a DJI mini 4 pro with /1.3-inch CMOS sensor with 48MP resolution, a 24mm equivalent lens, and an f/1.7 aperture.
ON1 Pro says it can edit DNG - I have also tried to edit in Adobe Premiere and the result is the same.
I don't know anyone who is into photo editing - is there anyone who would take a DNG file of mine and open it open on their photo editing software to see can I shed some light on the issue?
Thanks for any help - it's just I'm disheartened as I took a lot of nice photos on holiday and until I figure this out, they are unusable.

I'd be really grateful for any help!

I processed your DNG file in ON1 (works well) and have saved a full-res high quality JPEG. Here's a link to that file: Dropbox (too big to post here).

Your screenshot doesn't give us much to go on in terms of what you're seeing. I looked at some sample images for that camera on the Internet and they appeared consistent with what you're getting. It is a small sensor camera and 48mp for a 1 1/3 sensor is pixel stuffing -- as a result the pixels are extremely small. Your camera settings are appropriate ISO 100 is the camera's base ISO, 1/120 sec. should be a fast enough shutter speed. The exposure is very good with the highlights just reaching the sensor saturation threshold. I suspect this image is a good example of the camera's ability.

 

[21limited]

I processed your DNG file in ON1 (works well) and have saved a full-res high quality JPEG. Here's a link to that file: Dropbox (too big to post here).

Your screenshot doesn't give us much to go on in terms of what you're seeing. I looked at some sample images for that camera on the Internet and they appeared consistent with what you're getting. It is a small sensor camera and 48mp for a 1 1/3 sensor is pixel stuffing -- as a result the pixels are extremely small. Your camera settings are appropriate ISO 100 is the camera's base ISO, 1/120 sec. should be a fast enough shutter speed. The exposure is very good with the highlights just reaching the sensor saturation threshold. I suspect this image is a good example of the camera's ability.

Absolutely correct. With a 1 1/3 sensor and 48 MP, diffraction will turn any image into one that looks like a water colour painting, depending on the lowest f-stop. it may be true wide open, and there fore unavoidable. MY iPhone 14 48 mp has to be shot wide open at ƒ1.8 to avoid diffraction. If it isn’t shotting sub ƒ2 the OP has no hope.

Apple compensates for this by bining to reduce 48MP image to 12 MP using four pixels to create one, when it can’t get an exposure that avoids diffraction.. I doubt any drone manufacturer has access to Apple type engineering.SO the only possible solution would
be reducing 48 MP to 12 MP, and hoping it turns out better.

 

[Ysarex]

Absolutely correct. With a 1 1/3 sensor and 48 MP, diffraction will turn any image into one that looks like a water colour painting, depending on the lowest f-stop. it may be true wide open, and there fore unavoidable. MY iPhone 14 48 mp has to be shot wide open at ƒ1.8 to avoid diffraction. If it isn’t shotting sub ƒ2 the OP has no hope.

Apple compensates for this by bining to reduce 48MP image to 12 MP using four pixels to create one, when it can’t get an exposure that avoids diffraction.. I doubt any drone manufacturer has access to Apple type engineering.SO the only possible solution would
be reducing 48 MP to 12 MP, and hoping it turns out better.

I did notice that the drone sensor has a 12mp option. I don't know what they're doing to get that.
I don't get it -- what do they think they're doing with these pixel-stuffed sensors? I used to carry a little compact with an even smaller sensor, 1 1/7, and it had 12mp resolution. Given what I've seen today in the way of samples from that drone I'd just as well have that old 1 1/7 12mp sensor in a camera than this larger 48mp sensor.