Welcome Inspire Pilots!
Join our free DJI Inspire community today!
Sign up

Side by side Images X5 and X3

Joined
Aug 2, 2015
Messages
306
Reaction score
71
Age
61
Location
Houma, LA
Website
www.kvphoto.com
OK...so this was said in another thread by Mike Mas:

Drones with cameras are what I call; "Blue Skies & Green Grass" machines. Most of the time, you will be shooting at a distance.

98% of the guys using drones are floppin around shooting anything in site and only a handful maybe 2%, are doing real work with their drones. The X5 on the Inspire is for the most part a waste since almost never are you going to be that close to the subject to appreciate the resolution. Lets face it guys, a tree or a car at 100 feet is not sharp to anyone’s naked eye.

We went back and forth and I just decided for my own personal understanding...I would do a test...being I have both an X3 Camera and an X5 Camera.

test-01.jpg test-02.jpg test-03.jpg test-04.jpg test-05.jpg test-06.jpg test-07.jpg test-08.jpg test-09.jpg test-10.jpg

It is clear from these images that the X5 Camera is a better camera....is it so much better to justify the price? ONLY YOU can make that decision.

I have included a link to all of the DNG file that I used to do this test, you can view them here:
Dropbox - I1Test

Inside you will also see a short raw video that I made with each camera.

Enjoy!!! I would love to hear your thoughts????

Yours,

Kirk Voclain
Kirk Voclain Photography
 
  • Like
Reactions: CanberraAV
Very interesting comparison! What processing was applied to each DNG from the X3 and X5 before converting to jpg?

Well done,

Nick
 
Thanks - even though they are shooting the same object it is very difficult to compare shots since there are so many variables that effect the cameras exposure.

From what you've shown - the X3 has far better contrast and appears to be much sharper than the X5.
 
Very interesting comparison! What processing was applied to each DNG from the X3 and X5 before converting to jpg?

Well done,

Nick

I use Adobe Camera Raw....I set all setting to neutral! I added nothing to the files...it was just as it comes off of the camera. I then converted them to PSD file in PS....did the sizing to show the images zoomed in at 500 Magnification....then saved it....I then converted the PSD file to JPG to post here.

HOWEVER....you can see the raw image if you go download it from the Dropbox.

Kirk
 
Thanks - even though they are shooting the same object it is very difficult to compare shots since there are so many variables that effect the cameras exposure.

From what you've shown - the X3 has far better contrast and appears to be much sharper than the X5.

I think what you are seeing is the smaller chip size on the X3 vs. the larger chip size on the X5....but for me....the real deal is at 160 feet. Look at the difference in the sharpness of the grass in the zoomed in image at 500 magnification of the X5, vs. the softness of the grass in the X3. Plus look at how many color squares you can see and count in the X5 image at 500 magnification vs the X3......

So, back to your "Green Grass and Blue Sky".....if you want the best GREEN GRASS and if you want the BEST BLUE SKY.....for me....the X5 is the key.

HOWEVER....everyone has to decide if the difference is worth the extra money.....some will say yes...some will say no.

Kirk
 
  • Like
Reactions: CanberraAV
I will upgrade when they come out with night vision. If they don't I will save $'s. I flew a Golf Course for a client " every hole" they plan on making 58 ad's from those videos. They're very pleased. The X3 had the right width for flying the fairways to greens.
 
I will upgrade when they come out with night vision. If they don't I will save $'s. I flew a Golf Course for a client " every hole" they plan on making 58 ad's from those videos. They're very pleased. The X3 had the right width for flying the fairways to greens.

NICE!!!! What did you charge for this? I have a few test holes that I have done.....I have presented it to several golf courses and they all LOVE the idea.....but I have yet to "Sell" one....just wondering what others are getting for this kind of work????

 
We worked 9 hours for 600. 2 of us, If I did it again I would charge 800 depending if they wanted to do a flight on every hole. They were very demanding and we had a lot of retakes. I took 6 batteries and recharged 4. 2 47's and 4 48 batteries. I would show you a cut they made but they haven't been released yet. I checked and its ok to show.
 
Last edited:
We worked 9 hours for 600. 2 of us, If I did it again I would charge 800 depending if they wanted to do a flight on every hole. They were very demanding and we had a lot of retakes. I took 6 batteries and recharged 4. 2 47's and 4 48 batteries. I would show you a cut they made but they haven't been released yet. I checked and its ok to show.

Very nice!!!! The 9 hours...is that EDITING time also? or is that just shooting time? I'm perplexed...what took so long?

I'm pretty sure I see "MY" problem, I have been quoting $2500

If you are doing it for $600 for 9 hours of work........ouch...I am either WAY over priced your you are WAY under priced?

NICE VIDEO by the way......very well done!!!

Kirk
 
  • Like
Reactions: qbizzy
Just flying. Actual time at or on course was at least 7 hours. We were videoing for a production company.Did a lot pf retakes after viewing on a big screen.Was our first job, people think because its a drone you can do it cheap. It was a good learning experience.
 
I think what you are seeing is the smaller chip size on the X3 vs. the larger chip size on the X5....but for me....the real deal is at 160 feet. Look at the difference in the sharpness of the grass in the zoomed in image at 500 magnification of the X5, vs. the softness of the grass in the X3. Plus look at how many color squares you can see and count in the X5 image at 500 magnification vs the X3......

So, back to your "Green Grass and Blue Sky".....if you want the best GREEN GRASS and if you want the BEST BLUE SKY.....for me....the X5 is the key.

HOWEVER....everyone has to decide if the difference is worth the extra money.....some will say yes...some will say no.

Kirk
The X3 is for out of the box shooting intended for the simple turn around solution, these cameras have a built in processed look that may appear better to the untrained eye. The X5 is like a my PMW-F5 that requires grading to release it's potential. I hear this all the time about people saying the X3 is better, it's like me saying that my 2/3 inch sensor on my PMW500 is better out of the box than my S35 sensor on my PMWF5 as it looks better. (But it's not, lots of sharpening added) larger sensor cameras shoot flat/soft images (maximising bandwidth) so grading allows a far better result. (Arri Alexa 50k camera body will shoot soft images, used on most top end feature films) The actual fact is that larger sensors capture more information and light and results in higher latitude / lower noise images. There is no point buying the X5 if you don't need,the X3 is fine for low end commercial work, the X5 it better for higher medium to higher end work such as documentary/drama etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ronsonwhitaker
NICE!!!! What did you charge for this? I have a few test holes that I have done.....I have presented it to several golf courses and they all LOVE the idea.....but I have yet to "Sell" one....just wondering what others are getting for this kind of work????

Nice video for a start. Love the narration (golfer for 62 yrs) however I use classical music. I did three of my home courses for free. Only me for flying and camera. Remember the golden rule... No one watches videos longer than 10 min. Not much time to fit in 18 holes. Inspire 1 X3 flying full throttle starting just back of the tees, trying to stay at all times above the tallest tree on the hole (learned that the hard way!) I do try to get in a few below tree level pass bys along the way to give some perspective. Usually do a little pan down as I go over the green. I then stop it, hover, get in my golf cart and go to the next tee, bring my Inspire over and repeat the process on the next hole. I can get 3-5 holes this way depending on whether I need fly back to do another take. I can do 18 holes in about an 60-90 min. I take 6 batteries. I try for a sunny day with winds no more that 15 mph, I try for a day no one is on the course, either closed day or early/late. I do not change SD cards, I figure if I lose some footage I probably need to do the whole shoot over anyway to maintain shadow/light consistency. I dont overlay hole number/yardage for each hole although it is not too much trouble in editing and could be done quickly enough to keep the time down and probably is important to a course owner. I bought an OSMO recently and have been and putting it on a pole at about 8 feet to do a low fake "drone fly around" to compliment the clubhouse flyover, much safer and is a good addition to the final edit. I plan to add it to future projects. Editing usually takes me 3-4 hrs. I have seen quotes of $1000-2000 for a golf course hole by hole flyover. I dont do commercial projects so all remaining 13k courses are yours!. Good luck. Post em if you get some! Below are a couple of my earlier trys, I am sure you can do better.


 
Nice video for a start. Love the narration (golfer for 62 yrs) however I use classical music. I did three of my home courses for free. Only me for flying and camera. Remember the golden rule... No one watches videos longer than 10 min. Not much time to fit in 18 holes. Inspire 1 X3 flying full throttle starting just back of the tees, trying to stay at all times above the tallest tree on the hole (learned that the hard way!) I do try to get in a few below tree level pass bys along the way to give some perspective. Usually do a little pan down as I go over the green. I then stop it, hover, get in my golf cart and go to the next tee, bring my Inspire over and repeat the process on the next hole. I can get 3-5 holes this way depending on whether I need fly back to do another take. I can do 18 holes in about an 60-90 min. I take 6 batteries. I try for a sunny day with winds no more that 15 mph, I try for a day no one is on the course, either closed day or early/late. I do not change SD cards, I figure if I lose some footage I probably need to do the whole shoot over anyway to maintain shadow/light consistency. I dont overlay hole number/yardage for each hole although it is not too much trouble in editing and could be done quickly enough to keep the time down and probably is important to a course owner. I bought an OSMO recently and have been and putting it on a pole at about 8 feet to do a low fake "drone fly around" to compliment the clubhouse flyover, much safer and is a good addition to the final edit. I plan to add it to future projects. Editing usually takes me 3-4 hrs. I have seen quotes of $1000-2000 for a golf course hole by hole flyover. I dont do commercial projects so all remaining 13k courses are yours!. Good luck. Post em if you get some! Below are a couple of my earlier trys, I am sure you can do better.


As a promotional tool 9 mins is way too long. 30 seconds to 2 mins max.
As an instructional tool (golfers watch to learn the course and the holes) 10 mins is not too long; could be longer with more hole details.
 
Kirk,

Thanks for the images and the work to get them - the only problem is you shot the images possibly at the same height but there is different fields of view i.e. all the X5 images are larger than the X3, so of course they would have a bit more detail. In addition, it seems most all the X3 images are under-exposed when compared to the X5 so this again makes it more difficult to see the difference.

I did take the X3 image in Photoshop and lighten and sharpen it a bit and i feel it better represents the other image. Look at the size of the pool between the two images - I'm certain if you would have lowered the altitude of the X3 to make the shot the same as the X5 and adjust the exposure there would not be any noticeable difference.

In any case, I sure don't see anything to justify the additional thousands of dollars of expense.

x3.jpg x5.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Djalma Ribeiro
The X3 is for out of the box shooting intended for the simple turn around solution, these cameras have a built in processed look that may appear better to the untrained eye. The X5 is like a my PMW-F5 that requires grading to release it's potential. I hear this all the time about people saying the X3 is better, it's like me saying that my 2/3 inch sensor on my PMW500 is better out of the box than my S35 sensor on my PMWF5 as it looks better. (But it's not, lots of sharpening added) larger sensor cameras shoot flat/soft images (maximising bandwidth) so grading allows a far better result. (Arri Alexa 50k camera body will shoot soft images, used on most top end feature films) The actual fact is that larger sensors capture more information and light and results in higher latitude / lower noise images. There is no point buying the X5 if you don't need,the X3 is fine for low end commercial work, the X5 it better for higher medium to higher end work such as documentary/drama etc.


I disagree strongly. Anything for TV can be shot with the X3. For cinema release only, the X5R.
You are fooling yourself thinking people watching your X5 footage on TV will be able to tell the difference between that and an X3. They won;t..
Spend your money! This is what DJI wants us to do. In a way this is good, as they will be able to use your money to research better cameras and technology, higher CS and bit rate, for example, down the road.
 
Absolutely - DJI is going to the bank on all these new pilots into thinking this is some type of miracle aerial platform - the whole Inspire package is drastically over-priced - for the price of the X5 camera alone they should be giving you the Inspire and the X5 and it would still be over-priced!
 
OK...so this was said in another thread by Mike Mas:



We went back and forth and I just decided for my own personal understanding...I would do a test...being I have both an X3 Camera and an X5 Camera.

View attachment 4242 View attachment 4243 View attachment 4244 View attachment 4245 View attachment 4246 View attachment 4247 View attachment 4248 View attachment 4249 View attachment 4250 View attachment 4251

It is clear from these images that the X5 Camera is a better camera....is it so much better to justify the price? ONLY YOU can make that decision.

I have included a link to all of the DNG file that I used to do this test, you can view them here:
Dropbox - I1Test

Inside you will also see a short raw video that I made with each camera.

Enjoy!!! I would love to hear your thoughts????

Yours,

Kirk Voclain
Kirk Voclain Photography


Kirk, thank you so much for taking the time to put these files up. I'm a complete newcomer to this and being able to compare the 2 cameras for myself is invaluable - except I think I'll have to spend the extra $$$ now !
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
22,277
Messages
210,655
Members
34,327
Latest member
Thomasovinido