DJI Mavic Mini was introduced for beginners so first, it didn’t had that much control over camera settings available to set manually because Auto settings work perfectly for beginners and are able to capture professional-looking footage.
Anyways, after some firmware and DJI fly app updates, DJI made it possible to set manual camera settings as users expect to capture according to their needs. For photography and videography, it’s so important to use manual settings to capture suitable footage according to needs and post-production. So in this article, we would talk about what are the best camera settings for DJI Mavic Mini and how you can set them according to your need.
Best DJI Mavic Mini Camera Settings
Let’s have an overview of about best DJI Mavic Mini camera settings, then we would talk in depth about some important camera settings for photography and videography.
Aperture Camera Settings
Tap on the Auto camera icon at the right bottom corner to switch manual camera settings.
| Aperture Settings | Value |
| ISO | 100 (Night-time 100-400) |
| Shutter Speed | 1/(2 X frame rate) |
| M.M | 0 |
ISO
ISO parameter is capable of brightening the footage. When using higher ISO values disturbing noises would be visible. So you need to choose the ideal value for the ISO parameter.
- The ideal value for ISO is 100 which is the lowest. If you are filming at night time, choose ISO value 100-400.
Shutter Speed
The shutter speed parameter controls how many times the sensor is exposed to light per second. When choosing the shutter speed, you should calculate it according to the 180° rule which is used by professional videographers. Calculate your shutter speed using the below formula.
Shutter speed = 2 X Frame rate.
- Then select the closest value to the calculation as the shutter speed. (Ex: If you chose 24fps, answer is 1/48. Because that doesn’t exist, you should choose 1/50 as the shutter speed.)
M.M
- This parameter shows you, how much the sensor is exposed to the light. If the M.M value is negative the sensor is under-exposed and image would look dark and if the M.M value is positive, the sensor is overexposed and the footage would look bright. So the optimum value for M.M would be 0.
Advanced Shooting Settings
Tap on the three dots at the right top corner. Then tap “Camera”> Advanced Shooting Settings.
| Advanced Shooting Settings | Value |
| Histogram | Enable |
| Over Exposure Warning | Enable |
| White Balance | Manual (Choose the color temperature that matches the current weather) |
| Anti Flicker | Europe- 50Hz/ North American Standards- 60Hz |
Histogram
The Histogram shows the overall brightness of the footage, which so important to figure out whether the sensor is overexposed or underexposed.
- If your Mavic Mini camera sensor is properly exposed, peaks would exist in the mid of the chart. If peaks exist on the left side of the histogram, the shot is underexposed. If peaks exist on the right side of the histogram, the shot is overexposed.
White Balance
In this setting, you have two options which are Auto and Manual. If you choose Auto, the drone would figure out the proper white balance by analyzing sensor data. But the Auto setting cause inconsistency in the footage. So you should choose “manual” to keep the same white balance throughout the whole footage.
- Choose “Manual”, and choose the choose color temperature that matches the current weather. For sunny days, it’s 5500K. Mess with the white balance and choose the proper white balance that matches the weather.
Anti-Flicker
The correct Anti-flicker value ensure ensures flicker-free footage when filming indoor lights, electrical lights, and street lights.
- Choose 50Hz if you are filming night drone shots in Europe.
- Choose 60Hz if you are filming night drone shots in North America.
Important: Use the ND filter for your Mavic Mini.
If the camera view looks too bright after applying the camera settings, you should use an ND filter to cut off the extra light coming to the camera sensor. If you need to get professional footage for post-production and you are serious about aerial videography and photography, you should use an ND filter for your Mavic Mini.
