Drema Swader
October 2025 - Milwaukee Skyline
About the Image(s)
This is my first low-light/nighttime image taken with my new Mavic 4 Pro drone.
My desktop computer is in the hospital, so I processed this on my old laptop (on an old version of Lightroom that didn't even have Denoise in it, but I did use Topaz Denoise).
The large 100 megapixel files are hard to process, and they drag down the system. But I love the quality of the images! The drone cameras are starting to rival my "real" mirrorless full-frame camera!
11 comments posted
Drema, this is a really nice image, the new drone is state of the art. I can't see anything that you could do make this a better image other than perhaps slightly reduced the green reflection on the lower left. With a 100MP file size, how long does it take for the drone to write to the card? Do you recommend a particular brand for a very SD card? Posted: 10/03/2025 23:17:04
Thanks, Richard. I questioned the green reflection myself, and at one point took it out by desaturating it. But I like the way it shimmers in the water, and I felt the whole image didn't have enough color variety. I would be interested in hearing what others think about it.
Yes, the speed of writing the 100 mp images is a bit of an issue when I want to quickly take another shot. Because of that, I have stopped using the SD card. This drone has a 512 mb hard drive, and it writes to that drive a little faster, but it still takes about 5 or more seconds to write 3 images when I am exposure bracketing. I doubt I will ever fill up that drive in one outing. I still keep an SD card in the drone, though. I'm using my old cards that I bought several years ago for my Mavic 2 Pro, so I've not kept up with what are the fastest SD cards today. Posted: 10/05/2025 16:19:45
Yes, the speed of writing the 100 mp images is a bit of an issue when I want to quickly take another shot. Because of that, I have stopped using the SD card. This drone has a 512 mb hard drive, and it writes to that drive a little faster, but it still takes about 5 or more seconds to write 3 images when I am exposure bracketing. I doubt I will ever fill up that drive in one outing. I still keep an SD card in the drone, though. I'm using my old cards that I bought several years ago for my Mavic 2 Pro, so I've not kept up with what are the fastest SD cards today. Posted: 10/05/2025 16:19:45
Onboard SSD - sweet! Posted: 10/08/2025 15:41:33
Mike Fernandez
This one is a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep it going. Posted: 10/04/2025 16:24:21
Keep it going. Posted: 10/04/2025 16:24:21
Thanks, Mike! Posted: 10/05/2025 16:20:48
Drema, this is a gorgeous image, with great color and detail. The composition is pleasing and balanced to my eye. The tonality looks fine, not contrasty, which I think fits the scene and time of day. You make the Milwaukie waterfront look very beautiful!
Some of the highlights in the image look very saturated, and I wonder if you adjusted those individually. I think the effect is OK, but especially with the green patch in the bottom left corner, maybe you could selectively decrease the yellow/green saturation a little, and see if that makes it less prominent.
Now I really want a Mavic 4 Pro! Posted: 10/11/2025 06:37:02
Some of the highlights in the image look very saturated, and I wonder if you adjusted those individually. I think the effect is OK, but especially with the green patch in the bottom left corner, maybe you could selectively decrease the yellow/green saturation a little, and see if that makes it less prominent.
Now I really want a Mavic 4 Pro! Posted: 10/11/2025 06:37:02
Thanks, Patrick. I'll work on that. That green spot keeps bothering me, too.
I love the Mavic 4 Pro. I just hope the DJI drones don't get banned from flight in the US! Posted: 10/19/2025 22:47:26
I love the Mavic 4 Pro. I just hope the DJI drones don't get banned from flight in the US! Posted: 10/19/2025 22:47:26
I sent you an email about my failed attempt to purchase Mavic 4 drone. Posted: 10/26/2025 18:46:10
Awsome! Posted: 10/17/2025 20:58:41
Thanks, Alex! Posted: 10/19/2025 22:47:37
Gorgeous image! I've never seen Milwaukee look like that! I haven't been there in years... need to go again!
100 MP files! omg I'm freaking out with my new mirrorless that is 50 mp! Posted: 10/26/2025 21:21:17
100 MP files! omg I'm freaking out with my new mirrorless that is 50 mp! Posted: 10/26/2025 21:21:17