I just recently purchased the DJI Mini 2 and just like when I get a new phone, I want to know the best settings to change for the camera. Here you will find the best camera settings for the DJI Mini 2. Now what I was told is that if you are a beginner using drones/cameras, just leave it on “auto” but that doesn’t always give you the best picture or video. So after doing a bunch of research on the best overall settings for pictures and videos on the DJI Mini 2. I can proudly say these are the best settings to use for your drone.
DJI Mini 2 Settings
Safety
Under the safety, tab makes sure you have the “Auto RTH Altitude” (RTH=Return to Home) above all of the buildings/objects that are around you so that it prevents a crash when your drone automatically returns to the set home point.
Control
Check on the “Upwards Gimbal Rotation”, this will allow your gimbal to rotate upwards for better cinematic shots. Then under the “Advanced Gimbal Settings” set the “Pitch Speed” to 10, “Pitch Smoothness” to 25, “Yaw Speed” to 40, and the “Yaw Smoothness” to 20. Under “Stick Mode” I prefer “Mode 2” as this is the most popular mode that most drone fliers use.
Camera
Check on the “Overexposure Warning” so you can always see when something is overexposed. For the “Guidelines” make sure you have the grid and diagonals on because they will help you a lot with getting objects centers when filming videos or taking pictures.
“White Balance” should be set to “Manual” and not “Auto” because if it is on auto then during your videos the white balance will change versus if it is set to manual then you can set it and have it be the same throughout your video.
Best DJI Mini 2 Photo Settings
Now here will be just some general information about the photography settings you can change to inform you about what everything means and how to use it. There is no perfect setting for this, it will be different for every environment that you are in, and will have to just mess around until you get the best settings every time. Now if you want to, just leave it in “Auto Mode” but if you want to get better quality pictures then keep reading for the tips under each section.
Pro Mode
To switch over to Pro Mode (Manual), tap the icon that says Auto and you’ll automatically switch to Pro Mode. Here in Pro Mode, you’ll see that there are now many more options available for you to adjust. On the bottom of the Pro Mode screen, you’ll see J+R, 16:9 or 4:3, WB, S, F, ISO, and MM. All these options are adjustable. Below are the options explained:
J+R:
As mentioned above, this is your picture file format. If you tap J+R you will be able to switch back to either JPG or RAW or keep the format at J+R.
16:9 (or 4:3):
This is the aspect ratio of the picture you’ll take. Depending on the option you choose, that format will show here. You can change the ratio by tapping on this number. Currently, the aspect ratios or image sizes are 4:3 (4000×3000) and 16:9 (4000×2250).
WB (White Balance):
White balance simply evens out the color temperature in a photo to make the image’s color look more natural and truer. This is done by making the image Cooler or Warmer, from 3000k (kelvin) to 8000k.
S (Shutter):
This controls how short or how long the shutter is open. Lower numbers let in more light, while Higher numbers minimize the light allowed into the camera. The shutter also controls how much motion blur there is in an image. Lower shutter speeds show more motion blur, while higher shutter speeds stop the action in an image.
F (F-Stop):
Since the Mini 2 has a fixed aperture, the F-number will remain at 2.8. There is no way to change this number in a fixed-aperture drone.
ISO:
ISO is the value measure of a camera’s sensitivity to light. As you increase the ISO number (the lowest being 100) the brighter your image will be. Also, the higher you raise your ISO, the more noise or grain is introduced into the image. The Mini 2’s ISO range is between 100 and 3200, for both photos and videos.
MM (Manual Metering):
This is similar to the Exposure Value (EV) in Auto mode. However, unlike the EV in Auto Mode, you cannot change the Manual Metering value in Pro mode. This basically tells you when your exposure is correct based on the ISO and Shutter.
DJI Mini 2 Video Settings
The DJI Mini 2’s camera shoots 4k video up to 30 frames per second (fps), which is the first out of the Mini series to have 4k available. You can also shoot 2.7k or 1080p up to 60fps if you want that more cinematic effect (however there already is a cinematic mode for that). Now, if you are a beginner you can stay in “Auto” mode, or if you follow the steps I list below you can shoot in “Pro” mode and shoot better quality videos.
Pro Mode
To switch over to Pro Mode when shooting video, tap the icon that says Auto and you’ll automatically switch to Pro Mode. Here in Pro Mode, there are more options available for you to adjust to ensure your video looks exactly how you want it. On the bottom of the Pro Mode screen, you’ll see 4K 30fps, an icon of an SD Card with numbers on it, WB, S, F, ISO, and MM. All these options are adjustable. Below are these options explained:
4K 30fps:
Tapping this option will allow you to set your video resolution and the frames per second that you’d like that video to be. These Resolution options are 4K, 2.7K, and 1080P. The framerates are 24, 25, 30, and 60 (60fps is NOT available when shooting in 4K).
The icon of an SD Card with numbers on it:
Like in auto mode, this will show you how many minutes of video you’ll be able to take with your current resolution and frames per second settings, based on the available space left in the SD card.
WB (White Balance):
White balance evens out the color temperature in a video to make the image’s color look more natural and truer. This is done by making the image Cooler or Warmer, from 3000k (kelvin) to 8000k.
S (Shutter):
This controls how fast or slows the shutter speed is. Lower numbers let in more light, while Higher numbers minimize the light allowed into the camera. The shutter also controls how much motion blur there is in an image. Lower shutter speeds show more motion blur, while higher shutter speeds stop the action in an image.
These values are below:
- 24 frames per second = set the shutter to 1/50s
- 25 frames per second = set the shutter to 1/50s
- 30 frames per second = set the shutter to 1/60s
- 60 frames per second = set the shutter to 1/120s
F (F-Stop):
As mentioned earlier, the Mini 2 has a fixed aperture, of 2.8. There is no way to change this number.
ISO:
ISO is the value of the measure of a camera’s sensitivity to light. As you increase the ISO number (the lowest being 100) the brighter your image will be. Also, the higher you raise your ISO, the more noise or grain is introduced into the image.
MM (Manual Metering):
This is like the Exposure Value (EV) above in Auto mode. You cannot change the Manual Metering value in Pro mode. This gives you a visual representation of when your exposure is correct based on the ISO and Shutter.
Conclusion
The DJI Mini 2 might be the smallest drone out of all of DJI’s drones, however, you can easily make this one of the best if you know what settings to change. These are all based on opinions from myself and other professionals. If you ever feel like a certain setting isn’t working for you then just change as you go. You might not always like these settings but this is a good place to start out when you are new to drones like I was. Then as time goes on you figure out what works best for you and your drone.