DJI Inspire Pro X5 - Olympus 45mm & 25mm Comparison Video

laselvasurf · Dec 5, 2015

I finished up a multi-day shoot using only the Olympus 25mm and 45mm lenses on my X5 and thought I would post some of the footage so everyone can see what those lenses offer.

This as all shot dual operator on the latest FW(I updated the morning after it was released and it's been absolutely flawless).

Please let me know what you think! This is not like most of my videos some of you may of seen in the past, the editing is far slower so you can take in the framing and how the FOV effects what you see and focus on.

Casey Preston · Dec 5, 2015

I'm impressed. The water looks good even on youtube at 4K.

x5yo · Dec 5, 2015

Good, though I think you missed a trick on the first scene by not rotating around to the sun!
I love the west coast of america, and it seems to get better as you go north!

Would like to hear your honest opinions on the X5 and where you feel it fits between the X5 and your list of drones shows you're the ideal guy for this.

laselvasurf · Dec 5, 2015

x5yo said:
Good, though I think you missed a trick on the first scene by not rotating around to the sun!
I love the west coast of america, and it seems to get better as you go north!

Would like to hear your honest opinions on the X5 and where you feel it fits between the X5 and your list of drones shows you're the ideal guy for this.

You're right about the first scene, but we were shooting for a specific project for which that wouldn't of worked. These shots are the better rejects for the project, the real shots are even nicer in some cases

As for the X5. It's an amazing little camera. I would say that it has replaced my S1000/GH4 setup in about 90% of the situations I would of flown the octocopter in. The Inspire is such a simple platform and it flies so well in less than perfect condition it really makes things easier and faster. The quality of the X5 vs the GH4 is close enough that unless you're pixel peeping, you would not be able to tell the difference. Also, having full control of the camera from the ground is a massive leap in efficiency and trumps the small loss in quality by flying it vs the GH4. If you go frame by frame and really study the compression artifacts, some people can see small differences, but for the most part, the X5 has replaced what my GH4 did. The X5 does not come close to flying a RED Dragon, but that's obvious. A RED Dragon(soon to be weapon carbon) costs $60K plus lenses. I've found for most project the X5 is more than adequate. The biggest reason I find myself flying either octocopter setup is the need for higher frame rates. We need to deliver projects in 4K 60P sometimes and the only viable option for that is RED at the moment. I'm planning on keeping my S1000 kit and either going to an A7S 2 or GH5 if the specs are decent.

Comparing the X5 to the X3 is silly, there is no comparison. The X3, though better looking than a GoPro IMHO does not have a look that will match with anything shot on the ground, where as the X5 can easily be matched to any camera being used on the ground. What I've found with the X5 is that you really need to treat it like a high end camera, don't starve the sensor for light, double check your focus before you record every shot, make sure you're in the proper camera settings for your environment and try and have someone else either operate camera or just be there to spot so you can focus on getting the shot. Too many people treat the X5 like their original X3 or Phantom and it just doesn't not work. It's a high end camera and requires a decent amount of understanding to get good results.

That's my honest opinion on the X5. Is it perfect? Nope. Is it the best thing out there right now for the money and considering how simple and quick it is to fly? Yes. Hands down.

x5yo · Dec 5, 2015

great write up, you kinda mirrored a lot of my thoughts.

druiser · Dec 7, 2015

This video sold me on the X5. You're analysis is great, thank you. I agree that it may take a bit of tweaking settings wise.

Which lenses would you recommend? I'd like to get 2, and I'm deciding between Olympus 12, 17, 25 and 45mm. And also Panasonic Leica 15mm. I do primarily landscape and ocean photo/video's, very similar to yours. Thanks for your help!

InterMurph · Dec 8, 2015

I think the Olympus 12mm is a must-have. I would love to see a 10mm version, but for now, I think this is the best wide-angle lens we can get.

Mark C · Dec 8, 2015

Yes, great write up and excellent video examples. Thank you for sharing, I find these example videos most helpful in deciding which lens to get next!

laselvasurf · Dec 9, 2015

druiser said:
This video sold me on the X5. You're analysis is great, thank you. I agree that it may take a bit of tweaking settings wise.

Which lenses would you recommend? I'd like to get 2, and I'm deciding between Olympus 12, 17, 25 and 45mm. And also Panasonic Leica 15mm. I do primarily landscape and ocean photo/video's, very similar to yours. Thanks for your help!

Thanks for watching! I would definitely recommend getting the Olympus 12mm as it's the best all around lens for the X5 in my opinion. After that, the 25mm and 45mm are awesome, but the 45mm is limiting because it's such a narrow FOV. The 25mm can still be used for a lot of stuff as a single operator where as the the 45mm really needs a second cam op if you're planning on doing video. If you're going to just get two lenses, I would say the 12mm and the 25mm would make a great pair.

ianwood · Dec 9, 2015

I can't get smooth yaw from the 25mm in follow mode, single operator.

gruvpix · Dec 9, 2015

ianwood said:
I can't get smooth yaw from the 25mm in follow mode, single operator.

I can't even get it on the 12mm! Super annoying how these options are available but nearly unusable with a single operator.

Phil-RCGeeks · Dec 9, 2015

laselvasurf said:
I finished up a multi-day shoot using only the Olympus 25mm and 45mm lenses on my X5 and thought I would post some of the footage so everyone can see what those lenses offer.

This as all shot dual operator on the latest FW(I updated the morning after it was released and it's been absolutely flawless).

Please let me know what you think! This is not like most of my videos some of you may of seen in the past, the editing is far slower so you can take in the framing and how the FOV effects what you see and focus on.

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Thanks for sharing this comparison video Philip. Very interesting and kudos to yourself and the cam-op for the top job - beautiful shots.
The 25mm has now been added to my wishlist for Santa

Phil-RCGeeks · Dec 9, 2015

On a side note - how did you go about balancing the two lenses?

creativedogmedia · Dec 12, 2015

What about the Olympus 14-42mm? I mainly do stills so the 45 is attractive. Just curious on thoughts around the 14-42mm. Also, is zoom really built into the Go app?

laselvasurf · Dec 12, 2015

Phil-RCGeeks said:
On a side note - how did you go about balancing the two lenses?

Balancing is a challenge but totally doable. I use a combination of a 37>46mm adapter ring, clear UV filters, ND filters and and the empty metal balancing ring provided by DJI. Depending on how much light there is I use a different combination of those items.

laselvasurf · Dec 12, 2015

ddublu said:
What about the Olympus 14-42mm? I mainly do stills so the 45 is attractive. Just curious on thoughts around the 14-42mm. Also, is zoom really built into the Go app?

The 14-42mm is decent at best. I wouldn't use it for higher end work. It isn't as sharp and it's terribly slow for low light work. If you're shooting stills and in bright day light, it's not terrible

The zoom really is built into the Go App, that part of it is pretty awesome!

m00se · Dec 13, 2015

I would say that I saw a bit of Jello/wobbling on the olympus 45mm approach shot at the beginning.
Has anyone hacked a motorised lense onto this yet to control zoom in the air?

Drone Vision · Dec 14, 2015

laselvasurf said:
The 14-42mm is decent at best. I wouldn't use it for higher end work. It isn't as sharp and it's terribly slow for low light work. If you're shooting stills and in bright day light, it's not terrible The zoom really is built into the Go App, that part of it is pretty awesome!

I have an Olympus 14-42mm lens but find that it is a very tight fit in the gimbal and the knurled zoom ring just binds slightly agains the gimbal body. Anyone else experiencing this. I expect that I could sand them down a bit to increase clearance!!!

DaveInspire · Dec 14, 2015

Drone Vision said:
I have an Olympus 14-42mm lens but find that it is a very tight fit in the gimbal and the knurled zoom ring just binds slightly agains the gimbal body. Anyone else experiencing this. I expect that I could sand them down a bit to increase clearance!!!

I have read the same so you are not alone but not sure the best approach to solve it. I have one on order as well let me know if you find a good solution and I will do the same!

Fink · Dec 15, 2015

What have you found to be the best way to handle focus? It seems to me once I tap on an object to focus, the rest of the shot is ruined as I'm then having to tap on every little thing on which I want to focus and it detracts from my ability to fly and capture the shot.

Thanks!