How would you describe a drone aerial photography service?

 

Drones are primarily used for aerial photography.

However, this image capture covers very disparate uses: real estate, construction inspection, filming, etc., involving different specifications from one service to another and, as a result, very variable and poorly explained price ranges.

 

Criteria to consider for a successful drone photography service.

In this post, I will try to list the main criteria to study and target when qualifying a drone photography service, best corresponding to your needs :

 

• The quality of the video camera. Drones are equipped with video cameras boasting varying technical specifications. While numerous criteria must be considered, I will focus primarily on resolution (HD 720p, 4K, 8K, etc.) and frame rate (fps), which significantly impact not only video quality but also transmission (to ground) and storage capacity. It's worth noting that one minute of 8K video requires 2 GB of disk storage.

 

• The camera's stability and zoom capability (focal length, etc.). The real question to ask here concerns the nature of the intended use of the footage. Do we ultimately want to exploit... images (structural inspection, for example) with a very strong zoom capability and/or videos (making a film) having very wide field of view so that enlarging the image does not affect the perspectives).

 

• The stability and capacity of the vector(drone) / peripheral (camera) to perform quality camera movements: panning, mechanical, optical, gyro stabilization, etc.

 

• Responsiveness in information gathering Should we use the image in real time or with a delay?

 

• The quality of the geolocation of each frame of the video. For certain missions, the coupling of the image capture with data (time stamp, geolocation, camera viewing angle, route followed by the drone) must be very precise in order to allow, during analysis, the synchronization of the image with a Geographic Information System.

 

• The precision of the pilot control sent by the remote pilot/cameraman to the aircraft

 

So what should we do?

To best meet your needs with the best value for money, it is important to carefully analyze the services offered by the drone operator. Five factors strongly influence the choice of drone operator:

 

• Mission preparation prior to the service. In the context of a cinematic and/or institutional film, the creation of a storyboard (defining the video shot by shot with prior definition of the transitions) is essential. In the context of structural inspections, the positioning of the remote pilot in the area must be carefully considered to optimize the drone's flight time and obtain useful footage;

 

• The characteristics of the video device used. Camera adjustment is achieved through six degrees of freedom (spatial position, rotation, and viewing angle). All cameras have different intrinsic technical properties. It is essential to carefully study the characteristics of the onboard camera beforehand to ensure it meets your specifications.;

 

• The characteristics of the drone piloted as part of the service. It's true: the drone is a vehicle whose sole purpose is to carry a camera. However, it significantly impacts the quality of the footage in terms of camera stability and the precision of the camera's six freedom movements.

 

• The number of operators (remote pilot and/or remote pilot/cameraman) assigned to the mission. The "dual operator" solution allows for dynamic video rushes which, during the post-production phase, will facilitate the implementation of higher quality edits;

 

• Finally, the provision of a local authority on the intervention site, allowing for better teamwork (remote pilot, cameraman) during filming.