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Metadata/EXIF Question

GunnerBAC

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I'm trying to figure out if a Phantom 4 Pro V2 drone or an Evo 2 drone gives more overall data in the metadata/EXIF before I decide to buy one.

So, I was just wondering if anybody knows if the metadata/EXIF differs in any way from a Phantom 4 Pro V2 drone and an Evo 2 drone. If so, could you tell me what differs? Or better yet, provide a screenshot?
 
What specifically are you looking for in the metadata that is so important? The camera type is different between the two (obviously) and my own personal pet peeve is that Autel lists altitude based on ASL in the metadata vs DJI which lists altitude based on AGL. Beyond that, I have never cared about the other metadata fields. If you are interested in many of the other differences between the two my Autel vs. DJI User Experience thread could prove useful to you.

I am curious as to why the metadata is so important to you. to me personally that is the last thing I care about when I am evaluating a new drone ecosystem but I always welcome differing viewpoints. If you need to know for mapping purposes enough GPS and location information is included in the metadata from either platform for photogrammetry work or so I've read.
 
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I just wanted to know if there were any pet peeves/pros and cons between them so I appreciate your help.

That brings me to another question though. Basically, I could tell what drone took the picture by looking at the metadata then, right?

If so, do you know if it is possible for someone to edit the metadata of an Evo 2 picture and make it look like it was taken by a Phantom 4 Pro V2? I had a guy taking pictures for me and I listed the job as looking for a P4P drone pilot but I later saw he had an Evo 2 listed on his profile so I'm trying to figure out if I can see what drone he used and if he could hide it.

I'm going to be getting my Part 107 license soon and getting my own drone so I won't have to worry about this anymore..
 
I just wanted to know if there were any pet peeves/pros and cons between them so I appreciate your help.

That brings me to another question though. Basically, I could tell what drone took the picture by looking at the metadata then, right?

If so, do you know if it is possible for someone to edit the metadata of an Evo 2 picture and make it look like it was taken by a Phantom 4 Pro V2? I had a guy taking pictures for me and I listed the job as looking for a P4P drone pilot but I later saw he had an Evo 2 listed on his profile so I'm trying to figure out if I can see what drone he used and if he could hide it.

I'm going to be getting my Part 107 license soon and getting my own drone so I won't have to worry about this anymore..
Any moderately techie person can alter the metadata on any file, regardless of what camera system produced it. If you're worried about someone hacking a file to falsify information they're giving you, you're not going to find the answer in the metadata.
 
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Any moderately techie person can alter the metadata on any file, regardless of what camera system produced it. If you're worried about someone hacking a file to falsify information they're giving you, you're not going to find the answer in the metadata.
That's what I thought. Is there any other way to tell then that you know of?
 
That's what I thought. Is there any other way to tell then that you know of?
Ask him?

Lots of people have more than one drone by more than one manufacturer. And lots of pints know other pilots with other gear they share from time to time. I wouldn't go too far down the path of assuming what someone is using based on what's in their profile. There's no gear at all in my profile, and I own a ton of stuff.

I guess I think that if the level of trust between you and your sub has you suspecting that he's going to the trouble of hacking metadata to spoof one drone for another, it's not a good fit.
 
Ask him?

Lots of people have more than one drone by more than one manufacturer. And lots of pints know other pilots with other gear they share from time to time. I wouldn't go too far down the path of assuming what someone is using based on what's in their profile. There's no gear at all in my profile, and I own a ton of stuff.

I guess I think that if the level of trust between you and your sub has you suspecting that he's going to the trouble of hacking metadata to spoof one drone for another, it's not a good fit.
I hear ya. I did ask him and he said he used a P4P but HE seemed kinda shady to me to begin with. I guess that's my fault for trying to go the cheap route. This whole incident has thrown me for a loop and I'm not sure what to think anymore. You get what you pay for..lol. Thanks for the info guys.

The only thing I do know is that I'm definitely leaning towards buying an Evo 2 now that I've researched it. I only wanted pictures done by a P4P before because I heard it was the gold standard but, from what I've read about DJI, I don't think I'd be happy with them or their drones.
 
I hear ya. I did ask him and he said he used a P4P but HE seemed kinda shady to me to begin with. I guess that's my fault for trying to go the cheap route. This whole incident has thrown me for a loop and I'm not sure what to think anymore. You get what you pay for..lol. Thanks for the info guys.

The only thing I do know is that I'm definitely leaning towards buying an Evo 2 now that I've researched it. I only wanted pictures done by a P4P before because I heard it was the gold standard but, from what I've read about DJI, I don't think I'd be happy with them or their drones.

The actual gold standard for prosumer drones would be the I2 with the X7 camera but the more common (affordable) standard used to be the P4P. I would say these days the Mavic 2 Pro, the EVO II 6K, and the P4P are all about the same since they all have the same sized sensor (in fact it may actually be the exact same Sony sensor but I have not researched this). Any of them are capable of producing commercially viable images and only pixel peepers would argue otherwise. If all three shot the same image and each image was post processed properly; it would also be impossible to tell which was taken with which.

As far as metadata goes, you can absolutely edit anything in the data, it is just editable fields that are in no way protected from being changed. Even if you did hire the guy and he sent you the footage it is unlikely you would be able to tell what he used unless you specifically requested the RAW files in the contract which most people don't agree to or charge an extra fee for. I have a P4P in addition to the EVO II 6K and I can tell you the P4P has been gathering dust since the day I bought the EVO mainly due to geofencing concerns.

I know that I personally never send the RAW files and instead send JPGs with the size and resolution dependent on the type of client. I do this because I shoot a specific way that I know will yield optimal results once the images have been processed using my workflow; this is the same reason why most other photographers do this as well. Once I deliver the JPGs all metadata has been stripped out except my copyright and website information. I would rather not take on a project than have my work misrepresented by someone who did not properly post process the footage.

To me sending raw files is like going to a restaurant and telling the chef you only want the ingredients for the meal and that you will make it yourself. But I digress, if I were you I wouldn't even ask or care what equipment the photographer used, I would look at their portfolio and let their body of work determine if their style and past work will match your vision for your current / future project.
 
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The actual gold standard for prosumer drones would be the I2 with the X7 camera but the more common (affordable) standard used to be the P4P. I would say these days the Mavic 2 Pro, the EVO II 6K, and the P4P are all about the same since they all have the same sized sensor (in fact it may actually be the exact same Sony sensor but I have not researched this). Any of them are capable of producing commercially viable images and only pixel peepers would argue otherwise. If all three shot the same image and each image was post processed properly; it would also be impossible to tell which was taken with which.

As far as metadata goes, you can absolutely edit anything in the data, it is just editable fields that are in no way protected from being changed. Even if you did hire the guy and he sent you the footage it is unlikely you would be able to tell what he used unless you specifically requested the RAW files in the contract which most people don't agree to or charge an extra fee for. I have a P4P in addition to the EVO II 6K and I can tell you the P4P has been gathering dust since the day I bought the EVO mainly due to geofencing concerns.

I know that I personally never send the RAW files and instead send JPGs with the size and resolution dependent on the type of client. I do this because I shoot a specific way that I know will yield optimal results once the images have been processed using my workflow; this is the same reason why most other photographers do this as well. Once I deliver the JPGs all metadata has been stripped out except my copyright and website information. I would rather not take on a project than have my work misrepresented by someone who did not properly post process the footage.

To me sending raw files is like going to a restaurant and telling the chef you only want the ingredients for the meal and that you will make it yourself. But I digress, if I were you I wouldn't even ask or care what equipment the photographer used, I would look at their portfolio and let their body of work determine if their style and past work will match your vision for your current / future project.
Very well put! Thank you very much. I think I've made up my mind. The Evo it is. ?
 

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