Nano + or Lite + Which is better for low light

[House Forasken]

Hi!

I need help deciding between the Nano + and Lite +. I would love to get into more low light/night photography and I'm not sure which is better. I haven't seen any direct comparisons between the two, so any and all help/advice is appreciated.
My photography knowledge is very limited. I know that Nano + has a .8" sensor but has an F1.8 and the Lite + has a 1" sensor but an F2.8. I know a larger sensor size and lower F stop are the two things needed for really good low light photos/video.
Please help me make a better educated decision on which to purchase.

TIA!!!

 

[DARKSeifer]

Lite+ will be better because they use the same RYYB technology, but the sensor is a bit bigger, the image processor will be better and the heat sink of the sensor will be more capable of maintaining the sensor cool, so it will end producing better and less noisy DNGs, but ofc it's just in theory, we should do a dynamic range test to prove that... and it's a pity that drone cameras are not properly tested on webs like dxomark or photonstophotons.

On the other hand bigger drones fly more stable and mount better gimbals, so you can use lower ISOs, for example you can use ISO 100 and a 1s exposure while <250g are being pushed around by the wind more easily so faster exposure speeds will be more usual.

Technology in <250g drones is quite limited due to space and weight restrains, keep that in mind.

The "problem" with "big" drones like the Lite at night is that they can be seen at more than 2 Km clearly, so you'll draw tons of undesired attention, way more than in daylight condition because they are like a flying Christmas tree. I think you can turn off the rear leds on the Lite+, but still quite visible. <250g drones usually only have a beeping little led, so they are more stealthy.

You can always put some white electric tape to "dimm" the lights a bit or just use black tape to "turn them off", but as far as I know in some countries you need to attach a strobe to the drone (USA?), while on Europe only a green beeping led is mandatory to fly at night, so in any case do it at your own risk.

 

[Saladshooter]

Lite+ will be better because they use the same RYYB technology, but the sensor is a bit bigger, the image processor will be better and the heat sink of the sensor will be more capable of maintaining the sensor cool, so it will end producing better and less noisy DNGs, but ofc it's just in theory, we should do a dynamic range test to prove that... and it's a pity that drone cameras are not properly tested on webs like dxomark or photonstophotons.

The Lite+ uses a large 1" RGGB sensor which gathers more light than RGGB cameras of lesser size found on many drones.

The Nano+ .78" RYYB sensor, in theory gathers 40% more light than a RGGB sensor of the same size. The Nano+ is currently crippled for photography because no editing software can properly interpret the RYYB RAW files it produces. The JPEGs look fine but most budding photographers will want to work with RAW for the greater dynamic range. I am guessing that Autel will eventually release a corrective profile to fix things.

I have looked at night footage and photos from both drones..... they are impressive. The Lite+ will be much more stable in the wind and would be my automatic choice if money was no object. It has better battery life and is consistently getting better raves on the internet for its quality.

 

[DARKSeifer]

True, is the Lite, not the Lite+ wich has the RYYB sensor. So you can't use the RAW/DNGs of the Nano+ on Lightroom?

 

[Saladshooter]

True, is the Lite, not the Lite+ wich has the RYYB sensor. So you can't use the RAW/DNGs of the Nano+ on Lightroom?

They aren't working correctly.... the colors are all out of whack. There is a thread going about this.... I was able to correct them but only by wildly moving the hues around.

Nano+ RYYB. How to Edit?

 

[Saladshooter]

True, is the Lite, not the Lite+ wich has the RYYB sensor

I'm actually still interested in the Lite because of the 4-Axis gimbal and RYYB tech but they have some bugs to work out yet..... As far as I know there are no Evo Lite drones out in the field being reviewed.

One of the things that has come up in interviews with the company is that 10-bit LOG is slated to come to the Nano+/Lite but the Lite+ may be limited to 8-bit LOG. I am not sure if this is a camera limitation but it would be a shame.... the Lite+ is almost a perfect drone from the footage/ photo side with its variable aperture and great color. It just needs to be refined in software. The long battery life and lack of forced geofencing really make it a great tool.

 

[DARKSeifer]

Autel should release an official camera profile then, or else you have to make your own DNG profile with the color checker camera calibration or similar program

I have a color checker passport myself (well, I should change it because is a little bit old ), but most people don't... but these things go slow sometimes. For example, canon R series didn't had any camera profiles on Lightroom until recently, so you were forced to use either the Adobe color profiles or the ones you created yourself or downloaded from the web.

PS: If someone with a DigitalSG checkboard made and shared the DNG profile for these drones that would be also be a "definitive" solution for the RYYB DNG problem.

 

[House Forasken]

The Lite+ uses a large 1" RGGB sensor which gathers more light than RGGB cameras of lesser size found on many drones.

The Nano+ .78" RYYB sensor, in theory gathers 40% more light than a RGGB sensor of the same size. The Nano+ is currently crippled for photography because no editing software can properly interpret the RYYB RAW files it produces. The JPEGs look fine but most budding photographers will want to work with RAW for the greater dynamic range. I am guessing that Autel will eventually release a corrective profile to fix things.

I have looked at night footage and photos from both drones..... they are impressive. The Lite+ will be much more stable in the wind and would be my automatic choice if money was no object. It has better battery life and is consistently getting better raves on the internet for its quality.

Thanks! I have also looked at footage from both at night and they booth look great! I was thinking along the same lines about the battery life mainly because of wind and also stability for night photos.

I originally ordered the Nano +, but cancelled it last week and ordered the Lite +. When comparing the F stop and sensor size, I wanted to make sure I was making the best choice for low light photography. The freedom of a sub 250g drone is great, but I don't know if that outweighs the capabilities of what the Lite + camera should offer.

 

[Saladshooter]

originally ordered the Nano +, but cancelled it last week and ordered the Lite +

I think you made the right choice. If you are in the US its just a $5 registration fee for the larger drone and you get all sorts of advantages: 5.4k resolution, battery life, wind resistance, speed, stability, variable aperture, more detailed images(daytime), better color accuracy.

Initially, I thought the Nano+ was going to hit it out of the park. But because of the new camera technology onboard and Autel's inability to get it to keep up to the Mini 2's ability to negating wind it falls short. These things may be able to be fixed in software so don't count it out but for now I'm going to watch from the sidelines.

 

[House Forasken]

Lite+ will be better because they use the same RYYB technology, but the sensor is a bit bigger, the image processor will be better and the heat sink of the sensor will be more capable of maintaining the sensor cool, so it will end producing better and less noisy DNGs, but ofc it's just in theory, we should do a dynamic range test to prove that... and it's a pity that drone cameras are not properly tested on webs like dxomark or photonstophotons.

On the other hand bigger drones fly more stable and mount better gimbals, so you can use lower ISOs, for example you can use ISO 100 and a 1s exposure while <250g are being pushed around by the wind more easily so faster exposure speeds will be more usual.

Technology in <250g drones is quite limited due to space and weight restrains, keep that in mind.

The "problem" with "big" drones like the Lite at night is that they can be seen at more than 2 Km clearly, so you'll draw tons of undesired attention, way more than in daylight condition because they are like a flying Christmas tree. I think you can turn off the rear leds on the Lite+, but still quite visible. <250g drones usually only have a beeping little led, so they are more stealthy.

You can always put some white electric tape to "dimm" the lights a bit or just use black tape to "turn them off", but as far as I know in some countries you need to attach a strobe to the drone (USA?), while on Europe only a green beeping led is mandatory to fly at night, so in any case do it at your own risk.

Thank you! I am hoping the The freedom of a sub 250g drone is great, but I don't know if that outweighs the capabilities of what the Lite + camera should offer.

I can see my EVO II over a mile away just with its LEDs flashing. I'm actually amazed how visible they are! I have no issue attaching a strobe (if required for non part 109 operators). That is a clever suggestion to add tape over the LEDs to be less visible in crowded areas.

I'd rather do it right and get the photo/shot than not being able to get it because the camera isn't good enough.

 

[House Forasken]

I think you made the right choice. If you are in the US its just a $5 registration fee for the larger drone and you get all sorts of advantages: 5.4k resolution, battery life, wind resistance, speed, stability, variable aperture, more detailed images(daytime), better color accuracy.

Initially, I thought the Nano+ was going to hit it out of the park. But because of the new camera technology onboard and Autel's inability to get it to keep up to the Mini 2's ability to negating wind it falls short. These things may be able to be fixed in software so don't count it out but for now I'm going to watch from the sidelines.

Thanks! I hope I did too, lol! I really want the sub 250g drone for the freedom, but I don't know if that outweighs the capabilities of the camera of the Lite +. I think it's worth the $5 registration, lol. (I know there's more to it than that).

I too thought the same about the Nano + (which is why I preordered it back in October). I do a lot of coastal flying, the thought of possibly losing it due to wind puts knots in my stomach. Maybe if they dial in the Nano +, I'll pick one up down the road.

But if the camera was better than the Lite + for low light, I'd get it!

 

[bkushner]

Lite Plus has Night mode I don't think the Nano's do?

 

[Volatus Drones]

Lite+ camera is better for low-light conditions.

 

[atortaloha]

I think you made the right choice. If you are in the US its just a $5 registration fee for the larger drone and you get all sorts of advantages: 5.4k resolution, battery life, wind resistance, speed, stability, variable aperture, more detailed images(daytime), better color accuracy.

Initially, I thought the Nano+ was going to hit it out of the park. But because of the new camera technology onboard and Autel's inability to get it to keep up to the Mini 2's ability to negating wind it falls short. These things may be able to be fixed in software so don't count it out but for now I'm going to watch from the sidelines.

Nano+ is definitely not the drone to buy many canceled their orders even many friends of mine after I told them not worth the money. Lite+ or Evo 2 Pro those are the options to me at least.