Holy Stone HS720E Camera Settings (Explained)

The Holy Stone HS720E is far from having a top-notch camera to capture the kind of cinematic videos or photos you see on social media.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish gorgeous imagery with it. You must set the ideal conditions to help it shine!

You will find the Holy Stone HS720E camera settings on the Ophelia GO app camera view. On the right, you will see a configuration Icon below a red dot icon you must click to change the camera settings.

Changing them is very easy and only involves some tapping and sliding.

However, how do you achieve the crisp and detailed footage this drone camera is capable of?

Continue reading to find out how to set up your camera to achieve amazing footage. We will also explain some basics of this drone camera you won’t want to miss!

Holy Stone HS720E – How to adjust camera settings #

To access the camera settings, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Ophelia Go app on your mobile device.
2. After pairing your HS720E with the app, go to the camera view.
3. On the camera view, go to the right and tap the configuration icon that is below the red recording button.

On the settings, you can configure the video resolution settings and adjust general camera presets.

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Video resolution settings menu #

The first parameter you want set on the recording section is the quality. You can choose 4K@30 or 1080p60.

For action footage, the 1080p60 is ideal, as the camera films fast motions naturally. But if you want to film a scene with a nostalgic vibe and impressive quality, select 4K@30.

It also has a cache frame number adjuster. This drone saves a lower-quality video as a backup.

With that option, you can set that backup video to FPS if you lose the original footage or didn’t previously install a microSD card on the HS720E.

You can also format the microSD card. Consider that you should always format a new microSD card when installed on the drone to avoid corruption.

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Adjust menu #

In this menu, you can set the saturation and brightness, seeing the changes instantly on the camera view.

Just below, you can find the effect settings where you can choose between Grayscale, Bright, and Nostalgic.

The Grayscale option will take pictures and videos in black and white, and the Nostalgic mode sets parameters to make the image look vintage.

The Bright option increases the saturation and contrast.

We don’t recommend you use these, as they won’t enhance your productions.

The next and most important parameters are ISO and White Balance.

Here, you can select specific ranges of ISO between 100 to 1600 and graduate parameters such as daylight, shades, and fluorescence of White Balance.

As you can’t use ND filters with this drone, there is no use in setting these parameters manually, but you can play with them and try to get the desired parameters.

We only recommend you use the auto presets, as they self-correct to get the most true-to-life-color and crisp footage this camera can take.

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How to get quality footage with the HS720E camera #

Lighting conditions #

This camera lacks ISO dual native. That means it won’t autocorrect overexposure or underexposure in extreme lighting or dark situations.

The underexposure is easier to manage, as the regulation doesn’t allow you to fly this drone at night. Your footage at sunset should look a bit grainy but with a nostalgic vibe.

It becomes tricky with extreme light, as this camera can go totally white on a sunny day.

As you can’t install ND filters, your best option is to avoid shooting directly toward the light source.

The idea is for the source of light to illuminate your scenery, getting the required amount of exposure.

So don’t shoot directly facing the sun or a light bulb, instead shooting in the opposite direction.

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Camera angles #

This drone camera tilts from a neutral position downward to 90° but can’t rotate to the sides.

We don’t recommend tilting the lens while flying, as the image tends to distort, elongating the image on the edges and therefore, losing quality.

When in video or photo mode, you can get a bit of overly noticeable distortion on the edges.

All your targets must always be centered on the camera to prevent this.

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Frames per second settings #

The HS720E camera can film in 4K at 30FPS and 1080p at 60FPS.

Although you gain FPS and drop quality, we don’t advise you to use 1080p60.

Yes, your videos will look smoother, but the image quality drops dramatically, making the final video lack detail.

When filming, opt always for the 4K@30FPS. This configuration will also give you a more cinematic video landscape.

If you want to film action and a drop in quality isn’t as critical, go with the 1080p60 settings.

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Image stabilization aid #

The HS720E lacks a mechanical camera gimbal to provide non-distorted imagery when the drone is in flight.

Instead, Holy Stone equipped this camera with Electronic Image Stabilization to solve this inconvenience.

The idea of this technology is to eliminate excessive jittering by processing the image after taking it.

In some cases, it can look unnatural, such as when using filters on social media that enhance looks.

Generally speaking, EIS works perfectly in environments with balanced light, but in very bright or dark scenarios, the final composition looks inauthentic.

This is another reason to avoid facing this camera directly toward the light source. Also, skip taking night shots, as they’ll look distorted.

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What camera does the Holy Stone HS720E have? #

Holy Stone doesn’t specify the composition of the HS720E camera. The reason is that it isn’t a professional camera for working environments.

You will never get the same pro footage as with a DJI or Autel drone, but that doesn’t mean your footage will look like those VHS movies.

Remember the camera films in 4K, and not as advertised on some other drones as 4K that only film in 2.7K.

This camera drone is suitable for beginner photographers and filmmakers.

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Holy Stone HS720E for photography #

This camera drone can achieve 4K compositions with acceptable quality.

By default, the camera produces pale imagery without too much detail you can’t correct on the field.

However, you can improve these issues in post by correcting the image’s smoothness and adding color.

Thanks to the 130° FOV, you get a wide image without distortion in a single shot, perfect for landscape photography. However, you can’t shoot wider photos as a panoramic.

The nicest feature is the automatic ISO and White Balance that helps you achieve compositions with acceptable contrast and brightness.

The photo settings that will guarantee you beautiful pictures are:

• ISO in Automatic
• White Balance in Automatic

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Holy Stone HS720E for filming #

EIS and the HS720E’s slow mode help you achieve videos with that nostalgic vibe like those relaxing landscape videos you see on social media.

Consider that when winds blows, the drone can’t stay in slow mode, and your videos may look shaky.

The settings to achieve exciting footage with this drone are:

• 4K@30
• ISO in Automatic
• White Balance in Automatic

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Tips for creating cinematic videos with Holy Stone HS720E #

To produce a video with natural movements and the highest quality possible, set the video to 4K@30.

This configuration allows you to film with a frame rate that make movements look natural to the eye.

Be aware that if you don’t install a microSD card first, your HS720E won’t save your footage at this resolution and FPS.

Finally, you must guarantee the drone moves slowly without perceivable vibration, using slow mode to enhance the EIS and avoiding wind.

Avoid tilting the camera in flight. Set an angle that guarantees to center your target during the recording. Moving the camera in flight creates distortion.

What should a cinematic video with the HS720E look like? Here’s an example.

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