DJI Phantom Workflow 4K vs 1080p, Best Quality Possible Under 400MB?

[Frankieseshy]

This post is really quite general, so I apologize in advance for any mis-categorizing.

Anyways, I am making drone real estate videos with the DJI Phantom 2, but the final render needs to be small to deliver via Dropbox. (400MB maximum) Although I'm not skilled with formats and codecs, I want to build a template that will be the most efficient. So I have a few questions:

1. Should I render to 4K HD at a lower bit rate, or 1080p at a higher bit rate?

2. If rendering to 1080p would be best, should I keep recording 4K and downsize, or should I just record in 1080p?

3. Which format should I be rendering in? I am using Sony Vegas if that matters.

Thanks in advance!

 

[basroil]

1) 1080p at higher bit rate is usually better. There are some exceptions, but very few in general.
2) Recording at 4K and then editing down lets you keep the highest possible quality, but if your final output (i.e. website, youtube, etc) compresses again, there might not be a point.
3) Export as whatever your final view-able format is, that usually the best. If you don't have control over the final output, h264 Main 4.1 is usually a safe bet.
4) Check the legality of everything in question, most countries (definitely the US and Japan) forbid the use of drones for commercial purposes, and h264 is still covered by patents requiring payments when used for commercial purposes.