Hi all, new owner here… got my first flight done this afternoon and already looking at accessories… specifically ND filters… but also interested to know what other people use/avoid.
I have come across this on Amazon, which seems like a great deal considering filters alone could be £50+ but they could be poor quality. Does expensive vs cheap ND filters make much difference?
I bought some Neewer filters for my Air 3S, sadly they ruined the 70mm focus, whereas the DJI supplied ones worked perfectly, but saying that I had some cheap filters on my Mini 4 Pro and they were great, that seems a decent kit and will have most of what you will need going forward
Don’t want to be contentious on the issue of ND filters as I use them for stills photography but I wanted them asap … but … watched a few videos where they’re used and never bought them … when I get good at low level videography and in bright sunlight where the aperture / shutter speed / iso triangle is a challenge to generate smooth blurred movement …I might reconsider
I have used ND filters to attempt long exposure of waterfalls, water, cars, and light trails, also thinking of trying wind turbines. I think ND filters can also improve some low light photos.
For still photography, I agree. From what I’ve seen, they do tend to be used to create a smooth blurring moving effect when the ground is prominant in moving video footage … I took some video in Iceland recently (see below) and never really felt they would have added anything. I’d spend the money on a decent hard case instead😁 The ‘faff’ of putting them on and making the right selection when on location with maybe limited time was also a factor for me not bothering with them…maybe one day.
So far as filters are concerned, I use the PL most often, to get a handle on water/window reflections. The NDs tone things down in the sort of very bright sunlight that gives off a lot of glare, especially reflected off white-painted surfaces.
As I do a lot of ‘golden hour’ flting & photograph, I’m quite frequently facing into the sun with a lot of strong reflexted light bouncing up at me, then it eases off when the sun gets to the horizon and dips below it. Once we are into dusk, all the filters come off.
I mostly leave the camera on auto unless there is a specific reason not to! I know how to use the settings, but the camera is pretty good in auto, and very responsive to changing light.
I come from a stills DSLR background, where POL, ND (in various grades), were the norm. Unlike stills photography, I’ve found with videography, the parameters are constantly changing, so knowing what, if anything, to use becomes more immediate and robs you of the real task at hand, concentrating on what and how you are filming. If stills are you primary, then that decision process is easier. You can set up before hand easily enough. My go to filter is a 1.2 grey graduated neutral, which stays on the lens pretty much all the time. I’ve yet to slow things down with higher grade NDs, but Freewell is the brand I use. See below. The set you’ve seen seems a good deal with all the goodies
Went flying yesterday evening, first time for 2 weeks because of the weather, and all went well except that the PL filter I put on the lens was not there when I landed the drone on the last of 3 flights! Bugger! Gone through the videos and can’t see a point where the image suddenly got brighter as the filter fell off, but of course the light was failing anyway and it might have sort of compensated for itselt…
Anyone got any tips on how to make sure filters stay on the lens on Minis? I guess I’ll have to be a bit more careful about how I put them on!
Neewer, pack of 3, ND4/PL, ND8, ND16, £27.99 off Amazon. Didn’t think that was particularly cheap, tbh!
Not a major deal to buy a new one, but there may be better value out there. In any case I’ll have to wait until next pension day, Wednesday week, so I’ve got plenty research time. Might go for Freewell adjustable polariser; had one of those on the 2SE murdered by seagulls a year ago, and it seemed to sit quite firmly on the lens…
I find a polariser useful for shots where there are reflective surfaces, and would have thought it would take a long time for the gimbal motor to be affected by one. Anyone got any ballpark data on how many hours a filter reduces the life of a gimbal motor by!
A polariser will also help to keep overexposure from glare (especially from white-painted surfaces) under control, but this can be done by increasing shutter speeds and/or reducing ISO in the camera settings.
