so after viewing some video’s on the youtube they all kept mentioning ND filters , i was thinking to my-self they cant be that good. but i bought some anyway ( ND4 / MCUV / ND8 / ND16 / ND32 / CPL
and WOW what a difference ND32 does in sunny af days so impressed and needing very little editing when getting home from droning ( in my opinion )
if someone with some knowledge haha is able to explain what the opther ND filters i actually have that would be epic
Thats what i thought when i got mine. Sunglasses for cameras.
the video is a 2.7k resolution uipscaled to 4k.
using pro mode
iso 100
1/60
ND32 FILTER
The explanation of the use of ND filters is well populated on YouTube but the idea is to shoot video whilst working to the “180 rule” ie a standard in the film industry, that explains the relationship between shutter speed and frame rate when recording motion in video. To mimic motion the same way the human eye experiences it in real life, the 180-degree rule states that the shutter speed should be set to double your frame rate so if filming in 4k:30 the filter should enable you to shoot at 60 with an ND 32 filter (5 stops) if your normal shutter speed is 2000 at a near neutral exposure (so your not over-exposed). Obviously the brighter the scene the higher the shutter speed so you’ll need a higher density ND filter to compensate and to get back to the 60. I used to use the NiSi Filters app to find the right filter to use for a given normal shutter speed for neutral exposure but now I know my goto filters depending on the ambient sunlight (for a mini 3 Pro usually ND 64 for bright sunshine).
ND filters are superflous when it comes to drone photography.
PS. Hardwick Hall is one of the places on my list to fly but as its NT I’m looking for the public paths just outside their boundary line.
Appreciate your reply …I’ll be testing out your guidance thank you 
Static landscape photography. It’s a fixed, large aperture lens. You can get a wide range of exposure by controlling shutter speed and exposure, but shutter speed has a big effect on the image (I shoot stills of moving vehicles, for example, and want relatively slow shutter speeds) and ISO has a big impact on noise.
Saying that ND filters are only useful for video is a bit like saying that stills cameras don’t need aperture control. It’s not exactly the same, because aperture also gives you control over depth of field, but being able to control the amount of light that hits the sensor for a given exposure time can be a useful tool.
Now and then granted but mostly no need. If you want motion blur like car light streaks, fireworks, waterfalls with silky images it helps but TBH never really bothered with them.
…is not quite the same thing as ‘I don’t need them for the sort of drone photography I do’
He’s right effectively.
Most drones aren’t stable enough for long exposure shots and not many people want to photograph blurry waterfalls all day.
For the rest they’re going to make image quality worse. They’re going to either reduce the shutter speed to the extent moving objects blur OR you’re going to have to bump the ISO to keep it up meaning more noise.
He isn’t, though. For the same reason I don’t shoot all my DSLR shots with the lens wide open. On bright days you effectively lose ISO as an option, so without ND filters your only exposure control would be shutter speed.
Which on Minis etc its all you do have. You’re always shooting wide open.
However to need an ND you’ll need ridiculously bright conditions.
Even my tests on bright snow in blue sky sunshine came close to (about a stop) but not over-exposed without a filter.
Again thats a vanishingly small niche.
For video yes, pretty essential - and more so on drones that don’t have a variable aperture.