Filters/ND and Polarizers.

[EOTW]

Anyone using filter lenses on their Phantom Standards? I have limited knowlege of photography, but enough to know that a 2.8 Aperture(non adjustable) will suck on bright days or any partly sunny days. Want to run slower shutter speeds too, as I read fast shutter speeds will show jello effect. I know this will take trial and error. Well I'm looking at Polar Pro lenses for phantom Standard which are basic, not many options for the Standard and about as good as it gets for it. Also the Neewer set, but seems to be heavy for the gimbal and at 13 bucks for the set....cannot be as good.

Anyone wants to show their experience, please do. I think fo rnow in the winter, dark days I don't need the filters yet, possibly just a polarizer. I need to build up skill and practice, before commiting anyways.

 

[LarBear360]

Anyone using filter lenses on their Phantom Standards? I have limited knowlege of photography, but enough to know that a 2.8 Aperture(non adjustable) will suck on bright days or any partly sunny days. Want to run slower shutter speeds too, as I read fast shutter speeds will show jello effect. I know this will take trial and error. Well I'm looking at Polar Pro lenses for phantom Standard which are basic, not many options for the Standard and about as good as it gets for it. Also the Neewer set, but seems to be heavy for the gimbal and at 13 bucks for the set....cannot be as good.

Anyone wants to show their experience, please do. I think fo rnow in the winter, dark days I don't need the filters yet, possibly just a polarizer. I need to build up skill and practice, before commiting anyways.

I have a Neewer set for my P3S. Work just fine for my application. Not too heavy at all. On bright sunny days shooting at 24 FPS that shutter speed runs high. Turns and camera moves look choppy. The filters act like sun glasses and as such the shutter slows down.

Sounds like you're on the right track.

 

[chatikib]

I have a Neewer set for my P3S. Work just fine for my application. Not too heavy at all. On bright sunny days shooting at 24 FPS that shutter speed runs high. Turns and camera moves look choppy. The filters act like sun glasses and as such the shutter slows down.

Sounds like you're on the right track.

I have the same filters. When I mount it on the camera and then start the drone, the filter touches the ground. How did you solve this?

 

[LarBear360]

I have the same filters. When I mount it on the camera and then start the drone, the filter touches the ground. How did you solve this?

These filters should just slip on over the lens. Mine do not touch the ground.

 

[JeffreyS]

EOTW, are you talking about doing still photography? That's what I intend to concentrate on. I'm an experienced pro photographer. I, too am concerned about the fixed f2.8 aperture. On a real camera I never use that setting for landscapes, in fact quite the opposite, staying in the f8 to f16 range. But since the drone camera (I'll be using a P4P v2.0) will be quite a distance from the subject it could work out and be sharp (I demand sharpness). What concerns me more is the shutter speed, which is the main factor of sharpness next to camera shake. I don't know how still the drone will be when hovering, and the effects of it's vibration. I'm a tripod user when on the ground. I certainly don't see using ND filters, which will only make the shutter speeds slower, thus defeating my needs. And, oh, if you guys are just talking video, forget all this!

 

[LarBear360]

EOTW, are you talking about doing still photography? That's what I intend to concentrate on. I'm an experienced pro photographer. I, too am concerned about the fixed f2.8 aperture. On a real camera I never use that setting for landscapes, in fact quite the opposite, staying in the f8 to f16 range. But since the drone camera (I'll be using a P4P v2.0) will be quite a distance from the subject it could work out and be sharp (I demand sharpness). What concerns me more is the shutter speed, which is the main factor of sharpness next to camera shake. I don't know how still the drone will be when hovering, and the effects of it's vibration. I'm a tripod user when on the ground. I certainly don't see using ND filters, which will only make the shutter speeds slower, thus defeating my needs. And, oh, if you guys are just talking video, forget all this!

The camera on the P3S is impressive for the money. Yes, it's a fixed 2.8 which leaves only shutter speed and ISO to control your exposure. People using filters are primarily looking to slow down the shutter speed for a more cinematic effect. If your primary application is photography, it won't matter. When the P3S hovers, it's almost as if it's locked down on a tripod. And at those high shutter speeds, even the slightest motion will not be noticed. You can experiment with the various camera profiles or shoot DNG (RAW) and process as creatively as you like.

 

[EOTW]

I want to try and practice getting cinematic shots, by learning about exposure and flying a drone in a slow, fluid motion. All I hear is the aperture on the PS3 is not adjustable and pretty much lets too much light in, unless you put on super fast shutter speed, but that gives you non cinematic sharpness and picks up jello effect and vibrations. The only fix I keep reading about is flying at dawn or dusk, when light is low, or using ND filters, so I can slow down the shutter and get that cinematic feel.

I'm not a photographer at all....I've only been crash course reading via internet and youtube about all of it. I'm lucky to have a good friend who is a professional photographer and she answers many questions, but will take lots of practice and flying to start getting it the way I want.... So for now I believe ND filters is the solution for P3S.

My P3S is going to be worked hard and flown a lot.....I figure this is a cheap enough setup to practice and fly hard, make mistakes, crash, ect ect, before I invest in a 1,600 dollar P4 or better. For now I want to get maximum performance from the P3S and its camera, so been reading tons and tons of stuff on P3S and how to achieve great video and pictures. It will all come down to practice though....this is not a "pick it up on a weekend" type thing, for sure. I enjoy the challenge and I'm learning more about photography than I ever thought..... it is quite interesting in itself. I enjoy it as much as the drone I am finding.

 

[JeffreyS]

Amazing how different the cinema and photography requirements are. We need a subform just for dedicated photographers.

 

[LarBear360]

I want to try and practice getting cinematic shots, by learning about exposure and flying a drone in a slow, fluid motion. All I hear is the aperture on the PS3 is not adjustable and pretty much lets too much light in, unless you put on super fast shutter speed, but that gives you non cinematic sharpness and picks up jello effect and vibrations. The only fix I keep reading about is flying at dawn or dusk, when light is low, or using ND filters, so I can slow down the shutter and get that cinematic feel.

I'm not a photographer at all....I've only been crash course reading via internet and youtube about all of it. I'm lucky to have a good friend who is a professional photographer and she answers many questions, but will take lots of practice and flying to start getting it the way I want.... So for now I believe ND filters is the solution for P3S.

My P3S is going to be worked hard and flown a lot.....I figure this is a cheap enough setup to practice and fly hard, make mistakes, crash, ect ect, before I invest in a 1,600 dollar P4 or better. For now I want to get maximum performance from the P3S and its camera, so been reading tons and tons of stuff on P3S and how to achieve great video and pictures. It will all come down to practice though....this is not a "pick it up on a weekend" type thing, for sure. I enjoy the challenge and I'm learning more about photography than I ever thought..... it is quite interesting in itself. I enjoy it as much as the drone I am finding.

You're off to a good start by doing your homework. You're going to need the filters to get that shutter down to around to 50FPS (2X your frame rate)

You'll get good results with some of the built in profiles but if you rally want to get cinematic you'll want to shoot in D-LOG and color grade your shots from there.

 

[EOTW]

You're off to a good start by doing your homework. You're going to need the filters to get that shutter down to around to 50FPS (2X your frame rate)

You'll get good results with some of the built in profiles but if you rally want to get cinematic you'll want to shoot in D-LOG and color grade your shots from there.

Yepp I read about exporting in D-Log. It will take a lot of practice, but I think my first video will be around 24 frame rate and play with shutter and see what looks good. I think the PS3 will do 24 frames, not sure, but 30 if that is it. I guess the non hard rule, is ...slower frames yield cinematic, and flowing video, where 60 frames shows all action, crisp and clear, but make video look natural like you are there....sort of watching people on a soap opera. I love the cinematic look of people doing them with drones....60 frames makes me not like drone footage.... I guess it has its place, but for me....I love the cinematic look a lot, so I am concentrating on what I need to do for that feel when I start doing serious videos. Eventually, if I like doing it, I want to try and do part time work for a little money with my drone....doing fly overs at weddings with a cinematic flow and charging them 500 bucks, lol. who knows....for now I just want to take a shot at doing cool looking videos instead of random, home movie type stuff.

 

[LarBear360]

Yepp I read about exporting in D-Log. It will take a lot of practice, but I think my first video will be around 24 frame rate and play with shutter and see what looks good. I think the PS3 will do 24 frames, not sure, but 30 if that is it. I guess the non hard rule, is ...slower frames yield cinematic, and flowing video, where 60 frames shows all action, crisp and clear, but make video look natural like you are there....sort of watching people on a soap opera. I love the cinematic look of people doing them with drones....60 frames makes me not like drone footage.... I guess it has its place, but for me....I love the cinematic look a lot, so I am concentrating on what I need to do for that feel when I start doing serious videos. Eventually, if I like doing it, I want to try and do part time work for a little money with my drone....doing fly overs at weddings with a cinematic flow and charging them 500 bucks, lol. who knows....for now I just want to take a shot at doing cool looking videos instead of random, home movie type stuff.

Just to clarify, D-Log is a camera profile. It's not a file format. And yes, the P3S will shoot 1080P, 24 FPS. The only time you would want more than 30 is if you're planning on playing back in slow-motion.

If you do decide to pursue work for compensation, be aware of the FAA requirements to do so. That aspect of this hobby comes with stricter standards and certification often referred to as a Part 107. The Part 107 exam is a remote pilot certification with a small UAS rating intended for use by certified drone pilots getting paid to fly their drones.