ND Filters

[RémyHeli]

Not to mention videos to be taken out from sdcard, not from device. Seen many people discussing about quality and turned out they were not using the scard videos.

Not saying it's this here but just in case.

Also not impossible you got camera problem if you don't reach near same quality as the vids seen in this thread and similar settings.

 

[Dazzauk]

Also not impossible you got camera problem if you don't reach near same quality as the vids seen in this thread and similar settings.

Were you suppose to put a link in there?

Don't think I have a camera problem. Just the settings and light

 

[laserdoc85]

I stuck a ND 8 filter on and switched to auto. It says the shutter is at 30. I go to manual mode and I can adjust it to 60 and everywhere else. With it in auto is it suppose to set itself to 60

 

[Dazzauk]

PolarPro has a neat app that helps you figure out which one to use. You plug in your exposure settings without the filter (ISO, Shutter Speed and fps) it then calculates which ND to use to get a shutter speed that is double the frame rate. Pretty clever and works well.

This seems to only be good for ntsc.

 

[Dazzauk]

I stuck a ND 8 filter on and switched to auto. It says the shutter is at 30. I go to manual mode and I can adjust it to 60 and everywhere else. With it in auto is it suppose to set itself to 60

What frame rate were you shooting at?

 

[SteelFlyer]

This seems to only be good for ntsc.

I assume you mean it doesn't show the PAL frame rates? If so, I would just select the closest NTSC frame rate and it should still get you the correct ND filter. Slight changes in frame rate shouldn't affect the filter selection much.

 

[Dazzauk]

I assume you mean it doesn't show the PAL frame rates? If so, I would just select the closest NTSC frame rate and it should still get you the correct ND filter. Slight changes in frame rate shouldn't affect the filter selection much.

It doesn't show the pal shutter speeds for instance numerous times ive seen my shutter speed at 640 the app jumps from 500 to 800?

 

[go fast]

I mainly use vivid in the camera settings & a ND 16 filter , as I mostly video in bright sunlight...ND16 Camera Lens Filter For RC DJI Phantom 3 Professional Advanced

 

[laserdoc85]

What frame rate were you shooting at?

30

 

[laserdoc85]

This seems to only be good for ntsc.

did not work on my phone

 

[go fast]

I shoot at 60fps , better for slow motion video...

 

[Dazzauk]

I shoot at 60fps , better for slow motion video...

In pal we only have 24 and 25 fps at 4K.

 

[Carl1770]

No matter what you pay for an ND or any other filter, any piece of glass (or plastic) that you choose to put in front of your camera lens will degrade your image. You may or may not be aware of the loss of quality in your image but it will be there. Anything that you put between your composition and your lens will always reduce the light and detail reaching your sensor. Similarly, there are hundreds of thousands of photographers out there wearing an ND filter worth cents on a lens worth thousands, that will never realise the full potential of their high priced glass because of this. And it's usually because they've been told "the filter will protect you lens"! That's a job your lens hood will take care of guys!
But back to your onboard camera. I live and work on one of the sunniest continents on Earth, (Australia) and have never needed to use ND filters on a drone camera for my work. My tip to get the best imagery from any camera you own, learn some basics and understand how aperture, shutter speed and iso come together to produce a correct av (exposure value), then produce the purest imagery you can without filters or software hacks, ( "creative" camera settings etc ), then adjust in post. Works for me!

 

[Cactus Wren]

I hardly ever use ND4, most of the time I'm using ND16 on most sunny days. I seldom use ND8 but I have one for cloudy days where ND4 or 8 could be a good pick. I just don't fly on cloudy days much. Auto mode with vivid color setting is what I usually fly, but sometimes I have to go manual or lock the AE icon if the sun position is such that it ruins my shots by automatically changing exposure too much ...

I use Polar Pro's Cinema PL series, and keep it on the ND16 filter for partly cloudy days. I also have a ND32 filter from Polar Pro I use for bright, sunny days. I always keep my exposure on Manual so I can set the ISO around the lighting/glare conditions and keep the shutter speed consistent. On auto exposure mode, it will adjust the shutter speed in concert with the ISO, and I don't want that.
I will go down to ND8 or even ND4 as the sun gets lower. The attached video was shot just before sunset with an ND4 filter, 24fps, shutter speed 50.

 

[Cactus Wren]

No matter what you pay for an ND or any other filter, any piece of glass (or plastic) that you choose to put in front of your camera lens will degrade your image. You may or may not be aware of the loss of quality in your image but it will be there. Anything that you put between your composition and your lens will always reduce the light and detail reaching your sensor. Similarly, there are hundreds of thousands of photographers out there wearing an ND filter worth cents on a lens worth thousands, that will never realise the full potential of their high priced glass because of this. And it's usually because they've been told "the filter will protect you lens"! That's a job your lens hood will take care of guys!
But back to your onboard camera. I live and work on one of the sunniest continents on Earth, (Australia) and have never needed to use ND filters on a drone camera for my work. My tip to get the best imagery from any camera you own, learn some basics and understand how aperture, shutter speed and iso come together to produce a correct av (exposure value), then produce the purest imagery you can without filters or software hacks, ( "creative" camera settings etc ), then adjust in post. Works for me!

I would say that in sunny conditions a UV filter (high quality glass) and/or a polarizer (high quality glass) are absolute necessities for optimal image quality. Attaining the right exposure is aways the surest way to get a good image. But your shutter/aperture/ISO setting won't do anything to reduce UV light or glare.

 

[Brett Meyer]

For the life of me i cant get the correct nd filter when i fly lol, I understand how to do it, set the shutter speed to double or as close to double the frame rate, and then check the ev and add a filter from there + means go darker - means go lighter, however, i set the bird down put a filter on, fly off and low and be hold the ev changes ... What do people do?

My video is not as crisp as id like and i think the filter makes a massive difference, to dark and theres not enough light coming in and too light and your over exposed,

Also would my assumption that the p4 either doesn't like a lot of one color or doesn't like lots of green be correct, some of my forest vids are awful lol..

My Phantom came with some cheap Digimax plastic "adjustible "ND filter and I too keep mine at 60fps (slo mo waterfowl shots)120 ss and lowest ISO possible.I don't use any color,sat.,contrast,etc and I clean it up with Sony Vegas Pro.Not being a pro,everything I've researched says do it in post processing.In fact,"pros" recommend shooting in d log. I found somewhat easier to use more advanced color correction,contrast,saturation in editing software than DJI basic +3-3 settings.I also use histogram on app in correlation with the metering.Only my amatuer hobbyist opinion,but trying to use that and only app for color correction is the difference between a 5 band eq and a 32 band eqfor music.Sony has histogram,rgb parade spectroscopy so when your eyes start messing with you,you can use these tools to great help.My particular ND is a cheap plastic one,I only use it to achieve correct ss and iso.Software does incredible job even over,underexposed shots.Dont want to step on toes,works better for me than using apps basic corrections.In fact,I set custom as -3 in all three slots. Just a suggestion.

 

[John Locke]

This was using ND16 at sunset, no color grading or contrast mods at all, shot with Vivid color setting flying my P4 last Oct. I'm of the opinion that if I can get all my videos to look this good without the extra steps of grading, which I find time consuming, I'm OK with it.

 

[Mix_]

I use the variable ND2-400 filter.
The Upside - You don't need to change filters and can fine adjust the density.
The Downside - some image quality loss (I don't think any big one, but - thats 2 additional optical elements with polarising film), and - they not good for photography due the dark X - across the frame. (but - you don't need them for photo)
Example video: iCloud Photo Sharing

Aye, forgot to mention: it is P3A, Cinelike, Contrast/Saturation/Sharpness down, 2,7K, FinalCut Pro X >> 1080p

 

[Dazzauk]

I did some testing yesterday and maybe you just really have to get things set up right for the light. It's a big learning curve that's for sure.

 

[Mix_]

I did some testing yesterday and maybe you just really have to get things set up right for the light. It's a big learning curve that's for sure.

I usually set the filter to some -0,7 to -1,5 ev on ground, and that gives around zero after takeoff.

But it depends of overall lighting conditions - the Phantom's camera has quite limited dynamic range (it's good and i love it, but in terms of exposiotion you need to get right on the place - not much playroom in post, and sometimes is chalenging to get details in sky and on the ground, if one is bright, and the other - dark)