Pictures not very good....User error?

[Randy Stone]

Still a work in progress i suppose. Not sure what I am doing wrong but it seems like every picture i take is grainy. I bought ND filters and I probably am not using them correctly?

Baseball picture i started with ND16 then the sun went down on me and i couldn't change the filter as there were people all around

Then the soccer game the next day i was so frustrated with the results i got I removed the filters completely and those pictures came out looking like a tennis ball lol. Had white balance set to sunny

Any suggestions as to how i can get better pictures with this guy would be appreciated. I did shoot in 16:9 and have heard not to do that. Could that possibly be part of my issue?

Again I have read these forums before and you guys are great so I just wanted to see what feedback I could get.

Thank you in Advanced

 

[Trackman1]

ND filters are for video.

 

[ryantrax]

As mentioned above, you only use ND filters for video. The idea of ND filters is to slow down the shutter speed to give motion blur to video. It gives it more of a cinematic effect. The basic concept is to double your frame rate so if you are filming 30FPS you need to be filming at 1/60th shutter speed up to 1/100th. Hope this helps.

 

[mikep2323]

As mentioned above, you only use ND filters for video. The idea of ND filters is to slow down the shutter speed to give motion blur to video. It gives it more of a cinematic effect. The basic concept is to double your frame rate so if you are filming 30FPS you need to be filming at 1/60th shutter speed up to 1/100th. Hope this helps.

I try to set my shutter speed like that ,double the frame rate and the screen turns white. So for a example if I'm shooting 30 I try to set shutter speed to 60. Do I need to do 600 ? I think it goes up to thousands. That's where I'm getting confused. Thanks for any help

 

[rockydog]

I try to set my shutter speed like that ,double the frame rate and the screen turns white. So for a example if I'm shooting 30 I try to set shutter speed to 60. Do I need to do 600 ? I think it goes up to thousands. That's where I'm getting confused. Thanks for any help

The reason your screen turns white is because you are over-exposing....that's when you use the ND filters to cut the light down and get the right exposure.

 

[Randy Stone]

OK cool. Just a hassle because I normally record video and take pictures. It's a pain if I'm recording video then have to land remove the filter then take off again to take pictures. Thanks for the input. Guess I'm spoiled by my dslr lol. I know picture quality will never be that good just trying to optimize what I can get out of this guy

 

[Trackman1]

OK cool. Just a hassle because I normally record video and take pictures. It's a pain if I'm recording video then have to land remove the filter then take off again to take pictures. Thanks for the input. Guess I'm spoiled by my dslr lol. I know picture quality will never be that good just trying to optimize what I can get out of this guy

Exactly. Too much hassle. I have had the best overall experience just leaving everything on auto. If flying into the sun just point the camera more to the ground and take out most of the sky. Then the ground brightens up. 60 frames/sec produces a smoother video. Not what the pros do, but works for me.

 

[ryantrax]

OK cool. Just a hassle because I normally record video and take pictures. It's a pain if I'm recording video then have to land remove the filter then take off again to take pictures. Thanks for the input. Guess I'm spoiled by my dslr lol. I know picture quality will never be that good just trying to optimize what I can get out of this guy

Randy here is a decent video of when to use ND filters and why.

 

[66Fury]

Hmm, so a little blurry is better than crisp...who'd a thunk it? Informative though.

 

[ryantrax]

Hmm, so a little blurry is better than crisp...who'd a thunk it? Informative though.

Yes, the motion blur adds more realism and that Cinematic look.

 

[ryantrax]

When I don't use an ND filter for video I get people asking me all the time if it's real or CG.

 

[mikep2323]

The reason your screen turns white is because you are over-exposing....that's when you use the ND filters to cut the light down and get the right exposure.

I have nd filters so if I put those on and change the shutters peed it won't turn white?

 

[ryantrax]

I have nd filters so if I put those on and change the shutters peed it won't turn white?

Correct, depending on how bright it is out will determine which ND filter you will use. On a sunny day start with ND8, if it is still too bright move up to ND16 then ND32. I've found ND8 or ND16 gets the job done though.

 

[Auusie_P3S_pilot]

Here's another good vid for settings

And one for editing

 

[lfaitas]

I set the speed manually instead of auto even if the video look ok?
Also problem is that i use litchi for pre-planed misions with video only at 4K and then i take screen shots of the pictures i want to keep .. i dont take photos any more as it would stop the video recording.
With the nd filter the photos are blurred on the sides which is not ideal for photos!
I am sure photographers use nd filters for photography, maybe polarising filters only?.. not sure that is why is ask.. so you say i should not use nd filters for picture taking just use manual settings if picture is too bright using the auto settings?
Or maybe there are other filters just for pictures for the phantom 4?