Looking for advise on using ND4 filter for still shots in auto mode. I bought it mainly to cut down on reflections from water and such situations. Any advise would be appreciated.
Still shots with ND4 filter
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You will need a polarizing filter for reducing water-reflections. A plain nd filter will just slow the shutter speed which is really only useful for video. However, a 2 stop nd4 filter will not make much of a difference and can be kept on except for very low light situations.
That's not what an ND filter is for - all it will do is slow down your shutter speed leading to potentially blurred images - despite what the snake oil salesmen will tell you ND filters have little or no benefit for still images taken with a drone such as the P4Pro which has variable apertures.
To cut down on glare and reflections you need circular polariser and whilst these (in an ideal world) will do the job, stuck on the front of a drone 120m in the air and half a mile away is very definitely not an ideal world.
Polarisers need to be adjusted carefully to get the full effect so when you have one on the front of your DSLR you can adjust it every time you move the camera to control the influence of the polariser - you can't do that on a drone so you have to do it prior to take off - you can work things out exactly or you can take a guess but your settings will only work perfectly at one angle, at all others it will be compromised.
This brings us on to another point, we are using a wide angle lens so parts of the image will receive less polarisation than the rest of it - the result being 'blotchy' skies and water or parts of them very dark whilst the rest is light.
It's also pretty much pointless using ND filters in Auto mode as well - the camera software will realise that the available light has dropped so will attempt to compensate by opening the aperture as wide as possible and/or boosting the iso which leads to lower image quality.
Don't waste your money until you fully understand what you are getting
To cut down on glare and reflections you need circular polariser and whilst these (in an ideal world) will do the job, stuck on the front of a drone 120m in the air and half a mile away is very definitely not an ideal world.
Polarisers need to be adjusted carefully to get the full effect so when you have one on the front of your DSLR you can adjust it every time you move the camera to control the influence of the polariser - you can't do that on a drone so you have to do it prior to take off - you can work things out exactly or you can take a guess but your settings will only work perfectly at one angle, at all others it will be compromised.
This brings us on to another point, we are using a wide angle lens so parts of the image will receive less polarisation than the rest of it - the result being 'blotchy' skies and water or parts of them very dark whilst the rest is light.
It's also pretty much pointless using ND filters in Auto mode as well - the camera software will realise that the available light has dropped so will attempt to compensate by opening the aperture as wide as possible and/or boosting the iso which leads to lower image quality.
Don't waste your money until you fully understand what you are getting
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Meta4
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Andy explained it pretty well.
One thing you can do to deal with glare is shoot from an angle where the glare is not going to be a problem.
Try to shoot with the sun behind the camera rather than shooting into the sun (and glare).
You CAN successfully utilize ND filters for still photos if you are shooting in manual and properly adjusting for the shot. You will have some additional dynamic range to work with in post. But, as previously stated, you should not be shooting in Auto as the camera process will only try and counter what you're trying to accomplish with the ND filter to begin with - which translates to a mess.
This shot was captured with an ND-8/PL during a recent video shoot.
This shot was captured with an ND-8/PL during a recent video shoot.
You see, there you go. in my post I referred to 'snakeoil salesmen'
No amount of filtration will give you extra dynamic range it's a physical impossibility - that is limited by the sensor and by the file system you are using.
Usable dynamic range is what you misinterpret. And just plain knock it off with your childish comments. Proof posted that ND filters can effectively be used, just like in standard photography (when you know what you're doing.)
You posted a example with a combined polarizer/nd filter. The polarizer has a definate effect while a plain nd filter only reduces the light reaching the sensor in a uniform manner which therefore only affects shutter speed.
Meta4
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TW is correct. The ND filter makes no difference to the image qualities.
It only reduces your shutter speed and there's not much need for that in most drone photography.
It wouldn't matter if you are shooting auto or manual. Either way you are just trying to get a correct exposure.
What you see in your image is entirely due to the polarising filter.
If you wanted to intentionally underexpose, you can easily do that with settings.
I think I know what i'm doing - I'm pretty sure you don't. I stand by my 'snakeoil' comment. How do you plan to describe 'usable dynamic range'
Meta4
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I think it's a misunderstanding and that he was saying that the P4 pro had more usable dynamic range to work with - not that the filters created additional DR.
That would be one filter I'd pay a little extra for.
You might get a little extra blur to work with in post, in low available light. Dynamic range is limited by the sensor and image processing hardware.
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