Worth getting Polar Pro 6-pack?

Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
25
Reaction score
1
Location
New Jersey, USA
Is it worth getting the Polar Pro 6-pack of filters vs. the 3-pack? Not sure how often I would use the ND32 (but guess that could come in handy). Does anyone have experience using the ND8-PL or ND16-PL and have noticed a significant difference over using just a ND filter? Seems like those three filters are the selling point of the 6-pack set.
 
Depends if you are planing on shooting facing the sun ... a ND 32 may be helpfull to get a good contrast and shades in the sun.

But you may feel problems with the propelers doing some problems if you don't have a lens head-cap piece to limit that effect...
 
Yeah but if I find the ND16 isn't working for me I can always buy the ND32 or ND64 separately and combine that with the 3-pack it's still cheaper to do that rather than the 6-pack so I guess it really comes down to if the ND8(16)-PL filters are worth it.
 
Yeah but if I find the ND16 isn't working for me I can always buy the ND32 or ND64 separately and combine that with the 3-pack it's still cheaper to do that rather than the 6-pack so I guess it really comes down to if the ND8(16)-PL filters are worth it.

Yeah they definitively do ... It allows you to match the shutter speed with the frame rate with formula (shutter speed double of the frame rate so 60 fps = 120 shutter speed) that is impossible without the ND filters in the sunny days (just get overexposed)
 
I have a 4 pack. Out here in California it is always full sun during summer months. So I have been using mostly ND16. I have used ND8 only a few times. Haven't used ND4 & ND32 yet. But some day I may need them. ND4 for dawn or dusk and ND32 when I go up to Lake Tahoe during the winter. All that snow up there are blinding. Most important, look at your EV meter to make sure it is close to 0.
 
So it seems like I'll definitely go with at least the 3-pack plus an additional filter. Can anyone shed some light on the ND + PL filters that Polar Pro sells?

I have a 4 pack.

Did you buy a package with four in it? I don't see one from Polar Pro unless you have a different brand.
 
So it seems like I'll definitely go with at least the 3-pack plus an additional filter. Can anyone shed some light on the ND + PL filters that Polar Pro sells?



Did you buy a package with four in it? I don't see one from Polar Pro unless you have a different brand.

I have Neewer NDs. I was just communicating how I use each filter.
 
So it seems like I'll definitely go with at least the 3-pack plus an additional filter. Can anyone shed some light on the ND + PL filters that Polar Pro sells?



Did you buy a package with four in it? I don't see one from Polar Pro unless you have a different brand.
had you checked the adjustable one ... more precise and no need to put an remove
 
There's no way a good quality variable ND filter is only $15...they cost too much to manufacture for that one to be good quality, thanks for the link though.
 
There's no way a good quality variable ND filter is only $15...they cost too much to manufacture for that one to be good quality, thanks for the link though.
In my mind ... it must not cost a lot due to the way I understand it works. It seems to be just like a screen you put in front but that is out of focus ... so just the intensity is dropping. Exactly like you put the cap on a newtonian telescope to watch the moon ... you don't see the hole, you juste see a disminished light. So I'll give it a try and I'll tell you if they are good.
 
I'll sell you my brand new set for $80. Just send me a PM.
 
In my mind ... it must not cost a lot due to the way I understand it works. It seems to be just like a screen you put in front but that is out of focus ... so just the intensity is dropping. Exactly like you put the cap on a newtonian telescope to watch the moon ... you don't see the hole, you juste see a disminished light. So I'll give it a try and I'll tell you if they are good.


Yeah let me know how that goes. I guess I'm just going off my photography experience with SLRs and the variable ND filters are pretty expensive but they are also a lot bigger than a Phantom filter so I could be wrong.
 
My guess is that modern NDs are a bit more sophisticated. Likely a deposited layer that absorbs a specified portion of the incoming light. Design is critical in that the absorption has to be uniform across the entire visible band. A lot of engineering would have to go into good ones. My old variable density filters were 2 polarizing filter with one of them rotatable. When the filters were aligned, you got maximum transmission. When at right angles, minimum (highest ND). By design, they would have to be bulkier and heavier than a single filter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WetDog
Some of you with older photographic variable ND filters: the variable ND filters for drones such as the Neewer are cheap, gel filters (not higher quality glass such as the Polar Pro and others). They are poor optical quality, especially the heavier you dial in. It sounds to me like a waste of time and money.

As for the benefits of variable: I don't think that you're going to see an advantage here given that your flight time is limited anyway. Your light is probably not changing as fast as one battery wears down.

Besides, adjusting a variable filter requires that you land anyway, so you're trading only a few seconds of time for poor quality imagery.
 
Some of you with older photographic variable ND filters: the variable ND filters for drones such as the Neewer are cheap, gel filters (not higher quality glass such as the Polar Pro and others). They are poor optical quality, especially the heavier you dial in. It sounds to me like a waste of time and money.

As for the benefits of variable: I don't think that you're going to see an advantage here given that your flight time is limited anyway. Your light is probably not changing as fast as one battery wears down.

Besides, adjusting a variable filter requires that you land anyway, so you're trading only a few seconds of time for poor quality imagery.

Thanks for confirming this...I just compared to the $100+ that you would spend on a good quality SLR lens filter but didn't know if that was solely because it is so much bigger than a P3 filter. I'll stick with the Polar Pro filters then.
 
You may also think about this "adjustable" model. This way you just turn the knob and ajust ... more precisely the ND needed

ND - PRO Adjustable Lens Filter for DJI Phantom 3 Professional 4K Advanced HD Camera
I would not use an adjustable filter. You will have other issues. There are a ton of options out there that are less than the Polar Pros. There is even a thread dedicated to ND filters on this board. I would go there and make a choice but I would not buy an adjustable filter.
 
I would not use an adjustable filter. You will have other issues. There are a ton of options out there that are less than the Polar Pros. There is even a thread dedicated to ND filters on this board. I would go there and make a choice but I would not buy an adjustable filter.
I would ear you if only you throw just "one" valid argument to sustain your opinion but you didn't so I can't agree with you
 
The polarizers in the six pack are pretty weak. I bought a set thinking it would help shooting on water, just like a 'real' camera. Doesn't. You can barely tell the difference as you rotate the drone. And recall that, even if they did work well, the polarization factor would change as you move the camera relative to the sun. In my case, I was trying to shoot some fish almost vertically and pretty much stationary. Still could not punch through much of the glare.

the N32 is useful on those nice bright days.
 

Recent Posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,357
Members
104,935
Latest member
Pauos31