CPL filter

mfarris2 · Feb 27, 2017

Does anyone know of a decent CPL filter for the Mavic that is decently priced? And you actually have a lens that rotates,....after snapping on the filter. I purchased this drone for the extra distance VS the Phantom 4 Pro. But I still want to get decent footage. I am king of afraid of pulling the trigger on a circular polarizer if I have to turn the whole filter against the camera. (Not the most rugged camera I've come across.)
Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

TomD6807 · Feb 28, 2017

For the best shots I recommend polar pros nd8/pl for cloudy days and the nd16/pl for sunny days. You will not be able to rotate a cpl filter after your bird has left the ground.

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idiogenic · Feb 28, 2017

I don't quite understand how people are using CPLs on these things - they need to be correctly rotated for every shot. Are people just randomly orienting them on the drone and flying all around with it in the same place?

bakerboy · Feb 28, 2017

why does it need to be for every shot?

power up gimbal, small mark at the top, orientate the filter to where it works, place mark, then power down and fit?

mfarris2 · Feb 28, 2017

Thank you. I just want to be sure I was not rotating the entire aluminum housing for the filter. Hate to tear up the camera while trying to rotate the tight glass housing.

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idiogenic · Feb 28, 2017

So I'm used to using CPLs on real cameras - every time you point the lens in a different direction (i.e move the aircraft) the CPL needs to be adjusted - how are people getting around this on the Mavic?

halley · Feb 28, 2017

idiogenic is right; CPL is very weak fit for drone usage, unless you had a radio-controlled way of rotating the filter per each shot. The only way that makes sense is to orient it so that horizontal surfaces glare least when facing the same way on the ground that you'll face in the air. But that's only a tiny fraction of what a CPL could do when working with the camera directly.

duelingglove · Feb 28, 2017

I just got this one, it was $19 now cheaper on Amazon. no issues and calibrates with camera off so I just leave it on. no gimbal overloads at all.

Amazon.com: gouduoduo2018 PGY G-UV / ND4 / ND8 / ND16 / ND32 / CPL Lens Filter for DJI MAVIC Pro Drone (1pc CPL): Camera & Photo

deltalimatango · Feb 28, 2017

duelingglove said:
I just got this one, it was $19 now cheaper on Amazon. no issues and calibrates with camera off so I just leave it on. no gimbal overloads at all.

Amazon.com: gouduoduo2018 PGY G-UV / ND4 / ND8 / ND16 / ND32 / CPL Lens Filter for DJI MAVIC Pro Drone (1pc CPL): Camera & Photo

Out of stock at Amazon.

TomD6807 · Feb 28, 2017

There are two (2) types of polarizing filters, linear and circular. Circular polarizing filters are essentially linear polarizers, with a second glass element attached to their back that circularly polarizes the light, giving accurate exposure results when the light hits the light meter. When the two elements are aligned at the right handle and orientation from the sun, the captured image could have more saturated colors, bluer skies, less reflections and higher overall contrast. Unfortunately, you cannot be there to rotate the filter so using a circular polarizer bring little value.

I love the combination filters as I previously stated "nd8/pl for cloudy days and the nd16/pl for sunny days." These types of filters knock down (stops) the light so it is more manageable and add saturation so the greens are greener and the blues are bluer. But the real value from the polarizer comes into play by cutting surface reflections on water.

Whatever filters you decide on, make sure you know whether they can be affixed to the lens before or must be put on after gimbal initialization. The newer filters do not interfere with the gimbal startup routine.

ElGuapo · Feb 28, 2017

TomD6807 said:
I love the combination filters as I previously stated "nd8/pl for cloudy days and the nd16/pl for sunny days." These types of filters knock down (stops) the light so it is more manageable and add saturation so the greens are greener and the blues are bluer. But the real value from the polarizer comes into play by cutting surface reflections on water.

Whatever filters you decide on, make sure you know whether they can be affixed to the lens before or must be put on after gimbal initialization. The newer filters do not interfere with the gimbal startup routine.

I shot these 2 weeks ago on a 92 degrees day in Costa Rica with a Polar Pro ND16 don't remember is they are PL. No post, straight out of the Mavic. It was so bright out that I could hardly see the display of my iPhone 7Plus. When I landed the Mavic to swap batteries I had to let it cool down for a few minutes as the motors were so hot to the touch. She is such a trooper the way she handled the heat.

ElGuapo · Feb 28, 2017

mfarris2 said:
Does anyone know of a decent CPL filter for the Mavic that is decently priced? And you actually have a lens that rotates,....after snapping on the filter. I purchased this drone for the extra distance VS the Phantom 4 Pro. But I still want to get decent footage. I am king of afraid of pulling the trigger on a circular polarizer if I have to turn the whole filter against the camera. (Not the most rugged camera I've come across.)
Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

To the OP - I have a Polar Pro CPL that I do not have use for it. It came in a set, I am mostly using the ND8 and the ND16. All of the filters pass calibration, I install them before power up and leave them on. If you are interested make me a reasonable offer for just that one filter.

Racenviper · Feb 28, 2017

Maybe everyone should read this to understand the difference: All about Polarizers - Linear and Circular

Dark sky with any type of polarizer is only seen when the camera is at an right angle to the direction of the sun.

A circular polarizer also needs to be adjusted to reduce glare when you are change the camera angle relative to the sun.

mfarris2 · Feb 28, 2017

duelingglove said:
I just got this one, it was $19 now cheaper on Amazon. no issues and calibrates with camera off so I just leave it on. no gimbal overloads at all.

Amazon.com: gouduoduo2018 PGY G-UV / ND4 / ND8 / ND16 / ND32 / CPL Lens Filter for DJI MAVIC Pro Drone (1pc CPL): Camera & Photo

Thank you,...I've added it to my list as it is currently unavailable.

mfarris2 · Feb 28, 2017

ElGuapo said:
To the OP - I have a Polar Pro CPL that I do not have use for it. It came in a set, I am mostly using the ND8 and the ND16. All of the filters pass calibration, I install them before power up and leave them on. If you are interested make me a reasonable offer for just that one filter.

Give me a price. I am interested.

Helo · Feb 28, 2017

Racenviper said:
Maybe everyone should read this to understand the difference: All about Polarizers - Linear and Circular

Dark sky with any type of polarizer is only seen when the camera is at an right angle to the direction of the sun.

A circular polarizer also needs to be adjusted to reduce glare when you are change the camera angle relative to the sun.

In addition to being sensitive to the angle to the sun, cameras with wide angle lenses can produce images where the sky goes from light to dark horizontally even when shot at or close to 90°. About the only work around is to try to patch it with a gradient filter in post, very hard to do.

mfarris2 · Feb 28, 2017

Racenviper said:
Maybe everyone should read this to understand the difference: All about Polarizers - Linear and Circular

Dark sky with any type of polarizer is only seen when the camera is at an right angle to the direction of the sun.

A circular polarizer also needs to be adjusted to reduce glare when you are change the camera angle relative to the sun.

Yes,....you see, a circular polarizer clears ups over exposure in a sense. Makes colors pop. It will not be perfect when set for a particular shot,....and then your drone is moved. But as long as you keep the sun in about the same location,....it will certainly help pre-production shots.

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Racenviper · Feb 28, 2017

mfarris2 said:
Yes,....you see, a circular polarizer clears ups over exposure in a sense.

That there is the funniest thing I have read this morning.

mfarris2 · Feb 28, 2017

Come on! Tell me I am so wrong. Polarizing filter is often placed in front of the camera lens in photography in order to darken skies, manage reflections, or suppress glare from the surface of lakes or the sea. See,.....clear up bright spots and make colors pop!

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mfarris2 · Feb 28, 2017

ElGuapo said:
I shot these 2 weeks ago on a 92 degrees day in Costa Rica with a Polar Pro ND16 don't remember is they are PL. No post, straight out of the Mavic. It was so bright out that I could hardly see the display of my iPhone 7Plus. When I landed the Mavic to swap batteries I had to let it cool down for a few minutes as the motors were so hot to the touch. She is such a trooper the way she handled the heat.

Nice shots

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