Tips to Improve your Aerial Cinematography: Sponsored Sticky

[D95GAS]

I get the auto-update...... took a while for me to see it but now realise it auto creates.

the issue is the odd way I have to select each element, I can only select what I have dialled in, by click on a blank part of the screen, clicking the figure I have dialled in, does nothing.

 

[PolarPro]

I get the auto-update...... took a while for me to see it but now realise it auto creates.

the issue is the odd way I have to select each element, I can only select what I have dialled in, by click on a blank part of the screen, clicking the figure I have dialled in, does nothing.

Thanks for the feedback, this app is constantly being updated, so we are working to make this free app better and better,
-Jeff

 

[Spanishcop]

It's quite simple.

Please go to about 1:30 of this video and watch

Jeff....
Can you elaborate on this?

The video showing where you can darken the lens is on a Phantom and not the Mavic. When I put lens on my Mavic they fit pretty tight and I don't think it can be rotated.

Couple questions for you Jeff.....

1) Is there a lighter and darker tint to each lens? If so... Do we need to rotate lens prior to installing since ours snap on and not screw on like Phantom version? Once they are on I don't think they will spin.

2) If they do change from a lighter to darker.... Doesn't that throw off the purpose between say ND4PL and ND8PL or between the 8 and 16 and etc?

I'm a little confused as I'm still learning here.

Mike

 

[Jussaguy]

Jeff....
Can you elaborate on this?

The video showing where you can darken the lens is on a Phantom and not the Mavic. When I put lens on my Mavic they fit pretty tight and I don't think it can be rotated.

Couple questions for you Jeff.....

1) Is there a lighter and darker tint to each lens? If so... Do we need to rotate lens prior to installing since ours snap on and not screw on like Phantom version? Once they are on I don't think they will spin.

2) If they do change from a lighter to darker.... Doesn't that throw off the purpose between say ND4PL and ND8PL or between the 8 and 16 and etc?

I'm a little confused as I'm still learning here.

Mike

It's possible that you have to put the Mavic ones on the way you want them.

Simple to do. I don't have my Mavic and filters together yet. As soon as I got the filters I had to replace my Mavic so they are waiting to meet each other.

If in fact, they don't turn, just eye it and then put it on the lens as is when you find the sweet spot. I'm going to a full video on it shortly.

Also, the ND remains the same, it's the PL (polarized) that changes. It Ian more or less on the top or bottom or maybe left or right. The polarization effects how it plays off of reflections.

The ND steps up or down our f-stop essentially. That is the same. Sorry. Maybe showing that video without the Mavic in my hand was a bad idea. I should have it back any day now and I'll post a new video.

 

[PolarPro]

Jeff....
Can you elaborate on this?

The video showing where you can darken the lens is on a Phantom and not the Mavic. When I put lens on my Mavic they fit pretty tight and I don't think it can be rotated.

Couple questions for you Jeff.....

1) Is there a lighter and darker tint to each lens? If so... Do we need to rotate lens prior to installing since ours snap on and not screw on like Phantom version? Once they are on I don't think they will spin.

2) If they do change from a lighter to darker.... Doesn't that throw off the purpose between say ND4PL and ND8PL or between the 8 and 16 and etc?

I'm a little confused as I'm still learning here.

Mike

Hi Mike, on the Mavic, you need to rotate the filters in front of the camera first, then press it on. It will not rotate once you press it onto the camera.

The polarizer can reduce a little light when it polarizes a scene, but not enough to drop from an ND4 to ND8. Just use the EV comp it it changes +/- 0.3 f-stops.

Let me know if you have any other questions!
-Jeff from PolarPro

 

[AverageDad]

This is what you get with no filter.

 

[PolarPro]

This is what you get with no filter.

With ND filters you get a slower shutter speed, which helps with frame blending and creates a smoother sense of motion referred to as the 180-degree rule of shutter. This is a principle they use in Cinema, and many advanced pilots use filters to reduce the shutter speed to double frame rate. The Polarizer filters of course will reduce glare and enhance shutter speed. Here is a video I shot with mostly our ND/PL filters:

Let me know if you have any questions,
-Jeff from PolarPro

 

[Arkarian]

Very nice footage.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

I have a question about using the polarized filters. I've read that the filter must be rotated depending on the direction of the sunlight, but what do you do when the camera is moving and the direction of the sunlight is constantly changing?

For instance when panning, the sun may be at 90 degrees at the beginning of the pan but facing the camera at the end of the pan. Do you set the filter for the beginning or the end, or somewhere between?

 

[PolarPro]

I have a question about using the polarized filters. I've read that the filter must be rotated depending on the direction of the sunlight, but what do you do when the camera is moving and the direction of the sunlight is constantly changing?

For instance when panning, the sun may be at 90 degrees at the beginning of the pan but facing the camera at the end of the pan. Do you set the filter for the beginning or the end, or somewhere between?

Hi Ray, great question.
When I am flying recreationally I just set the polarizer where it makes the biggest difference (90 degrees from the sun) and fly around. Generally the results will be better than flying without a polarizer. You will still get some glare reduction and increased color saturation.

If I am flying professionally, where my content has to be perfect, I will orient the polarizer for each shot: Set polarizer > Get Shot > Land > Repeat. It takes some extra effort to get it perfect, but it is well worth it in my opinion.

You will find some people prefer the straight ND's, however the ND/PL's are my favorite, as well as most other people.

Let me know if you have any other questions,

-Jeff from PolarPro

 

[JDG]

Thanks Jeff,

I need all the help I can get when using filters, thanks so much for making it easy to understand. I had an issue with my polar pro filters, the image was always out of focus, until I cleaned the filters and Mavic camera lens, surprisingly the image wasn't to bad without the filters, so message to all clean your lenses, it is perfect now.

regards

John

 

[Dr Dave]

I have a question - I've noticed that some of your filter series have a combination of polarizing versus non-polarizing lenses.

It would seem to me that one might just use a polarizing lens for any lighting adjustment. Can you explain?

David

 

[PolarPro]

I have a question - I've noticed that some of your filter series have a combination of polarizing versus non-polarizing lenses.

It would seem to me that one might just use a polarizing lens for any lighting adjustment. Can you explain?

David

Hi David,

The polarizing lens is not necessarily ideal in every situation, though as with all things in video and photography this can be pretty subjective. Polarizing filters will reduce glare and lens flaring while increasing contrast and color saturation, so if you're attempting to get a more natural-looking composition then you'd want to use one of our normal ND filters rather than one of the polarizing ones. In many cases we see people purchasing both sets, so they have the option to use either depending on the shot.

- Oliver from PolarPro

 

[Lowlife]

Hey Guys!
I wanted to share a couple ways you can improve your aerial videos/photos. Most of this info is for pilots just starting out, but hopefully everyone can take something away from it.


1. Keep Your Lens and Filters Clean

This one seems obvious but it is important. I check my lens and filter before each flight


2. Time of Day

The best time to capture epic footage is to film an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset, during these times the light is less harsh and will yield stunning videos.


3. Using Filters

Neutral density filters are used to reduce your cameras shutter speed. A general rule in cinematography is to have your shutter speed at double your frame rate. For example, when shooting at 30fps you want shutter at 1/60th which will yield a smooth cinematic look. This rule of cinematography is also called the “180 degree rule of shutter” for those of you who would like to read up on it. At PolarPro we manufacture a wide range of Mavic Filters that will help you achieve slower shutter speeds.

PolarPro | DJI Mavic Filters


4. How to Select the Right Filter

The goal you are trying to achieve with video is double your frame rate. If you are not familiar with f-stops and exposure, fear not, we have developed a free app that calculates all this for you:

IOS: Filter Calculator on the App Store

Andriod: Filter Calculator - Android Apps on Google Play


5. When Possible Shoot Away from the Sun

Shooting at the sun can be very tricky and often lead to severely under-exposed or over-exposed images and video. If I am shooting a subject, I always try to move the aircraft into a spot where the sun is behind the camera.


6. Smooth Gimbal Movements

Flying the Mavic in sport mode is really fun, it’s hard not to fly it like a fighter jet. However, if you are trying to create a cinematic composition, you need to slow it down. Try to move the gimbal smoothly and pan slowly, the slower the movements the better (you can always speed it up in post).


7. Manual vs Auto Mode

A common question we get is which mode to shoot in with our filters. The answer: whatever mode you are most comfortable with. Manual mode will lock your shutter speed which is perfect when you want it to be EXACTLY double frame rate. The drawback is that if exposure changes in the air you will need to use the EV comp to balance it, or else correct it in post. Have no idea what any of that means? Shoot in Auto, when you shoot in Auto the processor will keep your shutter speed CLOSE to double shutter, and you will not need to make any changes in post.


Hopefully this is helpful for some of you! Happy filming,


Jeff from PolarPro

www.polarprofilters.com

Hey great tips .. helps a lot ! It's actually amazing how good the software it to steady the filming .. check this out I mounted a go pro to see mavic in action .. comparing footage is crazy ..

all done in fixed wing mode

 

[johnmharvey]

Filters can also make a huge difference if one wants to capture dramatic clouds. Be nice if a ND filter could be applied at the flic of a switch like I can do with my video camera.