Best Filter For Polarization or Being able to see in the ocean without glare

[wahoo1900]

I have a Mavic Air 2 and I use it for flying over the water at the beach to look for fish and video them. I get a lot of glare from the sun though and I also can’t get nice colors from the fish that I am recording. What filter or settings should I use for these applications.

 

[Thomas B]

Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.
Try the search option ... many threads on this.

 

[wahoo1900]

Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.
Try the search option ... many threads on this.

Ok I’ll take a look, thanks you!

 

[Jay241]

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy!

 

[vindibona1]

There are lots of options at many price points. Polarizers usually come as PL/ND filters. There are a number of reputable brands out there. To name some: PolarPro, Skyreat, Freewell, PGYtech. Here is a link to Amazon's offerings for the MA2 (PolarPro not included on Amazon search) Amazon PL/ND filters

I have two sets of (different) filters for my Mavic 2 Pro, PolarPro and Skyreat. While PolarPro's exterior mount is slightly better refined than Skyreat, there is no difference in filter quality or accuracy, though PolarPro is almost twice the price of Skyreat. Some members have done well with Freewell, but I have no experience with them. PGYtech is generally a good brand for accessories, but again, I don't know how they do with filters.

One thing to be aware of is how much density reduction you need for your circumstances. I'm attaching a filter guide that I copied to give you an idea of what you might need, keeping in mind that your MA2 only has a fixed aperture of f2.8, so the filter should be chosen to work in conjunction with your desired shutter speed, typically 1/50 or 1/60 second for the "cinematic" effect.

 

[wahoo1900]

There are lots of options at many price points. Polarizers usually come as PL/ND filters. There are a number of reputable brands out there. To name some: PolarPro, Skyreat, Freewell, PGYtech. Here is a link to Amazon's offerings for the MA2 (PolarPro not included on Amazon search) Amazon PL/ND filters

I have two sets of (different) filters for my Mavic 2 Pro, PolarPro and Skyreat. While PolarPro's exterior mount is slightly better refined than Skyreat, there is no difference in filter quality or accuracy, though PolarPro is almost twice the price of Skyreat. Some members have done well with Freewell, but I have no experience with them. PGYtech is generally a good brand for accessories, but again, I don't know how they do with filters.

One thing to be aware of is how much density reduction you need for your circumstances. I'm attaching a filter guide that I copied to give you an idea of what you might need, keeping in mind that your MA2 only has a fixed aperture of f2.8, so the filter should be chosen to work in conjunction with your desired shutter speed, typically 1/50 or 1/60 second for the "cinematic" effect.

View attachment 125725

I appreciate the insight. So for any of these filters I chose I need to use a shutter speed of 1/50 or 1/60? What is the point of changing the shutter with using a filter?

 

[slup]

... I need to use a shutter speed of 1/50 or 1/60?

When filming, a too fast shutter speed gives the film a sticky look... every frame in the film is pin sharp. In severe cases it also introduce stuttering when panning & flying closer to objects.

All this can be avoided by introducing some motion blur... the amount of motion blur is personal, but most agree to that the amount you see with your bare eyes is the most "cinematic" ... it looks natural. The shutter speed you should be close to is a shutter speed = 2 x the chosen frame rate... like: frames per sec=30 then use 1/60sec as a shutter speed.

What is the point of changing the shutter with using a filter?

If you're filming with your MA2 during bright daylight, with the ISO at 100 to get as little grain as possible ... usually a fast shutter speed up against 1/1000sec is needed to get a correct exposure. So how slow it down to 1/60sec as in the example above? You have a fixed aperture so you can't change that ... the ISO is already at it's lowest ... & if you just set the shutter to 1/60sec the film will be severely overexposed... letting in to much light

You need something that can stop light from entering the lens so you can use such a slow shutter without overexposing... & it's here the ND-filter come in use. The filter mainly acts as a pair of sunglasses for your camera, letting in less light & make a shutter of 1/60sec generate a correct exposure.

 

[vindibona1]

I appreciate the insight. So for any of these filters I chose I need to use a shutter speed of 1/50 or 1/60? What is the point of changing the shutter with using a filter?

For general purposes you do not need to limit your shutter speed to the aforementioned. But for "cinematic" purposes they are suggested. But it might be important for you to know about the setting for a potential cinematic look.

When you are trying to take "cinematic" footage a certain amount of motion blur is required to make it look natural. So there is a generally accepted recipe for that: The shutter speed should be 2x of 1/over the frames per second. In other words, if your camera is set to 24 fps the recommended (2x) shutter speed should be 1/50sec. If you are at 30 fps it should be 1/60sec. There is no rule or law that says you have to do that. Nor will you get bad footage if you ignore those suggested settings. They are just suggestions to get a particular "cinematic" look. You can find more about this on YouTube or other articles.

Your drone has a fixed aperture of f2.8, so the only way to manipulate the exposure to dial in a particular shutter speed is through the use of neutral density (ND) filters. I may be stating the obvious, but in daylight the ISO setting should be the lowest it can be, in the case of most DJI drones that would be ISO 100. At night or in darkness you may want to bump that up to whatever is needed to get a desired exposure, I suspect that isn't the case here, so it's just easy to say to set your ISO to 100 and leave it there.

 

[Dogpilot]

Did this a lot from aircraft. Did whale surveys in Alaska for 3 years and we needed to document the creatures we saw. First a polarizer is the best. You do need to adjust a polarizer, as it rotates and can then filter out light that is reflected with some polarization from the act of being reflected. This angle you set the filter to is dependent on which quadrant you are looking at the water from. What that means is a shot from out of the sun will need one angle and a shot 90° from the sun angle will require a different rotation on the polarizer. With a camera in hand, you simply rotate the filter to get the least reflection (nothing will get rid of it all). With the drone I suspect a bit of trial and error may be necessary. You can get it to roughly the correct angle onshore, but you may need to adjust it a couple of times to get the optimal effect when your over your subject. Polarizers also have the added benefit of saturating the colors and increasing contrast a bit. Something you seem to be looking for anyhow.

Which brand of polarizer is a bit of a toss up. With cameras I always use the Hoya HD series, repel dirt and are .3 stops faster (polarizers have the tendency to reduce the light hitting your sensor by a factor of 1.7-2 stops). Unfortunately, Hoya does not make drone filters. They seem to made by companies like "Tiny Baker and Sunny Life Cookies and Drone Accessories." You would need to check each one with your drone and see what the filter factor actually is. Cheap ones can be dark and impart a purple cast to your shots. It would be nice to have a selection to check out, but I am just not going to spend that much money for a test. The "Freewell" filter I got for my Mavic 2 Pro seems to work OK, but I could not under oath say it is better than any other.

 

[Barbara]

I'm still experimenting with this myself. For videos I've been using variable ND Filters. For Photographs I usually use just a circular polarizer. I know the polarizer is very effectice for snow and haze, haven't tried it on water yet (seeing as the lakes are still hard). My filters are all Freewell. Quality seems okay.

 

[Meta4]

I have a Mavic Air 2 and I use it for flying over the water at the beach to look for fish and video them. I get a lot of glare from the sun though and I also can’t get nice colors from the fish that I am recording. What filter or settings should I use for these applications.

Although a polariser can remove the glare (under the right circumstances), it's probably not going to be any practical use for you.
For the polariser to work for you, you have to rotate the filter to align with the angle of the sun.
That's fine while the drone is facing the direction you have it set for, but if you turn the drone to fly in a different direction, you've lost the polarising and the filter isn't helping you.
If you were in a plane, holding a camera as described in post #9, you could simply realign the filter as needed, but it's impossible with the drone.

You can still get good through-water visibility by being careful with the viewing angle relative to the sun.
Keep the sun behind the drone and look in teh direction the sun is shining rather than looking towards teh sun.
Here are two example shots taken 30 seconds apart that show how changing the viewing angle can make a difference.

 

[cgmaxed]

I have a Mavic Air 2 and I use it for flying over the water at the beach to look for fish and video them. I get a lot of glare from the sun though and I also can’t get nice colors from the fish that I am recording. What filter or settings should I use for these applications.

I have a mavic air 2 with a CPL only filter, no ND component. I got mine from MOMENT or Freewell. You shouldn't have to spend more than 20 dollars U.S. Moment and Freewell are the same in quality in my opinion. You don't need the ND/ Neutral density filter component, because I doubt you are trying to be a cinematographer. You probably just want to see underwater. What I do, to set my CPL filter is turn my drone, phone, and controller on. I hold the drone up at an angle while it's camera is pointing at a glass table in the dining area. The lights hang overhead. I rotate the filter until I see most of the reflections on the table disappear. This is usually sufficient to get a decent polarization. I actually used my MavAir 2 w CPL to find a drone I lost underwater. The CPL (circular polarizing lens) worked great. I was amazed that I could see the drone sitting at the bottom of the lake. Needless to say, that wet drone was fried. But, the Mav Air 2 found it. The CPL filter was a free well or Moment, I'm not sure. But I have used both and they work the same in my opinion.

 

[vindibona1]

Although a polariser can remove the glare (under the right circumstances), it's probably not going to be any practical use for you.
For the polariser to work for you, you have to rotate the filter to align with the angle of the sun.
That's fine while the drone is facing the direction you have it set for, but if you turn the drone to fly in a different direction, you've lost the polarising and the filter isn't helping you.
If you were in a plane, holding a camera as described in post #9, you could simply realign the filter as needed, but it's impossible with the drone.

You can still get good through-water visibility by being careful with the viewing angle relative to the sun.
Keep the sun behind the drone and look in teh direction the sun is shining rather than looking towards teh sun.
Here are two example shots taken 30 seconds apart that show how changing the viewing angle can make a difference.

You're right. Polarizers are very tricky to use and much easier when you have the camera in your hands and can reach the filter for the particular angle you're shooting

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine!

 

[kevincassio]

Did this a lot from aircraft. Did whale surveys in Alaska for 3 years and we needed to document the creatures we saw. First a polarizer is the best. You do need to adjust a polarizer, as it rotates and can then filter out light that is reflected with some polarization from the act of being reflected. This angle you set the filter to is dependent on which quadrant you are looking at the water from. What that means is a shot from out of the sun will need one angle and a shot 90° from the sun angle will require a different rotation on the polarizer. With a camera in hand, you simply rotate the filter to get the least reflection (nothing will get rid of it all). With the drone I suspect a bit of trial and error may be necessary. You can get it to roughly the correct angle onshore, but you may need to adjust it a couple of times to get the optimal effect when your over your subject. Polarizers also have the added benefit of saturating the colors and increasing contrast a bit. Something you seem to be looking for anyhow.

Which brand of polarizer is a bit of a toss up. With cameras I always use the Hoya HD series, repel dirt and are .3 stops faster (polarizers have the tendency to reduce the light hitting your sensor by a factor of 1.7-2 stops). Unfortunately, Hoya does not make drone filters. They seem to made by companies like "Tiny Baker and Sunny Life Cookies and Drone Accessories." You would need to check each one with your drone and see what the filter factor actually is. Cheap ones can be dark and impart a purple cast to your shots. It would be nice to have a selection to check out, but I am just not going to spend that much money for a test. The "Freewell" filter I got for my Mavic 2 Pro seems to work OK, but I could not under oath say it is better than any other.

cant anyone just be simple although you might have a lot of info , most of it is not needed. Simple question. What is a good lens to use to see the ocean water to see baits , fish and overall color and clarity ?

 

[Meta4]

cant anyone just be simple although you might have a lot of info , most of it is not needed. Simple question. What is a good lens to use to see the ocean water to see baits , fish and overall color and clarity ?

The only filter that might help is a polarising filter, but it's probably not going to help that much.

Using a polarising filter isn't that simple.
It would only help cut glare if used correctly.
As explained in post #11 it's not easy to use it correctly on a drone.