Best set of ND filter right now ? Should we wait ?

[kraft2000]

What are the "best" set of ND filters right now for the Mavic 2 Pro ?
Should we wait for better one to be released and which one in particular ?

 

[CanadaDrone]

Polar Pro consistently delivers quality filters along with a good warranty and good customer service. I only have experience with them on certain drones but have been very happy - no color casts and no image degradation. I am a professional photographer as well and am extremely *****/picky about everything. I looked at Skyreat but the manufacturer has repeatedly ignored my numerous inquiries about quality issues, so I personally would not give them my money, nor will I be buying my MP2 filters from them. Polar Pro is usually the safest bet, and they are still cheap enough relative to the cost of the drone that in my opinion there is no point in cheaping out on filters trying to save a few bucks. They are also something that directly affect image quality, so you want them to be good. The other thing to watch out for on less well-known brands is if the weight is such that it interferes with gimbal calibration - I think PP has had issues with this in the distant past but have long been resolved.

When deciding what filters you need/want, keep in mind that diffraction starts to degrade the MP2 image beyond F4, so if you are picky about image quality (sounds like you are if you want good filters) after F4 you should be using ND filters instead of just using smaller apertures if you want the most out of the MP2. I've seen some threads telling people to only use ND filters after F11 and that is very poor advice if you care about image quality.

 

[Ray Jay]

Point/Counter Point!

Let me push back a wee bit on Mr. CDs post from the point of view of a hobbyist who appreciate quality video.

I used both Taco and Polar Pro filters on my Mavic Pro and was happy with both. Recently, I’ve been testing the Skyreat filters on my Mavic 2 Pro and quite honestly, I can not discern any difference between the Skyreat and the other two more popular filters.

But again, I am not a professional videographer/photog and perhaps there are some difference between the filters from the perspective of a professional. I don’t know. But for my purposes and at 1/2 the price, I’m happy with the Skyreat ND filters.

Ray Jay

 

[Sockeye]

I just tested the Skyreat ND filters, and I am very pleased with their performance. Very neutral and not affecting the IQ..

But I will only use the ND64 for 90% of the time and for late afternoons the ND16. All others are more ore less useless for the Pro. For the Zoom of course, without aperture control you will need the whole series...

 

[ricphoto]

What are the "best" set of ND filters right now for the Mavic 2 Pro ?
Should we wait for better one to be released and which one in particular ?

Haven't tested the sky treat filters yet but hear good things about them and they are very active/responsive on the forum which is always a good thing...

Even though PolarPro has generally produced a good reliable filter I stopped buying from them after watching the Shark Tank video where Jeff brags about a 70-90% markup...sorry but that's predatory pricing and I'm not supporting it...

 

[Lon Denard]

So far, I have the Skyreat (ND4-16) and the DJI (ND4-32) filters.

The Skyreat filters are good but the early production units don't allow the gimbal lock to be used. They have redesigned them and are shipping a new set out this week. I will say that the video results were good and that the glass seemed to be perfect.

The DJI filters obviously fit perfectly and are exactly the same as the UV filter that you remove. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to fly those yet but my experience with DJI filters have been very positive in the past.

The Polar Pros (custom kit ND8-32+ND16PL) ship on the 29th. They claim several special coatings and production methods but we'll see.

Once the Polar Pros come in, I'll do a quick comparison between them.

 

[Fplvert]

So far, I have the Skyreat (ND4-16) and the DJI (ND4-32) filters.

The Skyreat filters are good but the early production units don't allow the gimbal lock to be used. They have redesigned them and are shipping a new set out this week. I will say that the video results were good and that the glass seemed to be perfect.

The DJI filters obviously fit perfectly and are exactly the same as the UV filter that you remove. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to fly those yet but my experience with DJI filters have been very positive in the past.

The Polar Pros (custom kit ND8-32+ND16PL) ship on the 29th. They claim several special coatings and production methods but we'll see.

Once the Polar Pros come in, I'll do a quick comparison between them.

Polar Pros are the way to go. Gimble clamp works and they have adjustable CP filters!View attachment 47707y

 

[maxfaxdude]

Another thumbs up here for PolarPro. Their ND filters are extremely durable and the lenses seem to be very hard to scratch.

 

[noosaguy]

I've ordered these. I should have them in a week or so... DJI MAVIC 2 PRO FILTERS - ALL DAY - 8PACK - FREEWELL GEAR

 

[Fplvert]

Edit not working
Servers must be busy
This is another nice filter, but not compatible with the stock gimbal clamp.
Fstops have a nice kit, easy grip for changing filters. Not adjustable polarization. Not compatible with stock gimbal clamp.

 

[Ray Jay]

Polar Pros are the way to go. Gimble clamp works and they have adjustable CP filters!View attachment 47706View attachment 47707y

Yeah, PP makes nice filters and I’ve used PP and Taco filters on my Mavic Pro. But they are also twice the prices as the Skyreat filters, and that matters to some of us. (Did anyone see the owner of PP on CNBC “Shark Tanks?”)

Also, Skyreat has redesigned their filters to fit with the gimbal cover and include rotatable polarized filters. I also read somewhere that they will replace the original filters with the newly designed ones upon request. Not bad customer service, if you ask me.

Ray Jay

 

[MavicPro2]

I’ve placed an order for the f-stop Labs filter set due to the quality and cost of their other accessories plus parts I’ve had from them in the past. Looking forward to trying them out

 

[Goof]

Those of you claiming the filters work with the clamp on, have you checked behind the gimbal? If the filter is protruding from the front of the camera too far, the gimbal clamp can still fit, but the entire gimbal assembly is pushed backwards on the rubber vibration dampeners. This can cause major scratching on the rear of the gimbal...

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

Skyreat gave away a crap ton of filters to users here and elsewhere for review. This is why you are seeing so much buzz about them. I turned them down as I'm not sure how I feel about their marketing tactics. I think I'll stick to the known quality of Polar Pro. I have heard the Skyreat filters are not coated on both sides of the filter and that may be important in certain conditions. But, I'm no pro photographer, so, I don't really know if that is correct.

It does seem like Skyreat was first to market with their filter set.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Haven't tested the sky treat filters yet but hear good things about them and they are very active/responsive on the forum which is always a good thing...

Even though PolarPro has generally produced a good reliable filter I stopped buying from them after watching the Shark Tank video where Jeff brags about a 70-90% markup...sorry but that's predatory pricing and I'm not supporting it...

I've asked Skyreat no fewer than 4 times in the forums now to address my questions about quality and they have ignored me every single time. This tells me they either don't care, or don't want to publicly state the answer - I am thinking the latter. I can't buy from a company who won't even answer questions about their products. Skyreat was also caught lying about where the filters were made over on the Mavic Air forums which is a little concerning, and refused to provide verifiable proof when asked to back up various quality claims.

Looking at what makes up these filters, I'd honestly be surprised if markup wasn't much higher than 70-90% on both Polar Pro and Skyreat. If we knew the true markup of most products in life, I think we would be left very depressed haha. R&D costs also have to be covered, and a profit has to be made, so it's really hard to look solely at markup and decide if a product is too expensive or not. A lot of products have WAY higher than 70-90% markup - if you think that is predatory, don't research markups for anything else you may own or order a glass of wine at a restaurant Just look at the Props DJI sells for $10 or whatever - I bet markup on those is somewhere in the range of 1,000% despite the already low cost.

Filters for DSLR lenses are the same - markup is absolutely insane, much higher than drone filters in fact.

 

[fstop.labs]

We just came out with our rotable filters as well, we have updated them fit over the gimbal covers!

 

[ricphoto]

We just came out with our rotable filters as well, we have updated them fit over the gimbal covers!

View attachment 47856

But all of your MP2Pro items are out of stock every time I look...

 

[Chopstix Kid]

If you guys haven’t figured it out by now, filters are about the same as Stainless steel Beverage tumblers... One or two factories in China with about a dozen different labels on the box.

Skyreat offered me a demo set of their glass and I accepted... Understand however that I had already purchased several of their accessories from Amazon and planned on purchasing their filters anyhow to keep my accessory names matched. I personally find their customer service great. They are very responsive to my questions. There is a time zone difference so if you are in the United States understand it will likely be next day before you hear back from them unless you happen to be awake while the other side of the globe has daylight

Factory gimbal cover DOES fit. Topic has been covered and I even posted a video earlier in the week so I’m not going to beat that horse again. That said, Skyreat will be releasing, I believe next week, a re-design filter that MORE EASILY fits the gimbal cover. They are also going to soon be releasing their rotating CPL filters if that’s your flavor.

I am also considering picking up the FStop Labs Graduated filters. I have seen great reviews about their products as well.

Polar Pro make great filters. In fact my original P4 wears their rotating CPLs and when I had problems with them, their customer service was fantastic. As a hobbyist however, I just can’t get myself to pay nearly double. It’s the same reason I opted for RTIC over YETI although not too long ago I dropped $9 for a Walmart special Ozark Trail and it works just as good as my RTIC.

 

[fstop.labs]

But all of your MP2Pro items are out of stock every time I look...

It shows out of stock but should be able to order, Amazon moves inventory around sometimes and doesn't update until later..

 

[jarmokan]

Polar Pro consistently delivers quality filters along with a good warranty and good customer service. I only have experience with them on certain drones but have been very happy - no color casts and no image degradation. I am a professional photographer as well and am extremely *****/picky about everything. I looked at Skyreat but the manufacturer has repeatedly ignored my numerous inquiries about quality issues, so I personally would not give them my money, nor will I be buying my MP2 filters from them. Polar Pro is usually the safest bet, and they are still cheap enough relative to the cost of the drone that in my opinion there is no point in cheaping out on filters trying to save a few bucks. They are also something that directly affect image quality, so you want them to be good. The other thing to watch out for on less well-known brands is if the weight is such that it interferes with gimbal calibration - I think PP has had issues with this in the distant past but have long been resolved.

When deciding what filters you need/want, keep in mind that diffraction starts to degrade the MP2 image beyond F4, so if you are picky about image quality (sounds like you are if you want good filters) after F4 you should be using ND filters instead of just using smaller apertures if you want the most out of the MP2. I've seen some threads telling people to only use ND filters after F11 and that is very poor advice if you care about image quality.

so whats the best versatile ND for daylight for M2P ND16 or ND32?