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

[fstop.labs]

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

I think ND8, 16, 32 would do well

 

[Chasing Light & Shadows]

Amazon have the polar pro nd's on pre-order for 1st October, got a set of nd grads on the way soon

Edit: this it amazon uk.

 

[Ray Jay]

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...

Well said, Mr. Kid. -RJ

 

[jarmokan]

I think ND8, 16, 32 would do well

but the thing is you fstop sell them only as (4/8/16) or (32/64/128)

I only want 16 and 32... or just 32 ... because my goal is to use mostly aperture 2.8-5.6

 

[Ray Jay]

but the thing is you fstop sell them only as (4/8/16) or (32/64/128)

I only want 16 and 32... or just 32 ... because my goal is to use mostly aperture 2.8-5.6

Yeah, I think that’s the way they come from most vendors. Kinda’ supports Mr. Kid’s theory that they all come from the same mfgr.

Ray Jay

 

[Elton Hammonds]

These are shipping and mine should be here very soon... Polar Pro is as good as it gets, so I didn't want to play with anything else.

 

[Trees138]

My custom set of PolarPro's should be in the mailbox soon. They made the label Sunday, although I've still yet to see any real tracking info, but that's not unusual for USPS.

I will have 4P 16 64P and 256, and now after using a 16, I'm very optimistic about my selections.

 

[kilomikebravo]

I just got an email from the USPS saying my PP filters will be here Friday.

 

[Skyreat]

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.

You're one of polarpro, I know that.

 

[doubleplay86]

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...

Yes, I've checked behind the gimbal and there is no hitting the rubber vibration dampeners. While they are slightly larger than the stock UV filter and have a slightly tighter fit with the clamp, I have had no issues with getting it on and off or scratching. I had a set of the Skyreat filters for my Mavic and decided to test their filters for the Mavic 2 as I found them to be on-par with the quality and glass of the more expensive sets out there. I'd be interested to see their re-designed filters and rotatable filters, as their first pass was already excellent. I think that Skyreat's tactics are great as they are already making changes and improving their product based on the feedback from members.

 

[Highflyer01]

Just received my Skyreat filters and love the look of the reddish/orange metal. I got the 4 pack ND 32/64 & PL version as I imagine most of my shooting will be with the 32 or 32PL. The fit of these filters is pretty spot on, although they do stick out slightly on each side but it almost makes it easier to get on and off. In my initial review, I did not notice any changes in coloring with the filter and they did exactly as I wanted, allowing me to shoot with an aperture between 2.8-5.6 to get the clearest picture. I'll be testing out the PL glass tomorrow, but after reading above that there might be some rotatable PL filters, I'll be interested to see how people use them the most. I'm guessing that for the shots I'll be taking when I need a PL and the angle of the sun, the fixed might actually be just fine. More to come.
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[CanadaDrone]

You're one of polarpro, I know that.

You think I work for Polar Pro? Honestly, you're embarrassing yourself. You are just reaffirming everything I have been saying in a highly unprofessional manner. The questions I asked were reasonable and pertained directly to images you yourself posted. Making wild (and factually untrue) claims that I work for Polar Pro to dodge reasonable product questions is highly suspicious.

For anyone wondering, Skyreat posted a photo of the ND1000 filter with a very rough/poorly fished edge. I asked why it looked like that (this is the 5th time) and have been ignored ever since.

Here is the image Skyreat posted and subsequently ignored all questions about - look at the glass edge/bevel on the ND1000. All I asked is why it it is finished like that, and they won't answer me. As someone who will be in the market for a new set of filters very soon, I think it's more than reasonable to want to know if my filters are going to show up with the bevel looking like that, and I am probably not the only one:

 

[CanadaDrone]

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

It depends where you live and what you shoot, but in my experience by far the most used filters are ND8 and ND16. On the MP2 you can go up to F4 without degrading image quality, so that gives you a bit more flexibility compared to fixed aperture drones like the MP1 or Mavic Air.

The MP2 camera's widest aperture is F2.8, and there is one stop between F2.8 and F4 (light is halved). There is 1 stop of light reduction between ND8, ND16, and ND32 each, so you have some nice flexibility there. For some examples, if you have the ND8 fitted at F2.8 and end up needing the ND16, just stop down from F2.8 to F4 and exposure will be the same. Similarly if you have a ND32 fitted at F4 and end up needing a ND16, you can open up to F2.8. It's all the same, it just gives you some additional flexibility. If you are willing to let diffraction start to degrade your images, you can go beyond F4 and gain additional flexibility.

Personally I would buy a ND8, ND16, ND32 and a ND16PL. ND4 is rarely used unless you shoot a lot in heavy overcast or at dawn/dusk. ND64 is also rarely used unless maybe you're shooting over snow, white sand, etc. at high noon - just depends on the conditions.

For example, in Hawaii I am using ND16-ND32 most of the time, especially with light colored landscapes and water. When I was in the UK, I was using no filter at all or a ND8 tops.

My diffraction explanation here:
Mavic Pro 2 Image Quality

Hope that helps!

 

[Ray Jay]

It depends where you live and what you shoot, but in my experience by far the most used filters are ND8 and ND16. On the MP2 you can go up to F4 without degrading image quality, so that gives you a bit more flexibility compared to fixed aperture drones like the MP1 or Mavic Air.


Hope that helps!

Speaking for myself, it sure does. Now, what can you tell us “wanabes” about gradual or gradient filters? There are next on my M2P accessory list.

Ray Jay

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

This thread is very informative. I really am learning a lot here.

I am a long time lurker and decided to signup as I decided to start using ND filters.

I used to own a Mavic Pro that I sold about 2 months ago. Then I have almost pulled the trigger on a Mavic 2 Zoom like 3 times now but decided to go for the Mavic 2 Pro. It is still in the mail and should be delivered this Friday.

I am not a professional but love to take good pictures and after a last road trip that I used my Mavic Pro in bright sunlight and got some pictures that were washed out, I figured this time I should get filters with my new drone to make sure my pictures look better.

So I have been researching on my own and reading this forum and I am still confused, but I would like to buy some nd filters.

I see 3 manufacturers;

PolarPro (Seems to be the most expensive filter out there with solid reviews also)
PolarPro filters link

PGYTECH (Seems like a bargain filter but not as great reviews as Skyreat)
PGYTECH filters link

Skyreat
(I could not find a website for them, but all reviews I have read seem like they are a very good bargain filter and do a good job. They are coming out with an updated version, so that may be a good thing)

Now, since I am not a professional and do not fly always and just use my drone for recreation, I am not wanting the most expensive, just something that does the job well. So, I may skip the PolarPro because of the price. Now I am looking at Skyreat or PGYTECH and leaning more towards Skyreat. But I have not made up my mind yet.

My next concern was what filters are widely used? I see mention of ND16 and ND32. So it makes me want to ask those who use ND filters often. What is the ND filter that you think you use MOST of the time?

So, the questions I have based on your experience (which I know differs for each person. Some rich people just buy based on reputation or brand name while some people shop for bargains);

(1) What is the best ND filter for the price and why? Any opinion is appreciated.
(2) What is the ND filter that you personally use the most? If you have 2 and use one maybe just one time more, then that is the one you use most. I am trying to decide what filters to buy.
(3) Please, post a link to where you purchased yours at.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Speaking for myself, it sure does. Now, what can you tell us “wanabes” about gradual or gradient filters? There are next on my M2P accessory list.

Ray Jay

I'm glad you find my posts useful - always happy to share knowledge where I can.

A grad ND is just that, a ND filter with a ND gradient (eg. from ND8-ND32, which is a 2 stop difference or 4 times the light). Normally on a DSLR these would be square or rectangular filters in a filter holder that you would slide up/down in front of the lens to change the transition point, typically on a landscape scene to reduce the exposure of a bright sky without underexposing the darker foreground - basically a manual HDR method. Same principles would apply in the air, only adjustment is obviously a lot trickier because you can't adjust them mid-flight without changing the altitude of the drone or the gimbal angle, and you aren't on a tripod.

Because video is always best when done with a fixed/manual exposure, sometimes it can be hard to balance sky and land exposures if there is a significant brightness variance between the two. With a grad ND you would theoretically place the transition point somewhere on the horizon, and you would achieve the desired effect of reducing the bright sky's exposure while maintaining a good exposure on the presumably darker land/foreground. Highlight detail is also much more difficult to recover than shadow detail, so you are better off slightly underexposing if you plan do make exposure adjustments in post processing.

The problem with these filters is similar to issues you can run into with polarizers. As soon as you change the drone's orientation, in this case relative to bright/dark areas of the image, you get a very obvious exposure shift mid-video. For stills it's a little easier because you can hover and tune up your angles, and you will get a live preview on the display. If you try to shoot a 180 or 360 degree pano with a grad ND, it will also be messed up with the way DJI's automatic pano modes work.

Depending on the filter, the transition between the two advertised ND levels can be hard or soft (gradual), with a softer transition being more forgiving but less precise. You'd probably want a soft transition for drone work.

It's also pretty easy to add a gradient ND effect in post processing provided there is not a huge exposure difference in the scene - within 1 stop or so you're probably OK either way when shooting RAW.

Just another tool for the tool box basically - can make a big difference if used properly in the right conditions, but you need to plan your flight accordingly and be mindful of that transition point at all times. Arguably these are much more appropriate than standard ND filters, but it puts significant limitations on flight paths and adds a level of complexity and hassle that I think a lot of people don't care to deal with. A little filter switcher on the end of the drone's lens would be ideal

 

[Ray Jay]

Welcome aboard, Armada. As someone relatively new to the world of ND filters, you’ve asked some good questions.

Which ones? I have used three brands on my Mavic Pro and Mavic 2 Pro for a couple of years now - Taco, PolarPro, and recently Skyreat. And to be honest, as a non-professional, they all work about the same, as far as I can tell, and you won’t go wrong with any of ‘em. So it comes down to price and functionality.

What ND do I use? Well, I mostly use ND 8, 16, and 32, both ND and ND Polarized.

Skyreat? Google Skyreat.com and you should find it.

Good Luck!

Ray Jay

 

[Ray Jay]

I'm glad you find my posts useful - always happy to share knowledge where I can...

A grad ND is just that, a ND filter with a ND gradient (eg. from ND8-ND32, which is a 2 stop difference or 4 times the light)...
Just another tool for the tool box basically - can make a big difference if used properly in the right conditions, but you need to plan your flight accordingly and be mindful of that transition point at all times. Arguably these are much more appropriate than standard ND filters, but it puts significant limitations on flight paths and adds a level of complexity and hassle that I think a lot of people don't care to deal with. A little filter switcher on the end of the drone's lens would be ideal

Best explanation to date. Thanks, compadre! -RJ

Note: I excluded most of the quoted post do to real estate. Those who what to learn more about gradual/gradient filters so go and read the whole post...or not.

Ray Jay

 

[Trees138]

I'm looking at testing for color casting, I'm using a data color color and WB chart for this. I did some very rough testing with the skyreats, and found that I need to tighten up some of the testing procedures before really posting anything.

Right now I can say that I'm not seeing much, but I want to eliminate variables, so once I get the PP's I'll set up a more controlled test and take more repetitive samples, and more control samples as well.

I'm not expecting anything major, I just want to test to test, and I'm sure my method will be flawed, but I'm open to the fact that some of the more professional members will tell me I did it wrong, but that's good, I should be able to learn something from that.



Also, I saw @CanadaDrone mention that ND32 was all they needed for Hawaii. I'm not doubting that, but I am wondering whether this is for stills or for video, or perhaps more specifically, what their target settings are?

I'm in Colorado, and I don't really travel a whole lot out of state, so maybe elevation gains me some average stops of light and I'm blissfully ignorant, that's very possible. I am experimenting with the ND's I have so far (ND16 max) and I'm trying for 1/50th and f/4 at 100ISO what I'm finding though is that I'm having to push that to 5.6 or so to get my metered exposure down with the ND16. This is a fairly average suburban area, with blacktopped roads, and a lot of healthy grass, there was some sidewalk, and other bright surfaces, but I wasn't in a bright environment at all, so I'm expecting this could get even more extreme once I'm in alpine areas and especially in the snow in a couple months.

If I was merely shooting stills this would be a non issue, I don't need that much blur in almost any still, but for video, I am trying to attain slower shutter speeds, I may not NEED that in the end, but I'm trying to at least be able to attain that.

Again, I don't doubt what you're saying, I'm just wondering what your criteria are, thank you for your time.

 

[Ray Jay]

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