Cheap but good quality nd filters for the ma2?

[Josiah S]

Good afternoon everybody! I was looking in the search thing and could not seem to find a good answer to my question: what is a cheap but good quality nd filter set for the Mavic air 2? By cheap I mean 10 to 30 dollars. I was looking around and everything is so expensive or really cheap looking. I don’t want to spend to much money on them, but I do feel like I need them. Any suggestions? Thanks, Josiah.

 

[izometric]

ND filters are like sunglasses. If you are happy with 10 dollar sunglasses, you will be happy with 10 to 30 dollars filters.

If you prefer Ray Ban, then you will need to spend north of 100 dollars for your (set of) filters

Quality seldom comes cheap.

 

[Josiah S]

North of 100 bucks? ? Are they really worth that much? If that’s how much decent ones cost maybe I’ll skip it. Are Nd filters really worth it?? I was thinking more along the lines of 30 bucks. After spending 800 on the drone I’m not sure if I want to spend any more on it.

 

[pelagic_one]

I’ve got a few different brands of ND filters for my Mavics. For my MA2 I like the variable ND filter from Moment. For $30 you get similar to four different ND filters in one unit. This may be a good start for you, but please read up on ND filter usage from past forum threads on the topic. You’ll be amazed at how much photography you’ll learn from our members.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B6ZJX9J/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_9DJ0K5NVP06BDXRWT80Z

 

[msinger]

hat is a cheap but good quality nd filter set for the Mavic air 2? By cheap I mean 10 to 30 dollars

Here are a few filter sets that are within or very close to that price range:

• Fstop Labs 6-pack (ND4-ND64)
• Moment Variable (ND4-ND32)
• Moment Variable (ND64-ND512)
• PGYTECH Variable (ND4-ND32)
• PGYTECH Variable (ND64-ND512)
• SKYREAT 4-pack (ND8-ND64)

 

[izometric]

My recomendation would be to go for ND filters with circular polarization. This will eliminate water/glass/cars reflected light/glare.

A set of 4 filters from Freewell will set you back 50 dollars. 8 filters -> 100 dollars.

I don't think optical glass comes cheaper than this. I mean 12.5 dollars per filter is already a very good price.

 

[Josiah S]

I think I’m going to look on eBay for pgytech and see if I can get a decent price. Thanks for puttin all them options up.

 

[slup]

My recommendation would be to go for ND filters with circular polarization...

I would be a bit hesitant to use any filters with a polarizing effect for filming ... this also includes ND filters like NDPL or variable ND filters (variable is 2 pol filters that are turned into different positions to each other to create the darkening effect).

The main need of a ND filter is for filming & there lower the shutter speed ... as it's filming, the angle to the sun usually will differ during the shoot.

This will risk the dreaded "Polarizer sky" ... it look like this & are more pronounced with a wide angle lens as those we use in our drones.



A polarizing filter will gradually going to it's maximum effect when one's line of sight is perpendicular to the direction of the sun ...

Since a polarizer's effect varies with angle, results can appear uneven when using a wide angle lens & the appearance change while moving. Some portions of the scene might be in a direction which is directly into the sun, whereas others might be at a right angle to the sun. In that case, one side of the scene would have a strong polarizer effect, whereas the other side would not.

If a ND filter effect is desired it's always best to go with the plain ones without any polarizing effect.

 

[hiflyer201]

If you go with the cheapest you are, right or wrongly, going to think you should have gone with better. The variable one shown above is going to suit your purpose fine.

 

[African wildlife]

I would disagree with what Slup says above. It's not that what he/she has said is wrong , as such - but our perspective is different.

We always use a ND/PL for filming from a drone - and we only fly/film for professional work. I should also make clear that we only use approximately a 5 second section of film, once edited. (Anything longer than this is simply boring to the viewer.) So there's no flying here, there, and everywhere, constantly changing direction - which would go against the use of a ND/PL filter.

We check the angle of direction with the polariser before flight, adjusting as necessary. Sometimes, if we're flying at 90 degrees to the sun, we'll slightly tone down the polariser before takeoff, if there's a danger of it being too much. The ND/PL gives a good professional colour saturation and it works well with cinelike-D on the P4P+ (sadly unavailable with the Mini 2).

I should also make clear that, with any filming or stills photography I am against the use of any other type of "enhancing" filter. When you see a coloured sky in a movie or documentary, it shows that the production is somewhat sub-standard (which is not necessarily a budget thing). It is often used as a poor substitute when filming during the harsher hours of daylight. Top directors use the best light, which is near sunrise and sunset, even if it means getting everyone up very early so as to be ready.

Whilst I'm commenting, I would always suggest a better quality of ND or ND/PL filter. We use PolarPro for the P4P+ and Tiffen for the Mini 2. It's the one accessory which is essential, along with a good landing pad.

 

[slup]

... but our perspective is different.
...we only fly/film for professional work
... we only use approximately a 5 second section of film, once edited.

Don't disagree with that ... but a newbie perspective is very often very different from a pros, just take a look at YT

 

[African wildlife]

Don't disagree with that ... but a newbie perspective is very often very different from a pros, just take a look at YT

Hi Slup. Couldn't agree with you more - but everything can and should get better. Indeed, YouTube has a lot of high-quality content within the dross. However, there's a trend of increasing quality, albeit not yet enough - whether from enthusiastic amateurs or pros. And drone owners often don't help, putting up poorly shot and barely edited stuff that even their mothers would prefer to skip seeing.

Those of us who are more experienced should be encouraging newbies to aim as high as possible. They are so many people on this forum which have a lot to offer, in many different ways. When someone does something as well as they can - being their best, at that particular time - they feel more fulfilled. So aiming high is a good thing.

Your approach to Coronavirus/Covid-19 in Sweden over the past 12 months has been refreshing, compared to the vast majority of other countries including here in the UK. Whereas nobody could win in this pandemic, at least the Swedish authorities attempted to initiate an intelligent conversation with the general public. I mention this because (for me) there's a clear parallel between the two very different subjects.