Circular Polarizer / PL Filters Useless on M2?

[more08]

I have been researching use of CPL / PL Filters on this forum & others, and have now learned that they have to be adjusted based on shooting conditions.

So with the exception of any filters that have rotatable bezels for constant adjustment, I don't see how the ones that screw / snap on to the M2 cameras are in any way realistically useable?

The typical snap ons for the M2 Pro have no adjustment, and the screw ons for the M2 Zoom cannot be realistically adjusted by loosening / tightening, because if you don't screw them all the way on, they stay loose and move around in flight.

Are all these CPL / PL filter a waste of time & money?

Any opinions appreciated!

 

[Thomas B]

I have been researching use of CPL / PL Filters on this forum & others, and have now learned that they have to be adjusted based on shooting conditions.

So with the exception of any filters that have rotatable bezels for constant adjustment, I don't see how the ones that screw / snap on to the M2 cameras are in any way realistically useable?

The typical snap ons for the M2 Pro have no adjustment, and the screw ons for the M2 Zoom cannot be realistically adjusted by loosening / tightening, because if you don't screw them all the way on, they stay loose and move around in flight.

Are all these CPL / PL filter a waste of time & money?

Any opinions appreciated!

No, they are useful, especially for video and especially over water. I fly an M2P mostly. I favor the PolarPro filters. They have a rotation ability and a mark on the filter ring for reference. As with any polarized filter they must be adjusted when there is a significant change in the angle of incidence relative to the sun.

 

[more08]

Thanks for the reply!

When you say they have a rotation ability, do you mean a separate bezel you can adjust, or do you just loosen / tighten the filter to try to adjust it?

I am aware that many of them have refernce marks, but how is that useful if you cannot adjust them easily?

 

[Mossiback]

You do mention an exception for rotatable bezels. I checked both Polarpro and Freewell and their PL filters do have rotatable bezels so they should not change in flight.

Like all polarizing filters, they will help with saturation by cutting reflective light. As for their practical use you have to plan ahead and make a best-guess decision as to the proper positioning before flight. I would argue that they are more valuable for pictures than video, if the sun angle will change during the video. It is especially noticeable with a blue sky. While panning.the sky will lighten and darken as the filter passes through the sweet spot for maximum polarization. This can make it difficult to keep a constant sky if splicing segments together.

 

[more08]

You do mention an exception for rotatable bezels. I checked both Polarpro and Freewell and their PL filters do have rotatable bezels so they should not change in flight.

Like all polarizing filters, they will help with saturation by cutting reflective light. As for their practical use you have to plan ahead and make a best-guess decision as to the proper positioning before flight. I would argue that they are more valuable for pictures than video, if the sun angle will change during the video. It is especially noticeable with a blue sky. While panning.the sky will lighten and darken as the filter passes through the sweet spot for maximum polarization. This can make it difficult to keep a constant sky if splicing segments together.

 

[more08]

Thanks!

Very helpful

 

[Thomas B]

Thanks for the reply!

When you say they have a rotation ability, do you mean a separate bezel you can adjust, or do you just loosen / tighten the filter to try to adjust it?

I am aware that many of them have refernce marks, but how is that useful if you cannot adjust them easily?

The “inner” circular bezel can be rotated while on the aircraft... be sure to stabilize the camera.

 

[gnirtS]

CPL is about the only filter i ever use on my drone. By far the most useful, especially if you do photos.

Firstly, most of the ones ive seen have a rotating circular central part which allows you to correctly set up the polarisation level.
The way i do this is prior to flying i already know roughly the angle and sort of images i want so i look through and adjust the polarisation before fitting the filter to the drone. I find this more accurate than trying to guess the effect on screen.
Then i launch, get the images from the angles i wanted and thats it.
If you shoot around water and other surfaces with glare its a massive help.

Now the limitations, this is really only useful for stills and for when you already have a rough idea of angles of the shots you want (as it requires preflight setup). Its a lot less useful for video where youre turning around a lot more.
Also for stills it needs to be removed before doing scenes with wide fields of view such as panos or 360s or you'll get light/dark sky patches as the effect varies with angle from the sun.

So in my case CPL is the filter i use all the time but (i) i do very little video and (ii) know what images i want before launching the drone. In the right conditions with the right planning they can make a huge difference to the quality of images obtained. Unless im flying at dusk the CPL stays on my drone all the time and is adjusted prior to every flight (or multiple times per battery if needed).

 

[Meta4]

Useless, unless you will only be shooting facing the same way for the whole flight.

 

[gnirtS]

...which is why you plan ahead of time. Then its the most useful filter available, especially if around water.

 

[Meta4]

...which is why you plan ahead of time. Then its the most useful filter available, especially if around water.

Perfect when you have one static subject and you only want to shoot it from one fixed, pre-planned direction.
For anyone that wants to shoot different subjects or explore different angles, forget it.

 

[gnirtS]

Subject hasnt got to be static, doesnt have to be one subject. Just angles need to be the same (or opposite) so its fairly flexible. Just know what you want to shoot before flying.
and/or bring the drone back for adjustments and do several short flights on a battery. Its not difficult at all.
For videos yes, generally pointless. For photos around water with clear sky id say fairly essential if you want the best imagery.