I am pretty new to the Mavic Air and a beginner to real photography (beyond just point and shoot). I have read I needed ND filters and purchased some. I have an App that helps me determine what ND filter to use after I know the FPS I want and the current shutter speed. Do I need to fly the Mavic Air in order to determine the current shutter speed or is seeing what the Mavic Air is indicating ON THE GROUND what the shutter speed is good enough? In other words, are users seeing pretty close to the same shutter speeds in the air and on the ground?
Determining the proper ND filter
- Thread starter nieto
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You set the shutter speed to be roughly double your fps. So if you're shooting at 30 fps, the shutter speed would be 1/60th of a second. (Manually set the ISO to 100.)
Then you use whichever ND filter gives you the correct exposure. I generally do that when the Mavic is still on the ground, pointing the camera toward something that is lit the same as whatever I will be shooting video of. In other words, don't point the camera into a shaded area if you're gong to be filming in direct sun.
Then you use whichever ND filter gives you the correct exposure. I generally do that when the Mavic is still on the ground, pointing the camera toward something that is lit the same as whatever I will be shooting video of. In other words, don't point the camera into a shaded area if you're gong to be filming in direct sun.
I am still learning this as well, but I have been a recreational photographer for ages. You are basically doing metering, so you want what is in the viewfinder to be what you will actually shoot, as far as exposure is concerned. If you are in sunlight and plan to shoot in the same light, then yes, the exposure should be the same. If you are in shadow and are flying up into sunlight, then it will be off.
The math isn't too hard to do in your head. Doubling the ND value will cut shutter speed in half. If you are at 1/120 shutter and ND8, an ND16 will get shutter speed to 1/60. If you are at 1/240 with ND4, you need ND16 to get to 1/60. (ND8 would be 1/120 in this case). ND4 will cut the shutter speed in half from not having one at all.
The math isn't too hard to do in your head. Doubling the ND value will cut shutter speed in half. If you are at 1/120 shutter and ND8, an ND16 will get shutter speed to 1/60. If you are at 1/240 with ND4, you need ND16 to get to 1/60. (ND8 would be 1/120 in this case). ND4 will cut the shutter speed in half from not having one at all.
Great info. Besides the calculations suggested, it looks like I just make sure the Mavic on the ground during setup has the same lighting that it will have in the air taking photos/video. I was just concerned that I had to fly first and take readings then bring the MA down to add the filter. That would be a pain and would prohibit taking photos in long distance locations without repeating a flight mission.
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If you're only taking photos, you likely won't need filters unless you're doing long exposure photography or attempting to cut reflections on shiny surfaces (like water).
Right, if you are taking photos it's different than shooting video. The 180° Shutter Rule is about shutter speed vs frames per second. Having the shutter speed double the frame rate makes the video look 'right' as it's been an industry standard (more or less) for a long time. Shooting still photos is different. You may want a very high shutter speed to capture action. On the other hand you still may want a slower shutter speed for a little blur, like a waterfall or a race car. Since the Mavic Air doesn't allow aperture changes, ND filters are they only way to slow down the shutter speed.
Shon
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Something that I am learning is don’t be afraid to turn on the histogram and “over exposure” notification. They will give you a more accurate representation of what you are looking at, than by sight alone. I’m used to using these thing “post production”, but it is better to do it right the first time rather than trying to correct things later.
Dronage
Well-Known Member
OK, first up, it's not you lot, it's me... but I'm now even more confused and scared of these ND filters lol.. !
Couple of questions..
What does ND stand for,
And.. Do I really need them.?
Couple of questions..
What does ND stand for,
And.. Do I really need them.?
ND=Neutral Density. Think of them as sunglasses. Their main purpose is simply allowing less light through to your camera. They shouldn't have any other impact, like coloring, hence nuetral.
In photography there is what we call the exposure triangle. It helps understand the relationship between ISO, shutter speed and aperture. I will try to keep this simple as it relates to our Mavic Air. Aperture doesn't matter, as it is fixed and can't be changed. ISO we want to keep at 100, as it gets noisy fairly quickly when we turn it up. Also, turning ISO up makes the camera even more sensitive to light, which is the opposite of what we try to achieve with ND filters anyhow.
So this leaves us wIth shutter speed as our main concern. When taking a photograph, a higher shutter speed is capturing a smaller slice of time. It freezes motion, as less is happening in that time. This can be a great effect, but sometimes it isn't so good.
For example, when I photograph cars at the race track. If I use a high shutter speed, it freezes the action too well. The cars tend to look like they are parked, not going fast. Slowing down shutter speed gives them a pleasing blur that we see as speed in the picture.
Another example is moving water. A high shutter speed may be desirable to catch the individual droplets. Like a wave hitting a cliff. Other times you may want a slower shutter. A waterfall looks better if there is some motion blur. I use a very dark ND filter to shoot mountain streams. I get exposures as long as 30 seconds. So the water has that extreme silky look.
When shooting still photos with our MA, its still an artistic choice for the photographer what shutter speed they want to achieve. Since aperture is fixed, and we don't want to change ISO, the only way to change shutter speed is to use an ND filter to control light hitting the sensor. Doubling the ND rating cuts the light in half, so you can use twice as long of a shutter speed. Its totally up to the photographer what shutter speed they want for the photo they want to achieve.
Video is different. At least if you are going for that cinematic look. Part of that look is just what we have seen all our lives. There is a 'rule' called the 180 degree rule, that says the shutter speed should be half of the frame rate. These slower shutter speeds give some of that blur I mentioned earlier. We are used to seeing that blur on things in motion. Its a little subtile, but definitely there. Using this rule makes your videos look like other classic film that uses this rule. It does look good.
Long answer short, you don't NEED to use ND filters. If you are happy with what you are shooting, that is by far the most important thing. If you are trying to achieve certain things in your photos or videos, they are a tool to help you achieve that.
In photography there is what we call the exposure triangle. It helps understand the relationship between ISO, shutter speed and aperture. I will try to keep this simple as it relates to our Mavic Air. Aperture doesn't matter, as it is fixed and can't be changed. ISO we want to keep at 100, as it gets noisy fairly quickly when we turn it up. Also, turning ISO up makes the camera even more sensitive to light, which is the opposite of what we try to achieve with ND filters anyhow.
So this leaves us wIth shutter speed as our main concern. When taking a photograph, a higher shutter speed is capturing a smaller slice of time. It freezes motion, as less is happening in that time. This can be a great effect, but sometimes it isn't so good.
For example, when I photograph cars at the race track. If I use a high shutter speed, it freezes the action too well. The cars tend to look like they are parked, not going fast. Slowing down shutter speed gives them a pleasing blur that we see as speed in the picture.
Another example is moving water. A high shutter speed may be desirable to catch the individual droplets. Like a wave hitting a cliff. Other times you may want a slower shutter. A waterfall looks better if there is some motion blur. I use a very dark ND filter to shoot mountain streams. I get exposures as long as 30 seconds. So the water has that extreme silky look.
When shooting still photos with our MA, its still an artistic choice for the photographer what shutter speed they want to achieve. Since aperture is fixed, and we don't want to change ISO, the only way to change shutter speed is to use an ND filter to control light hitting the sensor. Doubling the ND rating cuts the light in half, so you can use twice as long of a shutter speed. Its totally up to the photographer what shutter speed they want for the photo they want to achieve.
Video is different. At least if you are going for that cinematic look. Part of that look is just what we have seen all our lives. There is a 'rule' called the 180 degree rule, that says the shutter speed should be half of the frame rate. These slower shutter speeds give some of that blur I mentioned earlier. We are used to seeing that blur on things in motion. Its a little subtile, but definitely there. Using this rule makes your videos look like other classic film that uses this rule. It does look good.
Long answer short, you don't NEED to use ND filters. If you are happy with what you are shooting, that is by far the most important thing. If you are trying to achieve certain things in your photos or videos, they are a tool to help you achieve that.
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RedSoxFan42
Well-Known Member
There is a PolarPro app that you can use, but I find it only partially useful because you still need to know what current settings are in the environment you will be shooting, so as a previous member pointed out, you use your drone camera to give you the meter readings. I use a free app named Light Meter instead of my drone camera. Let say I launch Light Meter app on my iPhone and point the phone camera to the bright sunlit area I will be flying and I set the aperture to 4, and iso to 100. The app tells me I need a shutter speed of 1/2000. But, I want to shoot at 1/60 following the 180 rule mentioned before. So now, I can use the PolarPro app and in the FPS/Target Shutter field I select 30/ 1/60th and current shutter field at 1/2000 and Filter Currently Installed as NONE. The app will tell me I need to install the ND32 filter. I just find this less confusing and I can do this all without even powering on my drone. AS best as I can determine, there is no way of specifying ISO on the Polar Pro App. Of course, all this is when using video, not necessarily just taking pictures PLUS shooting in Manual Mode. If you're just starting out, maybe try using the ND 16 on bright sunny days and the ND8 otherwise. Not needed at night. Also, until you get familiar flying your drone, you might want to just use Auto instead of Manual. When I got my first drone, I got some excellent video shooting in Auto mode.
Dronage
Well-Known Member
JRL, I've had a lot of good answers on this forum, but that's the best yet..! Thank for some brilliant information..I will read and reread until it's internalized. Happiness so far has been down to remembering to press 'record' and not crashing, but i would like to progress, and your answer will help considerably..
Cheers gav
Happy that you are finding use of it! I am simplifying some things, but trying to be accurate, too. I am also working to apply what I know to my still new to me MA. Its a mix of science and art, the challenge makes it more fun!
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