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Mini 2 Forgot my ND Filters at home and paid for it.

I don't understand the way most sellers have packaged their ND kits. Most 3 filter kits have PL, an 8, 16. If you look at the guide below and ask yourself which scenarios would you most likely find yourself in I would have to say maybe cloudy, soft sun and hard sun. That would seem to warrant a 16/32/64 kit for most and a 128 might be handy for some in the winter. I have some PL's and never use them.

One brand I like is Skyreat and have some for my Mavic 2. I have measured the density of them and they are all spot on and I haven't had any color issues so would recommend them. PolarPro is another good brand, but they are expensive and their availability is spotty. In terms of Skyreat, the 3 pack they sell for $30 only goes up to ND16. Skyreat 3-pack ND set I would most like need a ND32 and 64 more often than the others. So a completely functional set wouldn't cost $30 but $65. Or I could just buy the 16, 32 and 64 for $51. The best value seems to be their 6-pack for $55.

The chart below shows the advantage of variable aperture cameras. With my Mavic 2 Pro I have more flexibility with ND filters and can generally get away with no darker than a ND32, whereas with a fixed f2.8 aperture I'd probably want up to ND128.

I know I've mentioned this before, but my favorite filters are the PolarPro GRADUATED ND filters. They give me the ability to darken the sky more than the ground so I tend not to get washed out skies. They were expensive and I don't think you can find them or anything like them any more.

1633796439121.jpeg
 
It was a fine video! I have almost given up on ND filter for my Mavic 2 mini. Just cannot get it to stay on. Much prefer the Mavic 2 Pro.
I bought some cheap ND filters on E-bay the make is 'Sunnylife' you can purchase them individually or in sets. When I say 'cheap' I mean in price not in quality, they are glass lenses and highly polished and well manufactured.
I am very, very pleased with them, they fit to my DJI Mini 2 with a reassuring click as the clip on, never had one come loose or cause any jello type effect because of filter movement.
The set I purchased contained ND 4, 8, 16, 32, CPL and a ND8PL. cost a year ago was about £40-£45 British so around 45$-50$ I would guess.
I have read in this forum that some folk say that ND filter are next to useless on fixed aperture cameras like the Mini 2, but I do not agree, If I want to stay within that sweet spot of 180 degrees exposure in Manual/Pro mode I have no other option than use ND's, plus I believe it/they do improve/enrich colours a little, for people like me that uses the video as it come off the SD card with just the basic of editing/cutting it is important to us.

I shoot in manual/Pro mode for video, 1/50 Sec, 25 FPS 100ASA. @ 1080p.
I can not film in 4 K as the video card in my computer is not up to it and suffers with constant bottle necking even 2.7K had the occasional hic-up.
White Balance set is manually to suit the situation (I don't like the colour shifts that can happen using auto during videoing) I feel with my Mini 2 in auto mode at least, the colours are over exposed for my liking.
I tend to leave the camera set in Auto for stills/photos as there seem to be no real issues with exposure, But I always have an ND 8 on even in Auto photos.
I am a newbie to drones, with probably less that 30-35 hours under my belt, I love the Mini 2 and all the opportunities that it provides, because of very few regulations/limitations in the UK with the CAA for drones under the 250g threshold.
There are restrictions on overflying crowds, (lol! I typed crows to start with and noticed it just before posting) Airfields and their approach lanes (Pan Handles), and of course NFZ's and Geofenced areas.
Where I live in beautiful Rural Hampshire, United Kingdom, there are so few limitations on where you can fly a sub 250g, as long as you respect peoples privacy and use common sense.
I have my Flyer ID and my Operators ID Licence, I also have £12 million Public Liability insurance, you never know what's around the corner or indeed above the trees.
I fly for the best part within the rules of VLOS and have never been above 395 feet (I have it set in my software).
I need to find out how to post video clips in here, I have loved the members videos that have been published and the video at the beginning of this post is excellent, I aspire to managing that quality one day myself.
Lissforester (Tom)
 

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