Freewell polarized ND filters and vinetting

[redserv]

Good evening guys. I have been having a problem that I will like some assistance with. Ever since I purchased my Mavic 3 and using freewell PL ND filters I get vinetting only when I take photos. I am not sure if the problem is with my filters or installation. When in post I always have to fix the vinetting. Anyone have experienced this?? I will appreciate some help if possible. I know some you may ask why I am using ND filters to take photos. When I fly I try to take both videos and photos. But that's a different topic.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Remove any ND filters for stills, or accept that you have to fix the vignetting. Using the same setup for both video and stills results in compromises. Using PL filters that you cannot adjust in flight will cause problems when the orientation to the sun is constantly changing during the flight.

 

[redserv]

Remove any ND filters for stills, or accept that you have to fix the vignetting. Using the same setup for both video and stills results in compromises. Using PL filters that you cannot adjust in flight will cause problems when the orientation to the sun is constantly changing during the flight.

Hey thanks for your feedback. I am thinking I should have purchased normal ND filters and not PL. Based on what you are saying, when you are taking photos with the M3 I should just do photos, then land and put back on the filters for videos??

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hey thanks for your feedback. I am thinking I should have purchased normal ND filters and not PL. Based on what you are saying, when you are taking photos with the M3 I should just do photos, then land and put back on the filters for videos??

Definitely remove filters to take photos. I would also question the need for any filters for video. Unless you are obsessed with cinematic blur, or are shooting commercial video that requires it, using ND filters is really unnecessary, especially around the golden hour. Midday drone videos shot with ND's have terrible lighting. I've been shooting 4K video with DJI drones since 2015, and have never used a single ND filter, and no one has ever complained that my videos didn't have enough cinematic blur. The only filter that does make sense is a GND filter to lower the dynamic range of the scene. However, they do screw up 360° panos. The less glass between your lens and your subject the better.

 

[redserv]

Definitely remove filters to take photos. I would also question the need for any filters for video. Unless you are obsessed with cinematic blur, or are shooting commercial video that requires it, using ND filters is really unnecessary, especially around the golden hour. Midday drone videos shot with ND's have terrible lighting. I've been shooting 4K video with DJI drones since 2015, and have never used a single ND filter, and no one has ever complained that my videos didn't have enough cinematic blur. The only filter that does make sense is a GND filter to lower the dynamic range of the scene. However, they do screw up 360° panos. The less glass between your lens and your subject the better.

Thank you for your insight man. I will definitely give it a shot without ND filters and see what I get. I can control the aperture so I will see how it works.

 

[JoelP]

I regret buying polarized ND filters. It only messes up the sky for drone video. With my experience so far I have stopped using them.

 

[redserv]

I regret buying polarized ND filters. It only messes up the sky for drone video. With my experience so far I have stopped using them.

Thanks Joel I live in the Caribbean islands and most of the time flying over water. So I figured I will give them a go. I may just pick up normal ND filters in the future

 

[redserv]

There has been so much opinions about ND filters and when and if we really needed them. I always fly with them mostly to use the 180 rule. Some people say that you will only see motion blur if you are low to the ground. Flying drones most of the time for me, I am very high and maybe I don't really need an ND filter. I guess I always thought I needed it and really did not think it was for a specific purpose. I will try flying without the PLND for now and see what results I get.

 

[SkywalkerFeng]

Good evening guys. I have been having a problem that I will like some assistance with. Ever since I purchased my Mavic 3 and using freewell PL ND filters I get vinetting only when I take photos. I am not sure if the problem is with my filters or installation. When in post I always have to fix the vinetting. Anyone have experienced this?? I will appreciate some help if possible. I know some you may ask why I am using ND filters to take photos. When I fly I try to take both videos and photos. But that's a different topic.

Lasy year I had an opportunity to compare PL filter from three different brands. It turns out FreeWell filter is the thickest of them all, by a noticeable margin. I believe it is the same story here for their PL ND filters. Their craftsmanship is not as good as other brands. The main camera lens for Mavic 3 is 24mm wide, which falls into wide/ultra-wide category. And you need a slim profile filter to avoid vinetting for the wide/ultrawide angle lens. The extra thickness from Freewell filters might be the cause of your problem here.

Mavic 3 CPL filter comparison (PolarPro vs. PGYTech vs. Freewell)

I had an opportunity to compare the CPL filter for Mavic 3, from three different brand: PolarPro, PGYTech, and Freewell. They all use quality glass, and their optical performance are nearly identical. The biggest difference are price and the craftsmanship. Mavic 3 CPL comparison (PolarPro...

mavicpilots.com

FYI - I am currently using PolarPro PL filter for Mavic 3. It is very slim. I have never ran into vinetting problem during daily usage.

 

[redserv]

Lasy year I had an opportunity to compare PL filter from three different brands. It turns out FreeWell filter is the thickest of them all, by a noticeable margin. I believe it is the same story here for their PL ND filters. Their craftsmanship is not as good as other brands. The main camera lens for Mavic 3 is 24mm wide, which falls into wide/ultra-wide category. And you need a slim profile filter to avoid vinetting for the wide/ultrawide angle lens. The extra thickness from Freewell filters might be the cause of your problem here.

Mavic 3 CPL filter comparison (PolarPro vs. PGYTech vs. Freewell)

I had an opportunity to compare the CPL filter for Mavic 3, from three different brand: PolarPro, PGYTech, and Freewell. They all use quality glass, and their optical performance are nearly identical. The biggest difference are price and the craftsmanship. Mavic 3 CPL comparison (PolarPro...

mavicpilots.com

FYI - I am currently using PolarPro PL filter for Mavic 3. It is very slim. I have never ran into vinetting problem during daily usage.

Thank you so much for your contribution Skywalker. I think you might be right with the thickness of the FW vs PP. I will surely use ND filters at some point in creating videos and may look into purchasing the polar pro for the M3. Thanks again

 

[SkywalkerFeng]

Thank you so much for your contribution Skywalker. I think you might be right with the thickness of the FW vs PP. I will surely use ND filters at some point in creating videos and may look into purchasing the polar pro for the M3. Thanks again

By the way, don't be misled by other's comments about PL filters being "useless for stills".

Polarized filters are one of the essential tool for photographers, whether you are taking photos on the land, or in the air. If you take aerial images involving river/lake/ocean/waterfall etc, you need PL filters to cut down the light refraction and reflection on water surface.

Yes you cannot rotate PL filters when drone is in the air, but that's not how drone PL filters are supposed to work. As a pilot you should plan your shot in advance, before the drone takes off. You need to think about the direction of the sunlight, the location of your subject, and where exactly you want to position the drone/camera. Think like a camera man for a movie. You need to set up the stage in your mind, and envision the shot before you take it. Once you have the everything planed advance, hold PL filter with one hand, look through it towards the direction of your planned shot, and rotate the filter to find the right polarizing effect. After you find the right angle, mount PL filter on drone camera, and launch your drone.

Attached here are two aerial images I shot with PL filter, using the same planning process mentioned. One for National Geographic Poland, another one for Daily Mail UK. The PL filter in front of the drone's camera effectively removed most of the light refraction and reflection on water surface, gave me a much cleaner and vibrant image.

 

[redserv]

Thank you Sky for these pro tips. I think I need to educate myself on how to use the filters I got. And how and when to use it. I am thinking that it may be user error and have enough information from everyone to make an informed decision. By the way those photos look amazing. Thanks for helping me out.

 

[GadgetGuy]

By the way, don't be misled by other's comments about PL filters being "useless for stills".

"Using PL filters that you cannot adjust in flight will cause problems when the orientation to the sun is constantly changing during the flight."

That's not what I wrote! I stand by my original statement, which your detailed explanation only emphasizes how complicated their use is, when used for stills, on a moving drone, where you have no control over the polarizer after launch.

 

[SkywalkerFeng]

Thank you Sky for these pro tips. I think I need to educate myself on how to use the filters I got. And how and when to use it. I am thinking that it may be user error and have enough information from everyone to make an informed decision. By the way those photos look amazing. Thanks for helping me out.

You are welcome. By the way, there are also situations you need ND, or PL ND filters when shooting aerial images. I will demonstrate what I mean with one example here.



The image above was shot for a client in a cold winter morning. There are three issues I need to resolve, when planning this shot.

1) The clouds in the sky and the snow on the ground created lots of light reflection and refractions on the river surface and leaves of the trees. I need to find a way to get rid of that.

2) The sky is overly bright compared to the waterfall hiding in the shadow. I need a way to balance the light between sky and waterfall, and make the sky "pop".

3) I need a slower shutter speed to create the "silky smooth" effect for the waterfall. A maximum shutter speed of 1/15 sec is needed to create such effect. 1-2 sec would be ideal.

PL filter can resolve issue 1) and 2).

ND filter can resolve issue 3). If you don't have ND filter, PL filter also helps to certain degree, since it cuts down the light input by 1.5-2 stops.

ND-PL filter resolves all the issues above. This is the ideal filter I need to achieve the final result.

Because I did not have ND-PL filter at the moment of the shot, I used PL filter instead. The image was shot at 1/15 sec and F/11. You will notice certain amount of "silky smooth" effect for the waterfall, but not particular strong. If I had ND-PL filter at that moment of time, I could have shot the image with 1-2 sec shutter speed, and achieve even better final result.

 

[redserv]

You are welcome. By the way, there are also situations you need ND, or PL ND filters when shooting aerial images. I will demonstrate what I mean with one example here.

View attachment 161315

The image above was shot for a client in a cold winter morning. There are three issues I need to resolve, when planning this shot.

1) The clouds in the sky and the snow on the ground created lots of light reflection and refractions on the river surface and leaves of the trees. I need to find a way to get rid of that.

2) The sky is overly bright compared to the waterfall hiding in the shadow. I need a way to balance the light between sky and waterfall, and make the sky "pop".

3) I need a slower shutter speed to create the "silky smooth" effect for the waterfall. A maximum shutter speed of 1/15 sec is needed to create such effect. 1-2 sec would be ideal.

PL filter can resolve issue 1) and 2).

ND filter can resolve issue 3). If you don't have ND filter, PL filter also helps to certain degree, since it cuts down the light input by 1.5-2 stops.

ND-PL filter resolves all the issues above. This is the ideal filter I need to achieve the final result.

Because I did not have ND-PL filter at the moment of the shot, I used PL filter instead. The image was shot at 1/15 sec and F/11. You will notice certain amount of "silky smooth" effect for the waterfall, but not particular strong. If I had ND-PL filter at that moment of time, I could have shot the image with 1-2 sec shutter speed, and achieve even better final result.

Wow thats alot of detail. I was not aware that so much thought are put into taking photos like the one above. It certainly looks awesome.

 

[redserv]

This is what I am getting guys. Again this is taking photos with Freewell PLND Filters. I was using a CPL filter. I tried facing the drone 90 degrees from the sun. The filter has to be the problem or Maybe i am doing something wrong.

 

[Dogpilot]

Filter vignetting tends to happen more when you stop the lens down to a higher f stop (smaller opening). You can increase the shutter speed or manually open the lens to wide open f stop. Increasing the shutter speed, forces the auto program to open the diaphragm to a wider f stop to let in more light. With less depth of field from the larger opening in the diaphragm, you will see the vignetting go away. Or you can use the vignetting tool in many photo processing programs to make it kind of go away.

 

[redserv]

Filter vignetting tends to happen more when you stop the lens down to a higher f stop (smaller opening). You can increase the shutter speed or manually open the lens to wide open f stop. Increasing the shutter speed, forces the auto program to open the diaphragm to a wider f stop to let in more light. With less depth of field from the larger opening in the diaphragm, you will see the vignetting go away. Or you can use the vignetting tool in many photo processing programs to make it kind of go away.

Thank you for your tips. What I have been doing is getting rid of it in post. I flew all morning with a CPL filter set at 12:00. The problem is I don't see the photos untill I get home from flying. I will mess with shutter and aperture some more to see if I can get rid of the vinetting or just completely take them off.

 

[GadgetGuy]

You are welcome. By the way, there are also situations you need ND, or PL ND filters when shooting aerial images. I will demonstrate what I mean with one example here.

View attachment 161315

The image above was shot for a client in a cold winter morning. There are three issues I need to resolve, when planning this shot.

1) The clouds in the sky and the snow on the ground created lots of light reflection and refractions on the river surface and leaves of the trees. I need to find a way to get rid of that.

2) The sky is overly bright compared to the waterfall hiding in the shadow. I need a way to balance the light between sky and waterfall, and make the sky "pop".

3) I need a slower shutter speed to create the "silky smooth" effect for the waterfall. A maximum shutter speed of 1/15 sec is needed to create such effect. 1-2 sec would be ideal.

PL filter can resolve issue 1) and 2).

ND filter can resolve issue 3). If you don't have ND filter, PL filter also helps to certain degree, since it cuts down the light input by 1.5-2 stops.

ND-PL filter resolves all the issues above. This is the ideal filter I need to achieve the final result.

Because I did not have ND-PL filter at the moment of the shot, I used PL filter instead. The image was shot at 1/15 sec and F/11. You will notice certain amount of "silky smooth" effect for the waterfall, but not particular strong. If I had ND-PL filter at that moment of time, I could have shot the image with 1-2 sec shutter speed, and achieve even better final result.

Your sole purpose for using an ND filter is to slow the shutter speed down to create an artistic blur. Your use of a PL filter is inappropriate when you really need a GND filter for 2).

 

[GadgetGuy]

This is what I am getting guys. Again this is taking photos with Freewell PLND Filters. I was using a CPL filter. I tried facing the drone 90 degrees from the sun. The filter has to be the problem or Maybe i am doing something wrong.

View attachment 161324

The only thing you are doing wrong is using filters. Don't use them. You don't need them.