How do CPL Filters work on Mavic Air

[Norman Pyett]

Hello All, I'm a previous avid photographer and am aware of the polarization filter and having to rotate them for the correct angle but how does this work for a drone your flying and yawing??

Regards
Norm

 

[djiboi]

Usually you point at the sun and set your polarization. Yes when pointing away from sun you might get crushed shadows but they can usually be recovered during post.

 

[AAPhoto]

Just as with digital photography, the polarization will be stronger at certain angles from the sun and weaker in others. For aerial photos, the same planning and execution done with a DSLR can take place. For video, the variance hasn't been very noticeable when flying in multiple directions, in my opinion. Most of my shooting, however, is in one planned direction. A polarizer will, however, affect panoramas and 360 degree (tiny planet) photos. What happens is in certain directions, half a photo may apply stronger polarization creating a vignette type of effect on that part of the image (e.g. darker, more vibrant sky). When all the photos are stitched together, there will be some noticeable 'blotches' where this occurred. My recommendation if you plan to take these types of photos is to use a weaker polarization, a compromise, if you will, to balance out the photo. If you shoot everything in RAW and manually stitch the photos in post, the dark areas can be adjusted fairly easily to even things out. It's best to get it right out of camera though so spinning the polarizer to a weaker setting is worthwhile.

 

[Norman Pyett]

Thanks for all your input as a seasoned photographer (new to drone photography) it's hard to give up some control on the fly. (no pun intended) I guess if I decided to purchase the ND/CPL package it'll all be a learning curve. My wife and I are planning our first European trip in May. I need to make the purchase and GET practicing.
Best Regards, Norm

 

[AAPhoto]

Thanks for all your input as a seasoned photographer (new to drone photography) it's hard to give up some control on the fly. (no pun intended) I guess if I decided to purchase the ND/CPL package it'll all be a learning curve. My wife and I are planning our first European trip in May. I need to make the purchase and GET practicing.
Best Regards, Norm

Absolutely! The filters usually have markings on them so you can become familiar with where those markings need to be for the strongest or weakest effect. Then, when taking the bird to the sky, if you know you're only going on one direction, or want to reduce glare off of water, for example, the strongest setting can quickly be dialed in. For all other use cases, a weaker or in-between setting can be used. Have a great trip!

 

[djiboi]

ND filters are only for getting the correct shutter speed for motion blur. If i'm shooting landscapes, I leave off any filter as there is usually very little motion anyway.

If I have motion but not reflective surfaces, then I use the ND filters.

If I have motion & reflective surfaces, then I use the PL filters and angle them according to the direction of the sun and my subject.

 

[Norman Pyett]

Thanks to All

 

[Prismatic]

Setting the polarization angle gets more amusing when you use the filter to penetrate the surface reflection of water ("see the fishies in the pond over there!"). I try to set the angle after DJI GO 4 is running and connected, so I can see the effect on-screen, before takeoff. But that doesn't work if your takeoff isn't right beside the water you're flying over. The secret, I believe, is to be found in my old Polaroid™ FlipUp™ ClipOn™ shades! I just have to devise the test. Stand by. ;-)