Is ND16PL enough for bright sun?

[Rojillio Santoro]

I bought the PolarPro Cinema Series filter set for my Mavic Pro (ND8, ND16, ND32, ND4PL, ND8PL and ND16PL). thinking that would cover everything. However, using the ND16PL when flying over the ocean I find that on a sunny day I must set the shutter rate ~1/100 sec to avoid over exposure at 24fps. I had a PL filter that didn't rotate for my Spark, but the NDPL filters for the Mavic need to be rotated to the right position which I find very difficult. I suspect I need either and ND32PL or even ND64PL however these don’t seem to be very common and PolarPro has apparently discontinued the ND32PL. I prefer to use a polarized filter rather than a plain ND filter in all conditions because I like the saturated colors. Do I need a higher ND value or am I not rotating the plane of polarization properly?

 

[ZX14-R]

I seem get away with ND16/PL on sunny days but guess depends what ya filming?? if you over SNOW or Water with high glare then may need 32?

 

[Thomas B]

ND16 works on a clear midday in AZ. The 32 is available as of a few minutes ago as a single purchase or in kits.

ND32 - Cinema Series | Mavic Pro/Platinum

Engineered specifically for the DJI Mavic Pro (fits Pro and Platinum only) Cinema Series production quality multi-coated glass Ultra-light design for smooth gimbal operation ND32 filter reduces shutter speed by 5 f-stops Custom single filters ship in a 3-filter hard-case (no retail packaging)...

www.polarprofilters.com

 

[brett8883]

I bought the PolarPro Cinema Series filter set for my Mavic Pro (ND8, ND16, ND32, ND4PL, ND8PL and ND16PL). thinking that would cover everything. However, using the ND16PL when flying over the ocean I find that on a sunny day I must set the shutter rate ~1/100 sec to avoid over exposure at 24fps. I had a PL filter that didn't rotate for my Spark, but the NDPL filters for the Mavic need to be rotated to the right position which I find very difficult. I suspect I need either and ND32PL or even ND64PL however these don’t seem to be very common and PolarPro has apparently discontinued the ND32PL. I prefer to use a polarized filter rather than a plain ND filter in all conditions because I like the saturated colors. Do I need a higher ND value or am I not rotating the plane of polarization properly?

You need a ND32. If you have only one ND filter it should be a ND32. All the other filters have an extremely limited amount of day light they are good for. It’s kinda a scam that polar pro doesn’t include this in all of their kits. As far as the PL I don’t think it’s a big deal not having it. For the most part PL filters are a PITA. Just turn up your saturation settings if you want more saturation. Or better yet o it in post.

 

[mmoguls]

Why are you adding glass to your mavic when you can handle all of this in post with Lightroom? Take 3 shots using a range of compensation covering what your spot meter can read in your frame and then merge them in Lightroom. Shoot in raw. Always look at the histogram to see your true lighting. Never rely on the screen, use your eyes.

 

[brett8883]

Why are you adding glass to your mavic when you can handle all of this in post with Lightroom? Take 3 shots using a range of compensation covering what your spot meter can read in your frame and then merge them in Lightroom. Shoot in raw. Always look at the histogram to see your true lighting. Never rely on the screen, use your eyes.

ND filters are for video not photography. They are to reduce the shutter speed and create motion blur in video. You wouldn’t use them for photography unless you wanted to do a long exposure shot.

They would be counter productive for most photos you are correct and I agree with everything you said when it comes to photography.

 

[Thomas B]

Why are you adding glass to your mavic when you can handle all of this in post with Lightroom? Take 3 shots using a range of compensation covering what your spot meter can read in your frame and then merge them in Lightroom. Shoot in raw. Always look at the histogram to see your true lighting. Never rely on the screen, use your eyes.

I use filters to control the light enough allow the shutter speed to be 5.5 or below with ASA 100 for daylight stills. With the lense only I get a hey white AZ sky that post can’t fix.
In video it is a similar situation with frame rate and exposure.

 

[Dan C]

You need a ND32. If you have only one ND filter it should be a ND32. All the other filters have an extremely limited amount of day light they are good for. It’s kinda a scam that polar pro doesn’t include this in all of their kits. As far as the PL I don’t think it’s a big deal not having it. For the most part PL filters are a PITA. Just turn up your saturation settings if you want more saturation. Or better yet o it in post.

Agreed. I bought the same kit as the OP, and if I could have a do-over, I’d buy the 32 and 64 ND and ND/PL instead.

16 is not sufficient for bright sunlight. Especially over reflective areas like water or light-colored concrete.

 

[Rojillio Santoro]

ND filters are for video not photography. They are to reduce the shutter speed and create motion blur in video. You wouldn’t use them for photography unless you wanted to do a long exposure shot.

They would be counter productive for most photos you are correct and I agree with everything you said when it comes to photography.

I shoot very few stills. I'm interested in making good videos.

 

[Dan C]

ND filters are for video not photography. They are to reduce the shutter speed and create motion blur in video. You wouldn’t use them for photography unless you wanted to do a long exposure shot.

They are absolutely for photography, and a long exposure shot is precisely what the OP is after.

 

[brett8883]

They are absolutely for photography, and a long exposure shot is precisely what the OP is after.

The OP says in the post right above yours that he wants them for video. So I’m not sure what you mean

 

[Rojillio Santoro]

What is the OP? LQWMHOMM

 

[brett8883]

What is the OP? LQWMHOMM

“Original poster” or “original post.” You are the OP in this thread, the one who asked the question.

 

[Thomas B]

“Original poster” or “original post.” You are the OP in this thread, the one who asked the question.

That would be you @Roger Shile

 

[Rojillio Santoro]

Does anyone know where I can buy a single ND32PL filter, or am do I have to purchase a whole new set to get that one?

 

[offtheback]

Why are you adding glass to your mavic when you can handle all of this in post with Lightroom? Take 3 shots using a range of compensation covering what your spot meter can read in your frame and then merge them in Lightroom. Shoot in raw. Always look at the histogram to see your true lighting. Never rely on the screen, use your eyes.

The effect you get from a polarizer often cannot be easily duplicated in Lightroom.Reflections particularly.

 

[Dan C]

The OP says in the post right above yours that he wants them for video. So I’m not sure what you mean

I mean... you claimed ND filters are not for photography. They are.

While I didn't notice the OP's mention of video, ND filters are nevertheless about exposure. He appears to want slower shutter speeds so the moving background blurs.

Remember... Video is after all a rapid series of stills.

 

[brett8883]

I mean... you claimed ND filters are not for photography. They are.

While I didn't notice the OP's mention of video, ND filters are nevertheless about exposure. He appears to want slower shutter speeds so the moving background blurs.

Remember... Video is after all a rapid series of stills.

I suppose it would have been more accurate to say that ND filters are primarily for video.

Having said that the ND filters we are talking about are almost exclusively used for video. For long exposure photos you would really need something like a ND1000 to get noticeable motion blur especially since the Mavic Pro doesn’t have an adjustable aperture, which they do make for Mavic but it’s a pretty specialized piece of equipment for a very very specific shot.

Most of the time in photography we are trying to get the sharpest image possible which would require using a quick shutter speed. Not to say that there are no situations where you might use on of these filters for photography but it’s very very uncommon.

Yes video is a series of still photos that is of course true, but it’s much different in a lot of ways. One key difference is that in photography one shutter click goes with one exposure (double exposures aside) but in video, typically, the shutter will fire multiple times per frame so every frame has been exposed multiple times. Moving objects can appear to have teleported to another part of the frame or appear in two places at one time if the shutter speed is too high.

so by reducing the shutter speed we can connect the motion of these multiple exposures so that the object in motion actually appears to be moving instead of teleporting.

This is an extreme example to make a point but it creates much smoother life like motion in video and most people find it more pleasing on the eye.

 

[Rojillio Santoro]

I spoke to someone from PolarPro who told me that they have discontinued production of filters for both the Mavic Pro. They have no more ND32PL filters for the MP in stock. She suggested I buy the ND64PL and raise my ISO setting if the attenuation is too high. If never set ISO above 100 for fear of noisy video. What do you think?

 

[brett8883]

I spoke to someone from PolarPro who told me that they have discontinued production of filters for both the Mavic Pro. They have no more ND32PL filters for the MP in stock. She suggested I buy the ND64PL and raise my ISO setting if the attenuation is too high. If never set ISO above 100 for fear of noisy video. What do you think?

That’ll probably work. Honestly, if you go down a notch in shutter speed that’s not terrible either. You can also increase the amount of light into the lens by not using the maximum polarization. Lastly, consider just getting the regular ND32. They are much easier to use and have more use cases then a linear PL filter.