ND Filter set recommendations for DJI Mini 4 Pro

[Spinball]

I've searched for reviews of the DJI filter set

DJI Mini 4 Pro ND Filters Set (ND8/16/32/64/CPL/UV) 6PCS

The STARTRC Camera Lens CPL UV ND Filters Set For DJI Mini 4 Pro are specially designed to reduce the amount of light allowing the camera to select the correct exposure value. The UV Filter will eliminate ultraviolet rays, whilst the CPL filter will eliminate any harmful reflected light to...

dji-retail.co.uk

but the majority of Mini 4 Pro filter set reviews on YouTube are from November of the Freewell set when they sent sponsored a bunch of videographers.

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The Freewell 16 filter pack is pricey at £150 here in the UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freewell-16Pack-Pollution-Filters-Compatible/dp/B0CJ29TWMY/

I'd like to get the best possible videos and I appreciate the natural quality of blur on fast motion but I'm not an expert videographer.
Would you folks say that the Freewell mega set is needed or would the 6 filter DJI pack be sufficient? I'm wondering whether I would need a 128.
Are there more alternatives?
Thanks for any advice you can share.

 

[Zaney1]

These are the articles I reference when considering the use of filters. I hope they help.
https://www.heliguy.com/blogs/posts/heliguys-guide-to-drone-nd-filters
What are ND Filters and How to Choose One for Your Drone - Pilot Institute
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explor...ons/benefits-of-filters-for-drone-photography

 

[M1CXF]

I think what would be nice is for someone with great experience as both a UAV pilot and photographer to device some form of sliding scale/chart to use as guidance for those of us who are less experienced. The attitude of go and learn like I did doesn't really work very well. Some of us need a helping hand and pointing in the right direction. In the world of amateur radio they call it being an "Elmer", something which I am proud to say I have been referred to as being.

 

[Zaney1]

I think what would be nice is for someone with great experience as both a UAV pilot and photographer to device some form of sliding scale/chart to use as guidance for those of us who are less experienced. The attitude of go and learn like I did doesn't really work very well. Some of us need a helping hand and pointing in the right direction. In the world of amateur radio they call it being an "Elmer", something which I am proud to say I have been referred to as being.

Community Based Organizations serve that purpose and more. When I first started flying I joined a Meetup group that meets once a month for a "Fly-In" and experienced pilots help the noobs. This past weekend I went to the wrong location due to a last-minute change in venue but found a guy there who had even less experience than I.
He was flying with the piece of plastic that hold the gimbal in place during shipping. I helped him as much as I could and he was grateful for it.
Nothing can replace hands-on or face-to-face interacting with more experienced people when learning something that can be both complex, at first, and nuanced long after. Try looking for a Meetup group in your area.

 

[akdrone]

Would you folks say that the Freewell mega set is needed or would the 6 filter DJI pack be sufficient? I'm wondering whether I would need a 128.

No. The mega set is absolutely not needed most of the time. I have never used a 128. I have an 6, 16, 32 and 64 and that has been entirely sufficient for ND filtering. I also have CPL that I don't use often but when it's useful it's very useful. Occasionally when it's very cold and I'm in the mountains I use a UV but that's probably the least important of the Skyreat set that I have. I have used Freewell and like them also but they didn't have a set with the above mentioned filters. I have used a 1000 and 2000 on occasion when shooting stills of flowing water but I only have those for my Mavic 3 Pro. CPL's are rarely useful for video as they color of the sky will change as you pan around but in some instances they are invaluable to reduce glare and deepen colors. One must, however, practice with them and understand them or you can get odd changes of color as they don't work with the sun in back or in front of you.

 

[Spinball]

Thanks for the replies.
I appreciate the basic benefits of the ND filters.
I remember the first versions of Star Wars games for the PC which included motion blur and they looked way better for it.

With the Freewell set having polarising versions of the same ND filters, I'm wondering whether it might only be worth using the polarising ones all the time.
But anyway, my main question is whether the DJI set of 6 will do and it sounds like it, so I'll ask for them for my birthday.

My job is running a forum like this one (same software) but a little bit bigger.
If I were running this forum, I would encourage experts here to write articles in the forum to cover these topics so that people find them here and stay here to read them rather getting sent elsewhere. Yes the information may be duplicated, but the benefits for SEO would be worth the effort.

 

[akdrone]

There may be times when you want a polarizer with an ND filter but it's pretty unusual simply because it's unusual to use a polarizer at all. As I mentioned (I think), the polarizer will affect the sky differently, particularly with a normal wide angle lens so areas of the sky that are angled from the sun will be a darker blue than areas that are inline with the sun so using a polarizer for video is tricky. Because of that, a simply ND filter is preferred almost all the time. If you were filming, flying over water or something with reflections with the sun to your side and you wanted motion blur and a polarizing filter then it's conceivable that a filter with both effects might be useful. I do have a set of ND/Pol filters that I think I have used twice in 1500 flights. Nice to have them available but a plain set of ND filters will absolutely be more important and the preferred choice nearly all of the time. If you are shooting still images regularly the pol might be used more often but with the wide angle of the Mini4 lens you'll almost always have issues with the sky coloration looking different from one area of the sky to another.

 

[Spinball]

Thanks very much for the info. I'm going to go for the DJI set.

 

[orr-acle]

I can highly recommend the variable ND filter from freewell (VND 1-5 and VND 6-9) - so you only need 2 ND filters for the whole "normal" range (for long exposure fotos you still need ND1000 or ND2000)

Especially the vnd mist edition is great - nice smooth highlight rolloff against the light

 

[Spinball]

I can highly recommend the variable ND filter from freewell (VND 1-5 and VND 6-9) - so you only need 2 ND filters for the whole "normal" range (for long exposure fotos you still need ND1000 or ND2000)

Especially the vnd mist edition is great - nice smooth highlight rolloff against the light

Interesting. Am I right in assuming that 32 - stop 5 (cloudy day) and 64 - stop 6 (sunny day) are the ones you'd use most of the time? In which case it's a bit frustrating that they didn't instead create a variable filter from 3-7 so you could just have the one. Assuming that it's technically possible.

 

[orr-acle]

Sorry for the late answer...

Most of the time, I use 1-5 on my drone. (~stop 4)

On really bright days with strong snow- or water-reflections I use the 6-9

But it also depends on the fps you are shooting
higher framerates -> faster shutter speed
lower framerates -> slower shutter speed

So if you are mainly shooting with 60fps you maybe just need 1-5 stop ND
If you are mainly shooting with 24-30 fps I´m pretty shure you also need 6-7 (it´s also usefull for hyperlapse to get a lower shutter speed)

I would suggest to take both.

 

[RubiconCSL]

I pushed the boat out and went for the Freewell 16 filter set. Close to £150, but I can't see I'll ever be in a position where I have the wrong filter at hand. All the reviews I've read on Freewell are very positive too. They are very easy to change too.

Now all I need to find is a waterfall nearby, so I can test the ND1000. I think the nearest one is about 200 miles away.