ND Filters - advise needed

Johnny21 · Jun 3, 2017

debric france said:
And the taco any feedback from users? taco-rc à clipser pour revêtement multicouche MC Filtres ND Lot de 4 (/ND4/8/16/32) pour DJI Mavic Pro taco-rc à clipser pour revêtement multicouche MC Filtres ND Lot de 4 (/ND4/8/16/32) pour DJI Mavic Pro: Amazon.fr: Photo & Caméscopes

Very satisfied with them,easy to get on and off.

Wipster · Jun 3, 2017

Saw some gimbal globe filters thought I would try them. On amazon

jakejakey1208 said:
Since I got my Mavic I have been considering purchasing a set of ND Filters.

However these filters are very controversial, some people say they work and others say otherwise.

I am looking for a set of ND Filters (probably ND4 + ND8 + ND16) that will not interfere with the gimbal startup or function and won't break at the slightest touch.

Thanks!

AdventureCity · Jun 3, 2017

Johnny21 said:
Very satisfied with them,easy to get on and off.

I also got set full set of TACO RC. Here in the Texas sun, I find the ND8 works best, so they are on almost all of the time. Also tried ND4. Easy on and off and gimbal initialization is good. I cannot tell a difference in image sharpness between bare lens and lens w/ filter. I like the fact that the lens is slightly recessed in the ring. Be sure to invest in good lens cleaning materials - camera and ND filters, otherwise there may be some blurriness (my lesson learned).

imfar · Jun 3, 2017

debric france said:
I want to try these ones but I ve no feedback yet The Polar pro are too expensive for me.

D_wave27 · Jun 3, 2017

Sandmarc are the best. High quality, not too expensive. Easy to take on and off, unlike some others. Yet they stay snugly fit. No issues with Gimbal. Great company and customer service.

8BitMavics · Jun 3, 2017

Whichever ones you get, be sure they're coated as the "really" cheap ones are uncoated and can introduce flare.

I'm quite happy with this set.

rocdok · Jun 3, 2017

very happy with cinematic x3 polar pro 8, 16, and 32 but have decided i need a 4 as well ( after i buy a new mavic- at bottom of lake)

Realist123456 · Jun 4, 2017

debric france said:
And the taco any feedback from users? taco-rc à clipser pour revêtement multicouche MC Filtres ND Lot de 4 (/ND4/8/16/32) pour DJI Mavic Pro taco-rc à clipser pour revêtement multicouche MC Filtres ND Lot de 4 (/ND4/8/16/32) pour DJI Mavic Pro: Amazon.fr: Photo & Caméscopes

I have a set of Taco filters and they seem very good. No image degradation or colour shift.
I usually use the +16 or +32 to get my shutter speed down to 1/50 on a bright day.
However I was flying today and noticed for the first time a reflection on the image. Admittedly this was an unusual situation with quite still water forming a mirror to reflect the sun from the bottom of the image.
That resulted in a ghost image of the water surface appearing higher in the image.
Have a look at this screen shot.
I would expect all filters would probably do this in a similar situation. Of course if the filters weren't coated it would be much worse.
BTW, sometimes I haven't got the time or inclination to use filters to adhere to the 180 degree rule.
In those situations I fly unfiltered and apply Reel SmartMotion Blur (RSMB) in post. It mimics the appropriate amount of motion blur and does a bang-up job I must say.
It does take for-freakin-ever to crunch thru the footage when you go to output though.

Jamison74 · Jun 13, 2017

ylwfvr said:
If you can afford a $1000 drone then you can afford a set of good filters like the polar Pro.
You get what you pay for.

It's like people who buy expensive cars and then complain about a $50 oil change.

I completely agree, but to me it is more like buying a brand new luxury car and then purposely going out of your way to search out a way to put the cheapest plastic hubcaps on it.
They had no issue forking out the money for a higher end drone (I realize Mavic is not a Matrice but it's also not a Sky Viper)
But now when it comes to the one thing that can make or break their shots they want to go budget bargain bin dime store ND filters?!?
I have owned 3 sets of ND filters for the Mavic Pro, 2 of which were sent to me in exchange for an honest unbiased review. And neither were from PolarPro, even with 2 sets of free very well known ND filters. I still chose to spend my own money on the PolarPro Cinema Series. Because I did the comparison, I seen the difference between discount and quality filter sets.
Do yourself a favor and bite the bullet and get the PolarPro Cinema Series. Instead of scrolling thru all the others that copy/compare themselves to PP. They really are next level in build quality, optics and the absolute best customer service. With a lifetime warranty and PolarPros guarantee of customer satisfaction. You will seriously not regret your purchase from PolarPro.

Ghunzolo · Jun 13, 2017

I buy the CPL one, I use it first for protect the gimbal lens... other way I see a better effect in result of film and pictures in sunny days...

syke · Jun 13, 2017

Skip the ND4. The 8., 16, 32 would be more useful.

Jamison74 · Jun 13, 2017

debric france said:
No one typed the neewer ones?

Are you seriously just searching for the cheapest option on Amazon right now?

ncameron · Jun 13, 2017

I have the Skyreat filters, which I am perfectly happy with. But full marks for the free PolarPro App that calculates which grade of ND filter you need given the current conditions...

SkunkWerx's · Jun 13, 2017

jakejakey1208 said:
Since I got my Mavic I have been considering purchasing a set of ND Filters.

However these filters are very controversial, some people say they work and others say otherwise.

I am looking for a set of ND Filters (probably ND4 + ND8 + ND16) that will not interfere with the gimbal startup or function and won't break at the slightest touch.

Thanks!

I have the Polar Pro professional 6-pack , they seem to be the best I seen reasonably priced ..... There not a cheap thin glass or plastic that would break when you handle them.
They fit well and serve there purpose, if you ever have any problems, Polar Pro's customer service is excellent

Brojon · Jun 13, 2017

lookatbowen said:
Sandmarc do a set of 4 ND filters, I saw a review on YouTube that compared them to the PolarPro (which are expensive). These apparently fit better and come off easier. However the Sandmarc are not as readily available as the PolarPro or DJI's own filters.

They have 'em on Amazon and almost as expensive as PolarPro.

ElessarGR · Jun 24, 2017

Hello to all,

new guy here

So I just bought the mavic and I was looking to buy some ND filters.

I was reading this topic and I can't figure out what to choose.

Polar Pro or Freewell ?
The polar pro do they still having problem with the initialization of the camera when we power up the drone?

Thank you.

jcross · Jun 24, 2017

As a 30+ year still photographer and about 7 months in drones I would highly recommend combo ND with CPL. (Circular ) polarizing filters increase natural saturation and cut glare/highlights esp. In sunny scenes. Pick your brand, I won't steer there but get them. Gets shutter down for video too.

lookatbowen · Jun 24, 2017

lookatbowen said:
Sandmarc do a set of 4 ND filters, I saw a review on YouTube that compared them to the PolarPro (which are expensive). These apparently fit better and come off easier. However the Sandmarc are not as readily available as the PolarPro or DJI's own filters.

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I ended up getting these and they are exactly as they appear on the video. Easy to put on and take off. I mean I don't feel like the gimbal is at risk what-so-ever. They have made a big difference to my photos and video, especially the ND16. I can even leave them on permanently if I wanted too, no risk of them catching... Also the box is neat, small and light and east to carry. Cost me 64 bucks, and I think it was money well spent.

Oconnb910 · Jun 25, 2017

I have polar Pro and they got the six pack which has regular and polarized and I am very happy with them since they do not cause any gimbal issues and the shots that you got after using ND filters is incredible in comparison to without, you are shooting any kind of shots over water especially around sunset or Sunrise the polarized ones help drastically to smooth out the glary reflections, if you really are into it for a great video and stills ND filters are the way to go and I can just tell you from experience polar Pro makes a nice set.

invaliduser · Jun 25, 2017

debric france said:
I want to try these ones but I ve no feedback yet The Polar pro are too expensive for me.

I got those exact ones in the mail yesterday..... DO NOT ORDER THEM! I love Neewer products for my regular photography but these are not the way to go. They are heavy and to thick. They caused my gimble to strain and be floppy and jammed when i looked hard right. If you really care to see, I can upload the video. I just ordered the DJI