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ND Filters: Polarized vs. Non-Polarized for easiest/best video quality?

Not sure if this has been answered or not, as I have searched but not found any information. I am new to filters and have a question regarding Polarpro's adjustable ND/PL filters. I will be shooting lots of long exposure photographs, along with some videos. In regards to ND vs ND/PL, is it possible to rotate the ND/PL filter to get the same colors (no polarizing effect) as a regular ND filter of the same value? For example, I would rather buy a custom set with ND/PL (8,16,32,64,128,1000) then a set with ND (8,16,32) and ND/PL (8,16,32), which basically gives you two filters with the same ND value. Again, is it possible to negate the polaring effect on an ND/PL filter by adjusting it?
Again sorry if this has been answered.
Thanks!

Yes, but only at a very specific orientation, which doesn't leave you much farther ahead. You can't just turn the polarizing off, so to speak, and fly around like a normal ND. What you're describing is impossible because you can't manually adjust the filter once in the air. Everything changes the moment your orientation to the sun changes.

Especially if you're new to filters I would strongly recommend getting the ND's you need and only 1-2 PL's (assuming you will use them much less frequently), adding more later only if you need/want them.
 
Gotcha, that kinda makes sense. I think I am going to be getting the ND filter and maybe 1 ND/PL for long exposure.
Thanks for the input!
 
If you only get one long exposure ND filter, I'd recommend starting with an ND 1000. I've tried 128 and 256 and neither was dark enough for daylight long exposures.
 
If you only get one long exposure ND filter, I'd recommend starting with an ND 1000. I've tried 128 and 256 and neither was dark enough for daylight long exposures.

I agree. To get multisecond shots during the day, without going above the lens sweet spot of 4-4.5, an ND1000 is essential.
 
Agree completely. I am a photographer, not drone photographer or videographer.

Effect from PL varies tremendously with camera movement so unless you are filming on a direct flight path expect some shifts in contrast, saturation, etc.

The only time I could see using a polarized on a drone is for still shots.


Paul

So which filters do most people find that they use for still shots in daylight, either some cloud or sunny?

Polarized or unpolarized?

ND 4, 8, 16 or greater?


I regularly use polarizers for my DSLR to make skies deeper blue as well as define clouds better. They also darken the color of the sea as well as define it better. A good polarizer can let you see the floor of the ocean near a coast whereas normally the surface would have reflections from the sun or the skies.

I haven't bound a drone yet but looking to buy a filter kit, though some bundles include ND filters, probably from no-name brands.
 
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So which filters do most people find that they use for still shots in daylight, either some cloud or sunny?

Polarized or unpolarized?

ND 4, 8, 16 or greater?


I regularly use polarizers for my DSLR to make skies deeper blue as well as define clouds better. They also darken the color of the sea as well as define it better. A good polarizer can let you see the floor of the ocean near a coast whereas normally the surface would have reflections from the sun or the skies.

I haven't bound a drone yet but looking to buy a filter kit, though some bundles include ND filters, probably from no-name brands.

For normal still photos, you either wouldn't use a ND filter at all or use the weakest polarizer you can (just a regular PL with no additional ND value) and it sounds like you already know the limitations of using polarizers on drones. The only benefits to using ND filters for stills are for longer exposures or if the scene is so bright that it exceeds the maximum shutter speed of the drone/camera at your desired settings.

Don't expect to get sharp exposures longer than roughly 1-1.5 second from the drone, especially if there is any wind. Everyone has different tolerance thresholds for sharpness, which is totally fine and may not matter depending on the intended final usage, but every shot I've seen that is much longer than that is what I would personally consider unacceptably blurry when viewed larger than web-size (which is 99% of the photos you will see). You can mitigate this somewhat with huge subject distances and post processing. Even 1/4 second is plenty to get a great waterfall shot in most instances though, so there is still a ton of flexibility there.

For video you can get away with a ND4 and ND16 if you are willing to change your aperture between F2.8 and F4, as that pair will give you the equivalent of a ND4, ND8, ND16, ND32 all else equal. After F4 the M2P image starts to degrade due to diffraction, but it's up to you how you care about that - if you're not picky, up to F5.6 might be OK.

There is no single answer to what ND filters to buy, it very much depends on the conditions you want to fly in, the apertures you're comfortable using, and the shutter speeds you plan to use. I am also assuming ISO100 as it's pretty rare one would deviate from that. I think a lot of people own a ND4 - ND32 and that will cover the vast majority of scenarios, especially if you are flexible with aperture. If you fly over sun-lit snow, you might need a ND64 to maintain 1/60 shutter, but stopping down one stop or raising the shutter speed slightly you can get away with a ND32 still.

Avoid the no-name brand filters as there are 2 main concerns. Quality is obviously one of them, you don't want to put crappy glass without proper anti-reflective coatings in front of the sensor you paid so much money for. Second, they need to be light enough as to not cause problems with gimbal calibration. All the reputable brands seem to have this sorted out (Polar Pro, Skyreat, etc.) Filters are so cheap anyway relative to the cost of the drone, there is no point in trying to save a few dollars on them by going no-name, at least in my opinion. I have the same opinion about memory cards.
 
I would not recommend PL filters unless you do very specific planned shots and adjust the filter accordingly before takeoff. If you do the casual "fly around in an area and take some photos and video" use normal ND filters or you will get color shifts etc depending on the camera orientation that can be a nightmare to color correct.
 
Isn't there optimal apertures for the M2P camera, like f4 to f5.6? So in that range, how many stops do you need to filter down if it's a bright sunny day?

2 stops? 4 stops? More?

For instance, this guy, who's probably being comped by Polar Pro, says get the ND8, 16 and 32 first.


Then maybe the ND4PL, ND8PL and ND16PL.
 
I would not recommend PL filters unless you do very specific planned shots and adjust the filter accordingly before takeoff. If you do the casual "fly around in an area and take some photos and video" use normal ND filters or you will get color shifts etc depending on the camera orientation that can be a nightmare to color correct.

Some sets offer polarized and some offer a dedicated circular polarizer, where you'd adjust the level of polarization relative to the position of the star. But a standard polarizer, like the kind of sunglasses you get?
 
Long time photographer and videographer, but new to drones. There's an adage in photography that I've always believed in. Buy the best glass you can afford. Lenses, filters--quality over quantity. If I had $100 and could get 4 highly rated filters or 8 mediocre filters, I'm going to get the 4.

PolarPro seems to be the gold standard. However, have seen some good results (online) from Freewell filters, and that is what I have purchased for my Mavic 2 Pro. Time will tell, and I'm excited to see what my MP2 can do.
 
I agree with the choice to go with ND8, ND16, and ND32 to start, especially if you live in a very bright sunny area. Those three will allow you to use the sharpest aperture and still maintain the rule of doubling your frame rate to get optimum shutter speed in almost any daylight situation. Polarizers can be useful but you don't need them to start out. Try to get comfortable and confident using just ND filters for your videos until you're happy with what you get. From then on, you'll almost be able to look outside and choose the correct filter for the existing light conditions. For sure I use an ND16 and ND32 more than any other filters.

That said, if you want to be able to set the aperture AT F4 every time if possible, having ND4 through ND32 will give you that flexibility.
 
I agree with the choice to go with ND8, ND16, and ND32 to start, especially if you live in a very bright sunny area. Those three will allow you to use the sharpest aperture and still maintain the rule of doubling your frame rate to get optimum shutter speed in almost any daylight situation. Polarizers can be useful but you don't need them to start out. Try to get comfortable and confident using just ND filters for your videos until you're happy with what you get. From then on, you'll almost be able to look outside and choose the correct filter for the existing light conditions. For sure I use an ND16 and ND32 more than any other filters.

That said, if you want to be able to set the aperture AT F4 every time if possible, having ND4 through ND32 will give you that flexibility.

Exactly. I have the Polar Pro polarizing and gradient filters from 64 ND down. I also have the stock DJI filter kit... yep, I may have wasted $200+ as I end up back to the DJI filters more times than not. I find the polarizing and gradient filters to be AWESOME when taking pictures but a pain in the butt shooting video because of lighting/angle changes during flight.
 
FYI.

Apart from darkening blue skies and removing reflection from water surfaces, there are some aspects that users should be made aware of.

The action of a polarising filter changes with your angle of view in relation to the position of the sun.
If you are shooting on very wide lenses the polarising effect will differ across the field of view.
Polarising filters need to be 'set' for each directions of view.
There is no difference between linear and circular polarising filters - circular polarisers are needed to enable autofocus on certain auto-focus lenses.

Problems arising - Polarising filters are bad if you are stitching together multiple frames as it makes the sky areas difficult to match up. Neutral density graduating filters are generally better options for darkening skies compared to ground.

ND filters should be all that is required to get exposure correct in camera, the rest can be done with careful grading in post.

These opinions are purely based on my 25 years experience as a photographer, not on real-life experience of filming from drones.

Hope this helps.

Michael
 
FYI.

Apart from darkening blue skies and removing reflection from water surfaces, there are some aspects that users should be made aware of.

The action of a polarising filter changes with your angle of view in relation to the position of the sun.
If you are shooting on very wide lenses the polarising effect will differ across the field of view.
Polarising filters need to be 'set' for each directions of view.
There is no difference between linear and circular polarising filters - circular polarisers are needed to enable autofocus on certain auto-focus lenses.

Problems arising - Polarising filters are bad if you are stitching together multiple frames as it makes the sky areas difficult to match up. Neutral density graduating filters are generally better options for darkening skies compared to ground.

ND filters should be all that is required to get exposure correct in camera, the rest can be done with careful grading in post.

These opinions are purely based on my 25 years experience as a photographer, not on real-life experience of filming from drones.

Hope this helps.

Michael

Yea where were you when I was buying every filter available? Hahaha! You've summed it up perfectly. In Polar Pro's defense, they did put out a video covering this subject starring that kid they use.

 
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So I researched for awhile... I just couldn't wrap my head around what PolarPro was charging for the filters. After reading countless articles and watching several YouTube videos, I went with the 6 piece set (ND4, ND8, ND16, ND4/CPL, ND8/CPL, ND16/CPL) and the 2 piece set (ND32 and ND64) from F.Stop Labs, and paid $100 for both. PolarPro would have been over $200. These are equal in quality... For the only thing different is these do not come with a tool to remove the filter, and the case isn't magnetic... The filters are held in foam slots. I am a rookie when it comes to drones and video... And I have no problem removing them and putting them on without any tool. It's a tight fit, but it has to be. You don't want your filter coming off while in flight right? Anyway, if your on a budget, or even if you're not... These are great and are not over priced.
 
So I researched for awhile... I just couldn't wrap my head around what PolarPro was charging for the filters. After reading countless articles and watching several YouTube videos, I went with the 6 piece set (ND4, ND8, ND16, ND4/CPL, ND8/CPL, ND16/CPL) and the 2 piece set (ND32 and ND64) from F.Stop Labs, and paid $100 for both. PolarPro would have been over $200. These are equal in quality... For the only thing different is these do not come with a tool to remove the filter, and the case isn't magnetic... The filters are held in foam slots. I am a rookie when it comes to drones and video... And I have no problem removing them and putting them on without any tool. It's a tight fit, but it has to be. You don't want your filter coming off while in flight right? Anyway, if your on a budget, or even if you're not... These are great and are not over priced.
as everything else in this world the price/quality thing is highly subjective. wanna have a price shock - check out how much do horseman circular ND filters cost, or rodenstock lenses.

f.stop labs filters are ok, not perfect but quite ok, i got some of them as well. tiffen is better.
 
as everything else in this world the price/quality thing is highly subjective. wanna have a price shock - check out how much do horseman circular ND filters cost, or rodenstock lenses.

f.stop labs filters are ok, not perfect but quite ok, i got some of them as well. tiffen is better.
So what makes you say they are only ok and not perfect? What's the negative about them? Keep in mind, I'm in no way a professional and only shoot for fun/family stuff. But I still want to have a good product.
 
So what makes you say they are only ok and not perfect? What's the negative about them? Keep in mind, I'm in no way a professional and only shoot for fun/family stuff. But I still want to have a good product.
they have a bit of color cast, toward blueish - at least on the nd8 filter i have. if you have a color target - shoot it without the filter, then with the filter. it is not critical, but, i do not like it.
if you like it - do not overthink it and do not look for flaws, as it all can drive one insane. :)
 
How are you guys using the polarized filters?

Are you adjusting them much before you fly?

Of course, you don't want to be restricted to only certain angles relative to the sun so the polarization would only work at some angels at a given time.
 
they have a bit of color cast, toward blueish - at least on the nd8 filter i have. if you have a color target - shoot it without the filter, then with the filter. it is not critical, but, i do not like it.
if you like it - do not overthink it and do not look for flaws, as it all can drive one insane. :)
As with all things digital, a colour cast in a filter is irrelevant if shooting RAW and colour grading afterwards. You can even adjust for it easily with jpegs. The only issue would be a lack of colour / density uniformity across the field of vision. Then you start getting into problems.

Tiffen are surely my favourite filters, but not sure they make drone filters...?

****! I stand corrected... <Aerial Drone & DJI Drone Camera Filters>
 
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