Neewer CPL + ND filters for Mavic Pro - Will pass gimbal self test

[nismoz]

Hey everyone,

I have just received my order for this set Neewer ND/PL filters for my Mavic and I would like to share my thoughts about this cheap option for filters. I know many people vouch for Polar Pro, Taco RC and all those expensive filters but this is also a good option. All 6 filters pass initial gimbal self test but I have to give some power to push them close otherwise, the camera will get stuck at the gimbal arm. About this part, I am not sure if it happens the same way to those expensive filters? Are you able to push them in with ease?

These filters are very light weight. I don't feel the weight when each filter is on my hand. It is made from very thin aluminum ring and a piece of glass. Inside the rings are some sort of felt which is designed to keep the filter on the camera. Some are thicker than others so if you decide to get these, spend some time to test fit each filter and trim them down a bit. They cannot be very loose though, otherwise they would not stay close to the camera lens and they will get stuck at the gimbal arm during self test or the filter would drop out during flights.

Here's the link: Neewer Silver Filter CPL ND8 ND16 ND32 ND8/PL ND16/PL for DJI Mavic Pro Drone | eBay

Not sure if this is the most recent design that they have since Neewer released a couple versions.

Pros:
Pass gimbal self test
Cheap
Very light weight - No gimbal overload issue
Very clean looking (if you get the silver ones, they match with the camera/gimbal color nicely)
No color change to footages
Comes with a small nice pouch to hold all 6 filters

Cons:
A bit hard to push on but will be fixed if you do #2 below
Need to trim each inner ring felt to your liking
Easy to break (I assume they are all easy to break)

I just have a simple question for those that have expensive filters. On your filters, what's the inside of each ring to keep the filter in place?

I think these are filters are good for the money. Let me know what you think.

 

[pure3d2]

Do the filters have a rubber ring gasket on the inside? If so, is it removable? If it's removable, take it out and trim some off of it so there's less of it making contact with the Mavic camera. The gimbal doesn't generate enough angular momentum that the filters needs to be on so tight.

EDIT: In the item description, it says "NOTE: 1.These filters can be mounted ONLY WHEN the original stock filter is still in place"

What does that even mean?

 

[nismoz]

No, the inner side is not rubber. It is sort of like the soft side of velcro. I have no problem trimming that thing down. It just takes time to perform the surgery to all 6 filters so I see it as a con.

I believe the original stock filter that they are referring to in their note is the camera lens. We can take the camera lens off on Phantom models, not sure about Mavic as I haven't tried. But anyway, the filter won't mount onto bare camera. Neewer is a Chinese manufacturer so sometimes it is hard to understand what they really mean.

 

[TroutboyNZ]

I have the Neewers x6 from Aliexpress, and there is no way I can have them on during startup, always contact the housing. Ashame as they are nice filters.

 

[cthetoy]

I have the Neewer and if you dont press them all they way in then they will effect you startup. The Neewer filters don't have any color casts. Polarpro runs a tad warmer. Forgot which site made the comparisons but you can google it. Good set for 1/4 of the cost of Polar Pro

 

[nismoz]

As I mentioned in my original post, Neewer released many versions. The very first version will not pass start up gimbal test since the filter ring is too wide which causes the camera to get stuck. Neewer came out with 2 revised versions which eliminate the issue but users need to push them on close, otherwise, it will get stuck. One version with smooth ring and 1 version with grooved ring just like the one I got. I don't know which one is newer but all of my 6 filters pass the gimbal test so I thought it's good to share with the folks here.

I like them because despite the fact that they are cheap, there is no color casts and I got 6 different filters. 3 of them are ND/PL which lower the shutter speed and offer more vibrant color and reduce glares. Some people say you cannot adjust the angle of the PL to get the effect while your drone is in the air. I take my time to adjust the filter angle and I mark them all. The next time I put them on, I know which way to put them on to get the PL effect.

I don't think PolarPro offers ND/PL filters. They offer either ND or PL and the price is ridiculously high for some aluminum rings and glasses. I have seen photos and vids from Neewer and other cheap filters, and they are absolutely amazing. If there is no color cast, they are 100% good to go. Why pay premium price for those overpriced brands?

 

[Flycaster]

TheTaco Filter sets work fine and dandy, does not interfere with the gimbal start up and self test.

 

[okw]

Why pay premium price for those overpriced brands?

While I can't speak for the quality of the filters mentioned in this thread, any professional photographer will tell you that the quality of the glass means everything when purchasing a lens or filter. In addition to the glass itself, there can also be different coatings to minimize glare, reduce fogging, and/or resist scratching. Most users of the consumer-grade quads aren't going to notice the difference in the glass in these filters, but a photographer may.

Again, I don't own, nor can I vouch for, any of the filters mentioned. And it's quite possible that they are in fact manufactured at the same factory using the same materials for all that I know. I'm just throwing out a reason why prices can vary greatly on this type of product.

Happy flying!

 

[nismoz]

I have been in photography industry for 6 years. While I mainly take photos for fun but I am very serious about my gear and techniques. I totally understand there are countless different quality in glasses and each camera/lens manufacturer has its own way to make its products competitive. I have gone through Hoya, B+W, Tiffen and I have a square filter set from Lee for my bulbous wide angle lenses. I have to say that still photos and videos are different. People tend to pixel peep on still photos so it's easy to understand why a UV filter from B+W can cost up to $120 depends on size while a same thing from Tiffen is only $10. While the difference in IQ is very slight, people still happy to pay $100+ for high quality filters. Looking at the images from the 2 filters side by side without cropping, no one will be able to tell the difference.

In videos, it doesn't matter if the resolution is 2.7K, 4K, 8K... no one will pixel peep. Cropping is the most they would do and even so, no one would ever do 100% crop so IQ becomes less of a problem.

I am happy with my filter set and in videos, no color cast = GO, GOOD, GOLD

 

[twotimer]

I've got a set of Neewer ND4/PL, ND8/PL and ND16/PL from Amazon a while back.
For me, they are semi-shiite.

1) Gimbal test only passes if you really force the filters all the way back on the camera.

2) In my case, the ND4/PL and ND8/PL turned to be identical – they both had the optical density of ND8 filter

3) ND16/PL introduces geometrical bulge-like distortion into the image.

 

[RedBully]

I bought the neewer full set about 6 months ago. ZERO issues and no gimbal interference. I consider them a great value.

 

[pure3d2]

I've got a set of Neewer ND4/PL, ND8/PL and ND16/PL from Amazon a while back.
For me, they are semi-shiite.

1) Gimbal test only passes if you really force the filters all the way back on the camera.

2) In my case, the ND4/PL and ND8/PL turned to be identical – they both had the optical density of ND8 filter

3) ND16/PL introduces geometrical bulge-like distortion into the image.

Did you return them?

 

[twotimer]

Did you return them?

Nah, I didn't bother - I got them shortly before vacation during which I planned to shoot above water.

 

[nismoz]

I don't have ND4 from Neewer since ND4 offers 2stops and CPL offers about 1.5stops. So I think they are close enough so I went with the set with CPL instead of ND4. It is obvious that the ND8 is much darker than the CPL. I don't have the ND4 so I can't compare the 2.

This is the first time that I hear an ND filter is causing a fisheye lens effect. Besides from the fact that they are hard to push on which is solved by trimming down the inner gasket, everything else is great.

I recorded a video last week and now in the middle of color grading and post processing the video. The raw video came out great. Just like RedBully, I consider this filter is great value.

 

[twotimer]

This is the first time that I hear an ND filter is causing a fisheye lens effect.

Believe me, that was an unpleasant surprise for me as well.

Apparently, Neewer sucks at quality control - that would also explain the fact that I got one mislabeled filter in the set.

 

[pure3d2]

Believe me, that was an unpleasant surprise for me as well.

Apparently, Neewer sucks at quality control - that would also explain the fact that I got one mislabeled filter in the set.

See if they'll swap out the bad one for you. Not letting them know doesn't help them improve.