New Gradient ND filters from PolarPro..amazing

[dakotaboy88]

You are correct, these are for video, well the ND16/4 and ND32/8 at least. The ND8-GR can be used for photography. We designed a soft transition line so you did not have to line of the horizon line perfectly. The horizon line just needs to be close to the center of the frame and your results will be solid. Happy to answer any questions! -Jeff from PolarPro

Here is a video that goes into a little more detail:

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This is pretty cool, although I wouldn't use it much. If you guys make a solid red (no gradient) filter for the Mavic Pro, I'd buy it an instant. I do a lot of high contrast black and white still work and this would help cut out a lot of post-processing work. If you made a kit with other colors, I'd like it, but I really want a red filter.

 

[melmartin]

Well - there's many many instances where a grad filter is the best solution.
Such as a waterfall you want to smooth the water with a slower shutter but not overexpose the sky.
Then some folks don't like the look of HDR's.
Key is the word "graduated". The transition is smooth so any mismatch is pretty much minimized across the middle grade.
Polarizers have the same issue as far as adjustability when in the air.
It's part of the craft to use your tools properly.

Well processed HDR needn’t look like HDR. That’s up to the skill of the photographer. I like PolarPro products but these filters are a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist if the photographer has some skills. Too restrictive and it controls your composition.

 

[MrMavic]

Exactly. That's why they don't seem practical to me.

Exactly, and the same with the Liner Polarizing filters that have to be adjusted constantly every time the camera changes angles. They are useless on a moving camera with no remote adjustment.

 

[Samphotom]

I like PolarPro filers and use them, but this seems rather silly. What If I've loaded that filter, and then decide to change my composition to a different ratio of sky/landscape? Better to do this in post and have infinite flexibility. Gradient filters are only useful if every shot is the same, On the ground, gradient filters are easy to switch out. In the air, not so much...

Completely disagree with you when talking about video. You can't bring blown out clouds back in post. These are exactly the filters everyone needs vs the typical ND filters that everyone buys and thinks are saving their highlights when they aren't. It is a soft gradient, the breaking line between the air and sky is very gradual so it should work perfectly for everything except shots that are all ground, even then, that is something you can actually fix in post. Much easier to pull up shadows than to try to recover lost highlights.

For stills just shoot HDR bracketing and there is no need for filters at all.

 

[melmartin]

You should buy them if you like them. I bracket and always have good clouds without losing shadow detail. I prefer to determine my own composition, rather than have the filter determine my composition. If you think the filters are useful buy a set and report back honestly how you like them. Simple.

 

[buttons276]

I like PolarPro filers and use them, but this seems rather silly. What If I've loaded that filter, and then decide to change my composition to a different ratio of sky/landscape? Better to do this in post and have infinite flexibility. Gradient filters are only useful if every shot is the same, On the ground, gradient filters are easy to switch out. In the air, not so much...

If someone is new to drones and even newer to taking pictures would you recommend that person to invest in some filters? If so, which ones.

 

[melmartin]

I’m hesitant to get specific without knowing what kind of photography will be done. For general purpose stills and videos the PolarPro ND filters are excellent. If you will have water or a high percentage of sky shots the polarized filters are a good choice. You can find reviews of Mavic filters on YouTube and on this forum too if you search.

 

[ScubaBob]

I can't see the issue. Regular filters apply a set filter across the whole field of view. these allow you to darken the sky but keep the ground correctly exposed. Post can only do so much if you have under and over exposure.

Post processing can do A LOT IF you shot in RAW and use software such as Adobe's Lightroom. You can do wonders with both over and under exposed as well as creating gradients, enhancing colors, etc.

 

[Nigpd]

I couldn't agree more. That's my philosophy too

 

[PolarPro]

Post processing can do A LOT IF you shot in RAW and use software such as Adobe's Lightroom. You can do wonders with both over and under exposed as well as creating gradients, enhancing colors, etc.

These gradient filters are definitely more aimed at video. Photos are relatively easy to bracket and fix in post, but if you are not bracketing, the GR filters will give you 2 to 3 more stops of MORE information in the highlights to work with in post

-Jeff from Polarpro

 

[PolarPro]

If someone is new to drones and even newer to taking pictures would you recommend that person to invest in some filters? If so, which ones.

Here is a pretty good comparison between our ND and ND/PL filters (which is a good starting point in your filter selection process):
Happy to answer any specific questions.
-Jeff from PolarPro

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[tictag]

The trouble with graduated filters is that if your perspective changes you could end up darkening things that shouldn't be darkened, but then you have this problem in post too. I do agree with @PolarPro in that allowing more light in is far better than increasing shadows in post - the Mavic is not renowned for it's low light performance! But all-in-all I agree with @Ikopta that such filters are tools and can enhance your production quality when used at the right time. I am certainly considering buying a set.

 

[Kaiser-Mavic]

Howdy all,
Just preformed my frist full run time flight to inspected a potential new house for us unfortunately all the pictures have a washed out look.
What would be the best filters to buy to eliminate this issue in the future?

 

[ScubaBob]

First, you can fix the photo by adjusting your contrast and exposure. Probably a 8 PolarPro would have done the job but it is not that bad of a shot. Did you try adjusting the exposure on the DJI App?

 

[gnirtS]

Thats absolutely nothing to do with a filter. You simply have the shot over exposed. Knock down the EV bias. Its maybe half a stop over exposed.
The last thing you want for sharp, good quality stills is a filter in any case.

 

[Coolwater]

Just tried out the new gradient ND filters from PolarPro.. No can get a a soft stop spread to balance out exposure in camera... amazing.

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Looking at the responses in this thread, I think the real use for graduated ND filters was overlooked. I've used these with my Mavic Pro often and it greatly helps with the dynamic range. The contrast is very high here in CO and it's a fine line between blowing out clouds or over saturating blacks on the ground. These are things you cannot fix in post. This filter helps a lot with this. You just have to plan your shots to use it or not, depending on what you are trying to do and the conditions.

 

[Brojon]

IMHO the bottom line is the people that naysay grad filters simply do not have a good background in photography.
Yes, the drone aspect makes using them challenging, but they are very useful if applied with a bit of planning. I think a lot of folks just want to slap something on and et voila! gorgeous results.