Objects under water

[aquasun]

Here is a video I shot with my spark and used a polarized filter. Can see the salmon no problem.

Wonderful shots in an amazing location! reminds me when i lived in Washington state. who perfomed the music, may I ask? That’s some tasty guitar playing.

 

[Kyle76]

Those images were shot without a polariser.
You cannot adjust a polariser in flight, that's why they are next to useless on a drone.
People that fly with them them are generally fooling themselves.

If you are shooting straight down and rotate the AC for the most glare-free picture, isn’t that the same as rotating the polarizer, or am I missing something in the equation?

 

[MavicJer]

Hey gang!
I have been thinking on the best approach to film objects under water, and wanted to drop it here for discussion. Given that the water is clear enough, how would you approach filming objects that are under water?
Yes, probably ND filters to reduce glare, but I'm trying to think on the physics of the sunlight: approaching from above with the sun at an angle, or vice-versa, noon with the drone at an angle. Maybe sunset/sunrise are better because the light will be at a very steep angle (but also not as strong).

Has anyone thought or done this before and care to pitch in? I have a Zoom and a Mini that I will be using for this.
Thanks,
Marco

MavicJer here...I use Circular Polarized Filter, and if you get the Angle correct, the water has little to no glare, and if the water is clean enough, it is almost transparent to many feet below. Try it, it works for me.

 

[marcomcarneiro]

MavicJer here...I use Circular Polarized Filter, and if you get the Angle correct, the water has little to no glare, and if the water is clean enough, it is almost transparent to many feet below. Try it, it works for me.

Hey MavicJer, I might give it a try. I usually adjust it using a second phone (just point the camera at the phone and spin the filter until the screen is black).

 

[WithTheBirds]

If you are shooting straight down and rotate the AC for the most glare-free picture, isn’t that the same as rotating the polarizer, or am I missing something in the equation?

It is the same, at least with respect to any change in polarising effect that might be available.

 

[peterowensbabs]

ND filters won't do a thing to reduce glare.
Polarising filters are more trouble than they are worth on a drone.
If you did manage to orient the filter properly, it will only be working properly while the drone is facing that direction.
Adjusting the angle of the drone relative to the sun is the simplest way to get good results.
You need to have the sun behind the drone so that it's not reflecting back into the camera.

Regular liner polarising filters need alignment but circular polarisers do not and are the water photographs best friend.

 

[WithTheBirds]

Regular liner polarising filters need alignment but circular polarisers do not and are the water photographs best friend.

It seems you might not understand how polarisers work. Both CPL and non CPL filter work identically with respect to the need to rotate for optimum effect.

A circular polariser is simply a normal polarising filter with a second element sandwiched behind it (quarter wave plate) to re-polarise the light. The only benefit is that it allows for correct functioning for some cameras that have metering skewed by standard polarising filters.

 

[twoheadlines]

Combine the photographic possibilities of both a UAV and a ROV into a winning combination

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Those images were shot without a polariser.
You cannot adjust a polariser in flight, that's why they are next to useless on a drone.
People that fly with them them are generally fooling themselves.

I'm not fooling anybody.

If you see something you want to shoot, but there's glare, note the compass orientation of your craft, land, mount a polarizer and turn the front element the direction you need**. Then take off to the same location / orientation and shoot.

Too much trouble for you? Then you must not want the shot. If you're a recreational photography, I understand. If you're a professional of any kind (fine art to commercial sales), then you will do the work, period.

Alternative: at certain angles, you can just turn the craft. It will have the same effect of turning the front polarizer element. If it changes the orientation of your image, you might be able to adjust in post. Use your minds eye and pre-conceive what it will look like on the computer screen.

Important to Note: a polarizer is not a binary on/off. It is mostly nothing at one position, and mostly full polarizer at 90 degrees to that 'nothing' position. There are two locations on the dial that are nothing, and two that are full power (each 180 degrees apart). Then there is everything in-between. If your front polarizrr element / craft orientation is somewhere between nothing and full, then you will get some results. If you combine this knowledge with the Alternative point mentioned above, you will improve your results.

But again, if you have to land your craft to adjust things, then that's what you do if it's important to you. If that means changing the batteries, then that's why you have plenty of them.

Note: reflections are not just from full sun. You can also sometimes not see below the surface of the water when it is simply reflecting blue sky. But you may only want to reduce direct sun glare and don't care about reducing other reflections to see below the surface.

With no polarizer, you can change the craft position to reduce the direct sun glare, true. But then you are changing the craft position and composition of your shot. This might be fine for you. <shrug>

** Knowing how to turn the front element requires you be knowledgeable of what angle will work. which you can teach yourself with the craft on the ground, taking note of the notch mark. Set up your craft and viewing device, and simply turn the front polarizer element to see how it affects the image in real time on your screen.

Chris

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

If you are shooting straight down and rotate the AC for the most glare-free picture, isn’t that the same as rotating the polarizer, or am I missing something in the equation?

Partly. Yes, turning your craft also turns the polarizer in relation to the sun, so it definitely works as you are imagining.

The partly part is straight down: the polarizing effect works at certain angles to the sun and straight down may or may not even have glare for you to reduce.

Doing some test flights to test this out will help.

Chris

 

[Meta4]

I'm not fooling anybody.

That's because you understand how the polariser works and how to use it, unlike the majority of drone flyers that slap one on and fly al over the sky assuming that's all they have to do.

 

[Scooped]

Wonderful shots in an amazing location! reminds me when i lived in Washington state. who perfomed the music, may I ask? That’s some tasty guitar playing.

Sorry I can't remember who made the music

 

[Scooped]

Here is another video with a polarized filter.