PolarPro confusion

Lhemmerich · Apr 11, 2019

This is a continuation of a previous post..so bear with me..
Bought a set of PolarPro filters..
ND-gr
ND-16-4
ND-32-8

I NOW UNDERSTAND that these are all gradient filters...thought they were PL..
My question is how to use them...
The WHITE dot on the lens seems to be at the lowest density ..ie let’s most light in...is this correct?
If shooting a mountain where the top half was in sun and the lower part in shadows..then I would put the whit dot at the bottom...correct?

I thought I was getting just ND filters.......

brettbrandon · Apr 11, 2019

That is correct.

brettbrandon · Apr 11, 2019

ND-gr I would suggest for standard photos, mountains, sunsets, ect.
ND-32-8 Will give you a longer exposure if you are looking to capture some blur.

DebianDog · Apr 12, 2019

As far as polarization goes. Someone pointed out something to me once. Get on-site and LOOK THROUGH THEM. Adjust them to your liking. There is the "gun technique" for adjustment but I find if I just look through them and alter to my liking I am good and usually end up where near suggested anyway.Here is a CPL video explaining the details of the filter

msinger · Apr 12, 2019

Gradient filters are best for shots where you have the sky in the top of the frame and the ground in the bottom of the frame. If you're shooting video in any scenarios where the ground is nearly as bright as the sky (like a white sand beach or snow covered ground), it would be better to use a normal ND filter.

This PolarPro video includes examples that show the difference between normal ND filters and gradient filters:

Lhemmerich said:
The WHITE dot on the lens seems to be at the lowest density ..ie let’s most light in...is this correct?

If you have a Mavic Pro, the filters have a thick line on the top (which should be at the top of the filter) and two thinner lines on either side of the filter (which should line up with the horizon).

When you hold the filter up to the sky and look through it, you'll be able to easily find the dark and light side. The dark side should be at the top since the sky is brighter than the ground.