PolarPro or Skyreat ND filters

[stberlin]

What made me decide to go for Skyreat over PolarPro is the similar build quality

PolarPro ND 4,8,16 = $80.
Skyreat ND 4,8,16,32 = $40

Image or video quality wise, I can't tell the difference. The MA only has a 1/2 cmos sensor to begin with. Even if I spend $500 on filters, Adobe Premiere CC 2018 is a better investment.

straight out of the same factory, possibly.

 

[Tacobell]

So no quality difference in video?

 

[red_baron]

What made me decide to go for Skyreat over PolarPro is the similar build quality

PolarPro ND 4,8,16 = $80.
Skyreat ND 4,8,16,32 = $40

Image or video quality wise, I can't tell the difference. The MA only has a 1/2 cmos sensor to begin with. Even if I spend $500 on filters, Adobe Premiere CC 2018 is a better investment.

straight out of the same factory, possibly.

View attachment 37788 View attachment 37790 View attachment 37789 View attachment 37783

I'm using the Neewer, ND4/PL, ND8/PL, ND16/PL and they polarized as well and cheaper than Skyreat, around USD $30. I don't have any other to compare them against but 4k videos look stunning on my 4k TV.

Neewer 3 Pieces Pro Lens Filter Kit for DJI Mavic Air Drone Quadcopter Includes: ND4/PL, ND8/PL, ND16/PL Filters, Made of Multi Coated Waterproof Aluminum Alloy Frame Optical Glass(Black) | Neewer | Photographic Equipment and Accessories for Professionals, Musicians, and Amateur Photographers

 

[macoman]

Personally I found pollarpro overpriced. I always paid maximum for ND filters $30 bucks. I bought the sunnylife ND filters for my Mavic Pro and works extremely well.

 

[Jameslavis]

Polars. You can’t cheap out on the quality. You pay a grand for a drone, don’t drop the cheapies on it.

 

[Wacker2611]

Polars. You can’t cheap out on the quality. You pay a grand for a drone, don’t drop the cheapies on it.

Polar have the best marketing Dept. That’s for sure. Having said that, they are made in the same factory as some of the cheaper ones. I’ve tried Skyreats and Polar Pro in the past and could see absolutely no difference whatsoever.

 

[msinger]

don’t drop the cheapies on it

All of the cheapies (which I'm assuming is anything other than a PolarPro since PolarPro is the most expensive) are not low quality products. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you try other filters like those from Freewell, PolarPro, or TACO-RC.

 

[Jameslavis]

To each their own. You can buy cheap drones too likely made by the same children. I’ll take the QA team of polar tho.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Does anyone have links to actual objective testing of these filters? Things like light transmission, surface uniformity, distortion, aberration, etc.? I have not been able to find any. While the Polar Pro's have worked well for me and they are often viewed as the gold standard, nobody can really say filter X is better than or the same as filter Y without some data. Everyone's ability to notice imperfections is different, and everyone's tolerance for quality is different, so it's kind of difficult to evaluate subjectively (as is any lens or lens element), especially on a 12MP image coming off a tiny 1/2.3" sensor. At the end of the day if you're happy and you can't tell a difference in color cast, distortion, sharpness, etc. and the filter itself does not interfere with the gimbal operation, then it doesn't really matter. My approach has just been to buy the Polar Pros because they are still very cheap and the investment is hardly any different whether you go with cheapies or Polar Pro's. The Mavic Air's sensor and lens array is not exactly the pinnacle of quality either, so I would want to make sure it was getting every advantage.

 

[Jameslavis]

You drop a G on a drone. It’s only good for camera so why not put the money into the accessories. Compare skyreat to mavmount and see the diff for that item. Chinese rip offs are not the same ever.

Up to you tho. Only the best in my world

 

[msinger]

Does anyone have links to actual objective testing of these filters? Things like light transmission, surface uniformity, distortion, aberration, etc.? I have not been able to find any.

Me neither. It seems either the tools needed to perform such tests don't exist or nobody has them. I'm guessing that's why some people assume the amount of money spent is directly proportional to the quality of the product and/or resulting photos/videos.

 

[Jameslavis]

Wifey works in QA in Toronto. Even in situations where a parent company produces third party products, there are substantial differences in the product and QA.

The same would be for lenses. Kid also bought rip off nerf bullets and they were from the “same mold”. It’s better to say you wanna save a few bucks and buy the knock offs. Don’t for a second think a knockoff is the same. You can drown in examples. Do what you want but polars are pinnacles of quality.

 

[Jameslavis]

Also skyreat is questionable quality. I bought their mount before I bought mavmount. It was a temp and it’s cheap Chinese ****.

 

[Wacker2611]

Also skyreat is questionable quality. I bought their mount before I bought mavmount. It was a temp and it’s cheap Chinese ****.

Like you say, each to their own! I’ve no experience with other Skyreat products but what I can say is that I noticed zero difference between both the build quality and image quality with the PP’s and Skyreats. Not scientific I know, but that’s my personal experience.

 

[msinger]

It’s better to say you wanna save a few bucks and buy the knock offs. Don’t for a second think a knockoff is the same. You can drown in examples. Do what you want but polars are pinnacles of quality.

We're not talking about knockoffs here though -- just filters made by different companies. And there's certainly no question that the majority of people who own PolarPro filters like the quality, results, and customer service. I own a lot of PolarPro filters and am happy with most of them.

I'm curious though. How did you determine PolarPro is the pinnacle of quality? How many other filter brands do you own now? How exactly have you compared them to conclude that PolarPro is the best? For those that you don't own now (or have never tried), how can you be sure those brands aren't able to produce identical (or nearly identical) results?

 

[Jameslavis]

Let’s just eliminate skyreat and kuquaa. They produce low grade drone accessories. So if the rest of their lines are this way and by no means have any expertise in photography, what are you buying? Polarpro is know very well for top quality. You can check out the boat load of reviews.

This is easy. You drop a grand on a drone, do you even want to chance skimping out on the quality of the only thing DJI drones are used for? Videography and photography. Would you drop a cheapie lens on your DSLR? I air on the side of caution and in reality they are not expensive. I’ve dropped 3 sets of NDs for my air. If the word is consistently positive for polar, this community would beat the hell out of a junk product. I haven’t seen a dissatisfied polar filter customer yet.

 

[msinger]

Let’s just eliminate skyreat and kuquaa. They produce low grade drone accessories. So if the rest of their lines are this way and by no means have any expertise in photography, what are you buying? Polarpro is know very well for top quality. You can check out the boat load of reviews.

This is easy. You drop a grand on a drone, do you even want to chance skimping out on the quality of the only thing DJI drones are used for? Videography and photography. Would you drop a cheapie lens on your DSLR? I air on the side of caution and in reality they are not expensive. I’ve dropped 3 sets of NDs for my air. If the word is consistently positive for polar, this community would beat the **** out of a junk product. I haven’t seen a dissatisfied polar filter customer yet.

So, it looks like we're back to assuming the cost of something makes it better. At least you confirmed you haven't really compared any of the other filter brands to the PolarPro filters you own. Thank you for that.

 

[Jameslavis]

I can buy marine rope at the dollar store or a hardware store. Theoretically it does the same function. I won’t tie my seadoo up with that crap. Just buy skyreat filters. I’ll rest peacefully tomorrow with vivids. Maybe they will throw in a DJA majic pro

 

[Jameslavis]

Here is what is guarantee, weight to pass gimbal calibration, won’t f-up the delicate threads, quality optical glass. If you get the same guarantees polar gives from skyreat, go for it. I’d bet you xian-li from skyreat won’t answer you back.

 

[RobH2]

I purchased Polarpro filters after trying Neewer. The Neewer filters work but the densities are way off, some as far as 1.5 stops. I could not get my shutter speeds down on a partly cloudy day even with the 32ND Neewer. Plus the Neewer uses a little adhesive felt strip inside the filter to give it friction and hold it on the camera. On my first use that felt strip shifted and I never was able to get the filter to seat properly. It buckled and the adhesive was disturbed and would not restick. If Skytreet uses the same "felt" technique I would not trust them.

Polarpro filters have a curved compression ring in the inside of the cap. It's attached in a small groove top and bottom and can't move, shift or come unglued. I've attached a photo I just took with my microscope. This mounting design clearly costs more to manufacture and assemble but it is the right way to do it. I have to admit, this is the first time I'd looked at the mount with my microscope and I was impressed that it was not a simple interference compression design, like felt.

I know this thread is about Skytreet VS Polarpro, but I think the Polarpro filters are very well designed. They "snap" a little when they go on and the densities are perfect. I've been a commercial photographer for 30-years and I know my ND filters. Additionally, my actual degree is an Industrial Designer, which is why I was so impressed with their mounting solution. Polarpro is right on with their quality control and I trust the mounting solution.