Stupid Question Time...Yes I Did A Search,

[Lon Denard]

My Mavic 2 Pro has variable aperture from 2.8 to 11. I believe that it changes in one stop increments. Now, I've found in a couple dozen flights that F11 isn't cutting in bright conditions, so I'm ordering the ND filters when they come out.

Here's the question, when you use a ND filter does your aperture control basically start from that point and go up, still in one stop increments or does it change by a factor of the number of stops the ND filter provides?

Example; ND4= 2 stops When I install it does my aperture start at 2 then go to 3, 4, 5, 6 etc or does it start at 2 and then go to 4, 6, 8, etc?

Example 2; ND8= 3 stops. When I install does my aperture start at 3 then go to 4, 5, 6, etc or does it start at 3 and go to 6, 9, 12, etc?

And so on with the ND32 and ND64.

If it adds then I'll get the full set but if it multiplies I'll probably just get the ND 8.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[eddyT]

My Mavic 2 Pro has variable aperture from 2.8 to 11. I believe that it changes in one stop increments. Now, I've found in a couple dozen flights that F11 isn't cutting in bright conditions, so I'm ordering the ND filters when they come out.

Here's the question, when you use a ND filter does your aperture control basically start from that point and go up, still in one stop increments or does it change by a factor of the number of stops the ND filter provides?

Example; ND4= 2 stops When I install it does my aperture start at 2 then go to 3, 4, 5, 6 etc or does it start at 2 and then go to 4, 6, 8, etc?

Example 2; ND8= 3 stops. When I install does my aperture start at 3 then go to 4, 5, 6, etc or does it start at 3 and go to 6, 9, 12, etc?

And so on with the ND32 and ND64.

If it adds then I'll get the full set but if it multiplies I'll probably just get the ND 8.

Thanks for any replies.

Hi Lon

I’m new to the forum but not photography so I thought I could chip in on NDs

Your aperture value works independently of any ND you add. So ND4 at f4 will be f4 minus 2stops, ND4 at f5.6 it will be f5.6 minus 2stops etc.

Easiest way to think of it for me is that ND applies a base line adjustment to the overall amount of light before any adjustments I make with aperture/shutter/iso.

Hope that helps

 

[GringoLoco]

F/ stops mess with every new photographer. Just to make sure we're on the same page, adding one stop of exposure is double the amount of light, adding another stop doubles that, and so on. This is the part that really messes with people, the f/ stops our drones have access to, in order from wide open to closed down, in one stop increments, goes f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, and finally f/11. So f/4 lets in twice as much light as f/5.6, and four times as much light as f/8 (since f/5.6 lets in twice as much as f/8). Keep in mind that while the difference between f/4 and f/8 is four times the amount of light, it's only two stops different. The oddball numbers are pi's fault (3.14, not apple). It's just mathematical trickery, you don't need to understand it any more than just remembering the whole stop increments and that each one is double or half the light of the next one. I'll post a link below that probably explains it better. It's actually a lot easier than it looks, just confusing at first because of the odd numbers.

So now ND filters. A 2-stop ND filter will darken your exposure by 2 stops. So if a bare lens is perfectly exposed at f/11, a 2 stop ND will let you open your aperture up to f/5.6. A 3 stop would let you open up to f/4. Once you memorize the 5 full f/ stop numbers you have it'll be easy to figure out what filter you want, you'll just add whatever filter will bring you down the quantity of stops you need to get you to the aperture you want to use. Also, I think our drones are adjustable in half-stop increments, maybe 1/3, I forget.

If you're interested in learning how the aperture relates to the overall exposure, Google the "exposure triangle". It isn't hard to figure out and understanding it makes everything easier.

Why Is F/16 Smaller Than F/2? What Role Does Pi Play? And What’s Up With F/Stops, Anyway?

 

[SteelFlyer]

F/ stops mess with every new photographer. Just to make sure we're on the same page, adding one stop of exposure is double the amount of light, adding another stop doubles that, and so on. This is the part that really messes with people, the f/ stops our drones have access to, in order from wide open to closed down, in one stop increments, goes f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, and finally f/11. So f/4 lets in twice as much light as f/5.6, and four times as much light as f/8 (since f/5.6 lets in twice as much as f/8). Keep in mind that while the difference between f/4 and f/8 is four times the amount of light, it's only two stops different. The oddball numbers are pi's fault (3.14, not apple). It's just mathematical trickery, you don't need to understand it any more than just remembering the whole stop increments and that each one is double or half the light of the next one. I'll post a link below that probably explains it better. It's actually a lot easier than it looks, just confusing at first because of the odd numbers.

So now ND filters. A 2-stop ND filter will darken your exposure by 2 stops. So if a bare lens is perfectly exposed at f/11, a 2 stop ND will let you open your aperture up to f/5.6. A 3 stop would let you open up to f/4. Once you memorize the 5 full f/ stop numbers you have it'll be easy to figure out what filter you want, you'll just add whatever filter will bring you down the quantity of stops you need to get you to the aperture you want to use. Also, I think our drones are adjustable in half-stop increments, maybe 1/3, I forget.

If you're interested in learning how the aperture relates to the overall exposure, Google the "exposure triangle". It isn't hard to figure out and understanding it makes everything easier.

Why Is F/16 Smaller Than F/2? What Role Does Pi Play? And What’s Up With F/Stops, Anyway?

Great explanation Gringo. This always does mess with folks who aren't used to photography. This makes it easy to understand.

 

[SteelFlyer]

PolarPro has an app that works great to help you select the proper ND filter. You properly expose by setting your aperture and changing the shutter speed. Then enter what you have set in the app and it will tell you which ND filter to put on to get the shutter speed to twice the frame rate.

 

[GringoLoco]

Great explanation Gringo. This always does mess with folks who aren't used to photography. This makes it easy to understand.

Thanks, I never know how much information to provide. Too much is overwhelming, but too little is confusing.

 

[SteelFlyer]

Thanks, I never know how much information to provide. Too much is overwhelming, but too little is confusing.

Yup they are tough concepts when you are first trying to get your arms around it (same with DOF). Once you get it, it becomes second nature but hard to explain in an approachable way. You nailed it, I thought.

 

[RobH2]

....Here's the question, when you use a ND filter does your aperture control basically start from that point and go up, still in one stop increments or does it change by a factor of the number of stops the ND filter provides?....

There have been some good answers here. Unless you are trying to calculate something to get a specific result, ND is really not too complex if you think about it this way. ND just removes light. Think about it as if it's just a lot darker outside. So aperture and shutter speed still function the same way, and you just need a combination or ISO to account for the fact that all is now darker. So your aperture doesn't really "start from any point and go up..." because the camera doesn't know you have an ND on it. It's just darker outside. Yes, ND helps you get to that magic shutter speed for cinematic videos and that takes some calculation, but basic ND use is not tricky if you think about it as just making the day darker. You'll have to open up aperture or slow down shutter speed.