What Filter to use on your Mavic Mini & what ones to avoid!

KiloMeater · May 3, 2020

No I will not restrict it ,at some angles it will have the full polarizing effect ,at some others reduced .
It is not a binary output, polarized or not ; instead you get all the values between .
In most cases it will take away the reflection from wet surfaces ; the more you know how to use it and when the effects are maximized , the better. But that has always been the case with polarizers on hand held cameras also .

Matt M PA · May 3, 2020

OK, I made a bunch of flights yesterday to try out the Tiffen filters. I flew in order with none, #8, #8 w/PL, #16, #16 w/PL. I didn't try the #4 as it was a bright day.

I need to add that I'd be glad to look at the sub-titles, but don't know how to play them back.
I need to set up some side by sides in post.

My biggest immediate takeaway was that with the #16PL, when put the camera into manual mode, the shutter was @ 1/30, ISO @ 100 & EV @ +0.7. (Although when in manual the EV actually displays as "MM".) If I bumped the ISO to 200, I was at the magic shutter speed of 1/60. I would expect that without the filter, the shutter would have been at closer to 800 or 1000.

Without more review (it was a nice day and I had outside stuff to get done) it sure seems that these filters are a tremendous help. A bit fiddly to put on as everything is so small.

At one point, I got the MM high enough to pan in a 360 with clear sky all around. There's no doubt that the polarizers work better at given points. If usual PL filter experience is similar, there's still some benefit in reducing haze and glare regardless of the setting.

I'd have no problem in adjusting the PL for a particular shot, but not sure how much is wise to adjust-tweak the filter with the MM turned on.

Finally, it looks like the filters sit around the edge of the MM camera, so I'd assume that unless you'd drag the filter across the front of the MM lens...there's little to no opportunity to damage your camera's lens.