Your most common filter

[Howcroft22]

Recently I bought the three pack of the polar pro vivid cinema series. Which are the polarized ND filters. Which comes with the ND 4,8, and 16. I also just bought the ND32 PL of the same filters. I like the 32 and 16 for sunny days. So far anyways. I’m still learning how to use everything properly. I’m just curious which filters you actually end up using the most on an average sunny day? Are there one? Or two that you use the most? Or are you using all of them? I realize it always depends on the day. But I’m sure people have something they use the most.

 

[Anthony Viscomi]

Here's a great post by Polar Pro:

Tips to Improve your Aerial Cinematography: Sponsored Sticky

 

[Plawa]

My ND16 PL stays pretty much permanently attached..

 

[BD0G]

Polar Pro has an app that will help you select the exact ND filter to use based upon the light level. Its called Polar Pro filter. Its available for both Android and IOS devices here

PolarPro | App

 

[Plawa]

Yea that's all fine and dandy but do you actually go through the procedure every time you fly? Like I said, I just ended up slapping ND16CPL on my Mavic and only take it off when it's cloudy or getting late.. The hassle of finding the "right" filter doesn't justify the negligible difference in the final video, especially since I mostly shoot landscapes and sometimes bikes but the difference between 1/50s vs 1/100s is much small than the difference between having fun flying or messing around with filters..YMMV

 

[Anthony Viscomi]

My ND 16 stays on my Mavic, unless I'm flying at night

 

[Howcroft22]

Yea that's all fine and dandy but do you actually go through the procedure every time you fly? Like I said, I just ended up slapping ND16CPL on my Mavic and only take it off when it's cloudy or getting late.. The hassle of finding the "right" filter doesn't justify the negligible difference in the final video, especially since I mostly shoot landscapes and sometimes bikes but the difference between 1/50s vs 1/100s is much small than the difference between having fun flying or messing around with filters..YMMV

Thank you for the response. It makes me feel better knowing this.

 

[Howcroft22]

My ND 16 stays on my Mavic, unless I'm flying at night

Glad to hear. Thank you for the help.

 

[Howcroft22]

Polar Pro has an app that will help you select the exact ND filter to use based upon the light level. Its called Polar Pro filter. Its available for both Android and IOS devices here

PolarPro | App

Doesn’t really. The filter it recommends depends on your shutter speed. When it turn on the app it says no filter. But it’s very sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. If I adjust the shutter speed, it just goes through every filter as you click though the shutter speeds. Doesn’t seem helpful to me. I set my location as well. Maybe I’m missing something. But according to this thing you could use any or no filters all with the same conditions. Depending on your shutter speed is the only thing that changes it. So it really doesn’t do anything for me. I could put the filter on the camera and just click through my shutter speed on my own but that doesn’t help me choose which filter to use.

 

[Plawa]

The app is not exactly well designed, the UI is counter intuitive.. so it's not just you..

 

[Howcroft22]

The app is not exactly well designed, the UI is counter intuitive.. so it's not just you..

Yeah it makes no sense. When it’s told your location it should recommend a filter and then you either figure out the shutter speed after putting on the filter or it could recommend a few different speeds with the filter. Also it doesn’t have anything to account for ISO.

 

[Plawa]

Yeah it makes no sense. When it’s told your location it should recommend a filter and then you either figure out the shutter speed after putting on the filter or it could recommend a few different speeds with the filter. Also it doesn’t have anything to account for ISO.

It's completely manual. You enter the values from your Mavic (ISO/shutter/fps and what filter is now installed) and when you hit calculate it tells you what filter you should be using.. that's it.

 

[Howcroft22]

It's completely manual. You enter the values from your Mavic (ISO/shutter/fps and what filter is now installed) and when you hit calculate it tells you what filter you should be using.. that's it.

I think you’re thinking about something else. I do not see calculate anywhere on the app. Can you show me where you see the word calculate anywhere

 

[Plawa]

 

[Howcroft22]

That’s probably why I must be on a different app. Mine looks nothing like that. It does say calculate filter before you put in what you already have for shutter speed and FPS. But you click on that and it takes you to the screen and once you set those in there is nothing you can press to calculate.

 

[BD0G]

 

[Plawa]

Ah, you're on iOS...

that's because you don't need a filter for your current settings.. increase the current shutter speed and a filter recommendation will show up

 

[Callum]

ND8 I use most. Its practically on most of the time.

 

[Howcroft22]

Ah, you're on iOS...

that's because you don't need a filter for your current settings.. increase the current shutter speed and a filter recommendation will show up

That’s what I was saying. Still doesn’t make much sense to use the app. It’s not telling you what filter to use for certain light conditions. It’s telling you what filter for which shutter speed. As in you could use any filter during any day. Wouldn’t you rather just get a filter recommendation For the specific conditions?

 

[Howcroft22]

Ah, you're on iOS...

that's because you don't need a filter for your current settings.. increase the current shutter speed and a filter recommendation will show up

Ah, you're on iOS...

that's because you don't need a filter for your current settings.. increase the current shutter speed and a filter recommendation will show up

I realize this. But I’m saying I’d rather get a filter recommendation for the conditions of what the day is like not for what shutter speed I’m at. I’ll figure out the shutter speed after. Makes no sense to use the app.