DroneKinetics package of ND2,ND4,ND8,ND16 filters

[JerichoVirus]

UPDATE: 2.14.16-THIS FOOTAGE IS WITH THE ND16 FILTER:
video:

Anyone try these out? Just ordered them and arrived today. We have had wind gusts of 25 MPH so I can't use them yet.

Amazon.com: DroneKinetics package of ND2,ND4,ND8,ND16 filters and polarizer for DJI Phantom3: Camera & Photo


I will try them tomorrow and let you guys know. For $25 you get 5 filter films that go on your lens. Absolutely no reviews so I figured I would give them a go.

 

[Elmojo]

No, but I did run across them in my search for accessories the other day. I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on them.
Depending on the thickness and quality of the filters, they may not be a great deal, since there's a guy on eBay selling Rosco filters for less than $2 each.
Also, what's the deal with the various
"ND" #s on the filters? I get that it's a scale of darkness, but can someone explain how they work and what effect they have on video/photo shooting?

 

[m0j0]

Here is a very basic explanation:

ND filters are sunglasses for your camera. The Phantom has a fixed aperture. This means you can't control light by limiting the light that hits the sensor. Incidentally, action cams (gopro/drift) also have fixed apertures. So the only way to reduce light, absent ND filters, is to increase the shutter speed. That results in choppy video. Using the ND filter allows you to control the light and maintain the optimal shutter speed (2X the frame rate). The higher the number the more light it restricts.

HERE IS A BASIC SETUP FORMULA= The way to set up for a shot is to select your Frame rate... multiply your frame rate by 2 and set your shutter speed to that value. Then use ND filters until your ev is close to 0.

EX.. you want to shoot 30FPS... Set shutter to a value of 60... Use ND filters until your exposure value is close to 0.

FORGOT TO ADD: If you are overexposed and in the air you can still get an optimal shot by increasing the framerate and subsequently increasing the shutter speed.

So if you don't have ND filters and it is bright shoot at the highest framrate. It will provide you the best video.

 

[Elmojo]

Ah, gotcha, very good explanation, thanks!

 

[m0j0]

I would add that I live in New Mexico if you live in an area that has very bright days or you will be on a ski slope.. ND 16 may not be enough. It isn't for me. Mid day I almost always have ND 32. Today I used 32 on the Rio Grande and I was still a little overexposed.

I was shooting 4K 24 FPS though...

 

[Elmojo]

Good point. We have sun here, but not nearly as intense as what you guys get out west. So the higher numbers are darker filters then? I swear I've seen some online that looked like the higher numbers were lighter. Could easily have been mislabeled.

 

[JerichoVirus]

Interesting...good to know. It says you can "stack" them. So add a 16 and an 8 and so on. Figured I'd check them out and post the video and pics up for people to judge.

 

[alokbhargava]

I will not suggest you to use filters such as provided by DroneKinetics as you would need to handle them with care and you won't be able to avoid fingerprints. Also such handling at site is not advisable. Spend little more money and get good glass filters with covers.

 

[m0j0]

Interesting...good to know. It says you can "stack" them. So add a 16 and an 8 and so on. Figured I'd check them out and post the video and pics up for people to judge.

My suggestion is don't stack them. Get the set that suites your needs without stacking. Less chance of introducing fingerprints etc not to mention it is added weight on the gimbal.. I have no idea if the added weight effects the operation of the gimbal but I would think adding weight to the gimbal isn't good.


Phantom 3 Pro / iPad Air 2

 

[m0j0]

I would not get a ND2 I rarely use the 4


Phantom 3 Pro / iPad Air 2

 

[JerichoVirus]

So this set Came with these little tweezers to put them on. I will give it a try tomorrow, take some pics on how I did it and show some video on it. Thankfully my original cover came off easily.

 

[Elmojo]

Good info on not stacking, thanks. As for getting glass lenses, I don't think that's an option. Firstly, the weight would be a problem. Also, the glass type typically have frames, which wouldn't fit in the Phantom's holder, unless it was made to slip on the outside or something, which would likely exacerbate the weight/balance issue.
My concern is with the image quality of the plastic type. Those Rosco (and similar type) gel films aren't really made to be optical elements, but mostly color filters. Maybe these are fine, but I'd like to see something from the manufacturer that says they're intended to be photographic filters.

 

[JerichoVirus]

Still windy here. 20+ mph winds. I will try them as soon as possible.

 

[Elmojo]

Same here, blowing a gale! I was really hoping to fly today. So far, I've only been able to fly one quick 4-minute test flight and it's killing me!

 

[JerichoVirus]

Alright-So Finally had some good winds. Here is a pic with the ND 16 Filter from Dronekinetics. Seems to work nice. Need some advice from pro's. This is just a pic \I am uploading video soon.

 

[JerichoVirus]

 

[Elmojo]

Looks good.....I think. Did you set your shutter speeds to a fixed rate as suggested or ?
For some reason, it almost looks like a bit of a double image, like a 3D video watched without 3D glasses. Did it look like that before the filter?
The effect seems more pronounced in the still image than in the video. Maybe it's because of the high contrast created by the patches of snow.

 

[JerichoVirus]

Looks good.....I think. Did you set your shutter speeds to a fixed rate as suggested or ?
For some reason, it almost looks like a bit of a double image, like a 3D video watched without 3D glasses. Did it look like that before the filter?
The effect seems more pronounced in the still image than in the video. Maybe it's because of the high contrast created by the patches of snow.

:/

Hmmm, I did not....take 2....lol

 

[Elmojo]

It may not matter, and I wasn't bashing your video, it's sweet! I'm just trying to understand the effect of the filters.
From what I've read and what m0j0 said, the idea is to use the filters to dial in a fixed shutter speed of roughly 2x the fps of your recording. So if you're recording at 1080p, 30fps for example, then you'd want your shutter set at 60. The goal is to have the exposure roughly neutral, which equates to an EV of 0, and an image that looks well exposed.
I hope I'm understanding all this right. I'm mainly spelling it out like this in hopes that if I have something wrong, someone will correct me.

 

[JerichoVirus]

It may not matter, and I wasn't bashing your video, it's sweet! I'm just trying to understand the effect of the filters.
From what I've read and what m0j0 said, the idea is to use the filters to dial in a fixed shutter speed of roughly 2x the fps of your recording. So if you're recording at 1080p, 30fps for example, then you'd want your shutter set at 60. The goal is to have the exposure roughly neutral, which equates to an EV of 0, and an image that looks well exposed.
I hope I'm understanding all this right. I'm mainly spelling it out like this in hopes that if I have something wrong, someone will correct me.

Oh no worries, I welcome ideas. First time using filters. Just wanted to see if anyone has ideas on it. This helps. Please share ideas.