Polar Pro Filters
- Thread starter DronePilotOne
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Fred, I appreciate your explanation of the histogram, and I do see its value. I'm wondering though how often you have a situation where you feel you have all your settings correct based on histogram feedback, but the EV number is at something other than 0?
I guess I ask the question because I generally judge those settings choices for lighting by looking at the EV meter and making sure I'm close or at 0. Thanks
Actually RyanK, it happens pretty often. For example, if you're shooting a backlit subject, you have to overexpose to get your subject properly exposed. A histogram would have a heavier weight towards the right. Your EV would show an overexposure situation. You know from you experience that it'll be fine as it's what you're expecting. You go with your histogram. Now of course these are only tools. If I'm shooting a scene with a bit of sky, I expect a skewed histogram. I'll make note of the curves to ensure there is enough lower and mid tones for a good picture. I may bracket. Without a zoom capability, you have to use your judgement to determine if the subject is exposed properly. Practice and experience will certainly help a lot. What you get by using manual and a good histogram, is consistent, non-changing exposure as you fly and maneuver. Re-evaluate periodically and adjust as need. Thanks for your comment. Cheers.
I've been thinking about this a bit more and thought of this as an example. On automatic, your camera is trying to make everything an 18% gray. If you were to shoot a card with half pure white, the other half pure black, it'll give you an EV of 0 because it all averages out to gray. Looking at the pictures, you'll see a muddy white and a muddy black. Your EV is happy though. It works the same way in a normal image. You have to evaluate if what the numbers are saying make sense with the scene you're shooting. The EV can be fooled as it certainly doesn't know your intent. Of course the fancy Nikon type sensors have very sophisticated computers in them and (now) can get exposure pretty spot on. It draws from a database of scenes and numerous sensors at different points in the image. They are very good at getting the correct exposure. I actually believe the P4P/+ has a spot metering feature. It toggles with the focusing square. If you have that up, you can click on your screen to where you want it to evaluate exposure. I'll have to re-read this to be sure I'm saying the correct thing but I think it's there. Cheers.
Can anyone comment on the color of these filters? Many ND filters used for photography cause a bit of a shift (often warmer). Are these perfectly neutral?
My main use for my P4P is stills but nice to be able to do video work. I'm a bit worried that using an ND 16 to allow for 1/50th shutter speeds at f/4-5.6 will also mean I lose sharpness for stills as I won't be able to shoot with shutter speeds of >100 to compensate for any movement/vibration of the drone.
Any thoughts on this?
My main use for my P4P is stills but nice to be able to do video work. I'm a bit worried that using an ND 16 to allow for 1/50th shutter speeds at f/4-5.6 will also mean I lose sharpness for stills as I won't be able to shoot with shutter speeds of >100 to compensate for any movement/vibration of the drone.
Any thoughts on this?
As far as any color shift, there is none. The PolarPro filters are a very high quality.
I see your point about stills but haven't seen any loss in sharpness. Granted, the ND's aren't really necessary for stills and I normally don't use them if that's what I'm shooting. On the other hand, I have shot stills with them on and I honestly can't see any difference. Be sure to focus. If your subject is much beyond 15' or so, the depth of field is enough to make up for any slightly out-of-focus. I focus a lot.
As far as vibration, There are people who take long (2 sec +) exposure at night and twilight. The drone and gimbal are quite remarkable as far as vibration dampening and stability. Your milage may vary but I think you'll be quite happy.
For your own confidence, do your own little experiment as you learn your drone. Take some shots with the ND's and some without and compare.
Have fun. Fly safe. Cheers.
A polarizing filter will cause varying polarization depending on the angle to the light (sun). This will cause a uneven sky if it is clear/blue (parts will be visibly darker than others). For photography in general, polarizers in combination with a wide angle lenses are generally not recommended for this reason. A pure nd filter does not have any such potential problems, as the reduction of light is uniform and independent of angle to the light source.
Thank you Tomas! I get that. I live by a bigger river. I guess the only time a polarized filter would be advantageous is if I shoot over water (or snow)?
It will effectively reduce reflection of both water and for instance foliage. For drone-footage I can only see water-bodies such as rivers or lakes/oceans as excellent reasons to bring out a polarizer, but your mileage may vary.
I live on a river as well. When I use my handheld, you rotate the little dot on the PL towards the sun. Since you can't obviously rotate the PL in the air, the usefulness is limited. I have flown down my river with a PL. I made note of the position of the sun and preset the PL. It worked as expected but turning to any other angle will reduce the maximum PL effect.
So do you recommend using a PL, or just an appropriate ND while playing with ISO, FPS & Shutterspeed?
I would only use a CP if you were doing something like water that had a lot of reflection in it. Because it's gonna change on you as you fly diff angles to the sun. Would not use one on anything else imo. That's just me.
As you're learning, I'd stick with an ND instead of a PL. Fix as many variables as you can. If you use a PL and your angle to the sun changes slightly, the effect can change. PL will work but only in very specific, controlled situations.
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What do you guys think about a generic $8 ND8 filter for the Mavic? Something like this one on Ebay:
Clear Circular ND2/ND4/ND8/CPL Lens Filter Polarizer For DJI Mavic Pro Camera | eBay
Clear Circular ND2/ND4/ND8/CPL Lens Filter Polarizer For DJI Mavic Pro Camera | eBay
It's possible/likely that you'd get what you pay for. Then again, it might be good quality. I've got some cheap Tiffen brand filters for my Panasonic 4/3 cameras that are entirely decent, or if they aren't, I don't know any better. At that price for the Mavic filters, it's a calculated gamble that wouldn't cost much to take. They might be worthwhile if you aren't in a big hurry.
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