Zenmuse H3-3D + GoPro + ND Filter

[Joel_t]

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone has got a ND filter or Polariser on their GoPro? Sunlight in Australia is so harsh and I'm finding that the GoPro struggles with the brightness during the day. Would love to buy a ND filter for it but I am concerned the slight extra weight of the filter will offset the gimbal and put too much strain on the gimbal motors.

 

[landonkk]

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone has got a ND filter or Polariser on their GoPro? Sunlight in Australia is so harsh and I'm finding that the GoPro struggles with the brightness during the day. Would love to buy a ND filter for it but I am concerned the slight extra weight of the filter will offset the gimbal and put too much strain on the gimbal motors.

I had to add one to help eliminate severe jello I was getting. You do have to counter-balance for both the roll and pitch axis. There are several different methods for doing this. See this post: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost ... count=1670

This was for a H3-2D. When I tried this method on my H3-3D a penny was too light for the pitch axis and I had to use a nickel which subsequently threw the roll axis off and I had to add a nickel (ticky tacked) on the side of the GP.

Other methods include using a product called sugru with washers in to to counter the weight.

It is really important to get it balanced so it doesn't cause the motors to over-work. If they do it will cause the gimbal to reset or hibernate and you also risk the chance of a motor burning out.

Let me know if you want more info on how I did it...

 

[Joel_t]

Thanks for the info landonkk, the one I am looking at buying looks like this?



Weight: .13oz (3.6g)

At such a light weight I'm wondering whether taking off the usb / hdmi / memory card cover will be enough to offset it. (Like in the photo)

 

[Peter Evans]

I just fitted my Phantom 2 with the H3-3D, GoPro 3+ BE, iOSD-mini and various other stuff this weekend.

When I updated the firmware for the GoPro I saw that 'Exposure Compensation' had suddenly appeared as a new option on my Android phone app (but I'm not sure if it applies to models other then the 3+ BE).

As you can see I'm a professional photographer so I too was very interested in attaching a polarising filter and some type of lens hood. However, the Zenmuse manual specifically says not to, right from the start....

"H3-3D gimbal is finely calibrated according to the specified camera model and lens before the delivery. User does
not need to perform extra calibration. Do not attempt to modify the gimbal or mount extra component/device (such
as filter, lens hood, etc.) to the camera."

So I'm going to go with exposure compensation as an answer to the super bright lighting conditions that we can get here in southwest France.

 

[Joel_t]

Thanks for the reply Peter, I do think exposure compensation is a Hero 3+ option only though so bit of a shame as I only have a Hero 3 black.

Still wouldn't help with lowering the shutter speed I wouldn't have thought. Even still, I'm not sure if a GoPro will require IRND instead of regular ND anyway. I am an editor / cinematographer and I know that cameras like the Alexa and even the Blackmagic cameras require IRND for anything over a couple of stops. The GoPro just has such a poor dynamic range / H264 being such a compressed codec which means detail in anything overexposed is lost.

May just have to settle with making a little sticky tape lens hood to at least try and get rid of some of that awful flicker when the prop gets between the sun and the lens.

 

[ianwood]

See this post: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost ... count=1670

That looks distinctly familiar!

So I'm going to go with exposure compensation as an answer to the super bright lighting conditions that we can get here in southwest France.

I think you're going to find even more pronounced rolling shutter artifacts by dropping the exposure. You a need slower shutter speed to reduce the jello from the rolling shutter. ND is really the best option. Or clouds. I hear there's a few of those even in southwest France.

 

[Peter Evans]

Thanks for the reply Peter, I do think exposure compensation is a Hero 3+ option only though so bit of a shame as I only have a Hero 3 black. Still wouldn't help with lowering the shutter speed I wouldn't have thought.

Sorry, I hadn't realised that reducing the shutter speed was the primary objective, I thought from your initial post that over-exposure was the issue.

May just have to settle with making a little sticky tape lens hood to at least try and get rid of some of that awful flicker when the prop gets between the sun and the lens.

Yes, I had the idea od fashioning a 'shade' rather than a hood, from black art paper.

 

[Joel_t]

It was a bit of both. Reducing shutter speed and helping with over exposurer. I guess choosing time of day needs to become quite important. I managed to shoot some nicely exposured footage the other afternoon just after the sun had set. Would just be great to fit some sort of ND to enable shooting at anytime of day though.

 

[landonkk]

See this post: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost ... count=1670

That looks distinctly familiar!

Yeah, he mentions earlier in that thread that he got the idea from your post here. I had asked you about it in my H3-3D jello thread here but I don't guess you saw it. Anyway - to update you - for some reason that method does not work for me on the 3D - I have no idea why, but without opening and extending the paperclip back even further (which creates issues with it hitting the gimbal when you tilt full down) the penny is too light. I used a nickel in the same setup which works, but that causes issues with the roll axis. I now have a penny tacked to the right side of the GP, on the usb/storage door, and it balances.

 

[damoncooper]

Can one of you post a picture your final balanced solutions with ND filter? I'm headed down the ND filter + 3D + sunshade from art paper route.

I ordered this filter (seemed the lightest at only 3.6g):

Hero3 Slip On Protective ND Neutral Density Filter http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EPMEFO6/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_h3GEtb0K4RMTQ

As someone mentioned above, perhaps removing the gopro side door (plus maybe adding a US dime, which is 2.2g) might be enough to balance it.

 

[noctividus]

I wanted to make my little piece of black paper a little more sturdy and professional looking, so I lasercut some out of plastic.

It's been working flawlessly for several months now. I cut a LOT...like a LOT. So, I'm shamelessly peddling them around hoping to recoup some costs and bring flicker-free video to the masses:

http://www.apolloairobotic.com/products/lenshood/

 

[Geo74]

These filters are the best : http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/blurfix-air-slip-over-filters
Very light weight ( 7.6 gr) and terrific optic quality glass filter . Much better in quality and weight than the Polar Pros
I use it on my H3 3D without the need to counterbalance it.
I use the ND 4 filter .
In very bright continions a ND8 is required.
The company said that until the end of the week will be avalaible. ( Until now they sell only a ND8 -Polarizer 2 in 1 solution)

 

[bschaub]

I have the same concerns with taxing the H3-3D so I just bought some polarizing sheets that I will adapt to the GP maybe using a modified lens cover. We'll see.

 

[Bluegrass]

I have the same concerns with taxing the H3-3D so I just bought some polarizing sheets that I will adapt to the GP maybe using a modified lens cover. We'll see.

That sounds like a great idea. Let us know how it works and the materials you used to make it.

 

[henrycruz]

These filters are the best : http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/blurfix-air-slip-over-filters
Very light weight ( 7.6 gr) and terrific optic quality glass filter . Much better in quality and weight than the Polar Pros
I use it on my H3 3D without the need to counterbalance it.
I use the ND 4 filter .
In very bright continions a ND8 is required.
The company said that until the end of the week will be avalaible. ( Until now they sell only a ND8 -Polarizer 2 in 1 solution)

i am thinking of getting one of these filter from SRP. but i do not know which ND to get. could you elaborate on the different grade? thanks!

 

[skeeter]

Got the ND4, ND8CP, and the ND8...ND4 for med - bright days (bright cloudy), ND8 for full sun days, ND8CP for bright, reflective (water, snow, etc)

Hope that helps...love those Blur Air filters. ..no gimbal balancing needed, for me...

 

[henrycruz]

Got the ND4, ND8CP, and the ND8...ND4 for med - bright days (bright cloudy), ND8 for full sun days, ND8CP for bright, reflective (water, snow, etc)

Hope that helps...love those Blur Air filters. ..no gimbal balancing needed, for me...

do you have any video samples? it be great! thanks!

 

[Joel_t]

Looks great and I like the idea of not having to counter balance. Might invest in a couple

 

[ianwood]

You should still counterbalance. Even a small imbalance will tax the motors a lot more than you think.

Has anyone compared the Snake River ND with the Polar Pro directly?

 

[damoncooper]

I was counter balancing the PolarPro but the extra weight didn't seem worth it to me. No problems so far and if the gimbal dies a premature death I'll just get another gimbal.