Hello everyone,

i need your help as i am new on drones and Photography.

i read some intresting things on the internet but i am going to buy some filters so i would like if anyone knows anything more and can enlighten me which type i must buy i would be in dept.. cause as i saw its a little expensive and i dont want to buy anything "wrong".

I live in greece so the sun is very strong.
what the differnet between ND and PL and when you use the 1 and when the other?

Any suggestion of company that i should pick? i mean, i read about polarpro is the best, the cinema filters are for videos the stantard is for photos?

And do i need a UV filter ?  i read somewhere  that with a UV filter you dont need anything else for photography. is that true?

Thanks in advance.

Hi. I understand that you want to know the difference between the ND and PL filters for your Mavic Air. I would suggest using the ND filter because the ND filters are recommended for your Mavic Air.

ND filters are mostly used for video to get more fluid footage on moving objects (motion blur). By reducing the amount of light you can get a lower shutterspeed by selecting a proper filter and manual settings.
For photography ND filters are more or less useless. Using polarizing filters you can get less glare/reflections and a nice blue sky. However the effect of polarizers depends on the angle to the sun and position of the filter on the lens. You have to look through the filter before mounting on the camera and rotate until the polarizing effect suits your need, thn fit the filter on the camera.. But again, when flying in different directions results in different effects. If only used for photography I would suggest to buy only one polarizing filter without ND or with a low ND number (ND4 Pl).
For filming I personly mostly use ND8 or ND16, or when exceptionel bright weather a ND32.
For polarpro filters there is a free app to calculate the best filter to be used on specific conditions.
Hope this helps.

About an UV filter, I don’t think it does much to image quality, but you can use it as a lense protector in case you hit something.

If you're doing exclusively still photography, you'll find far more uses for a Polarizer rather than a Neutral Density Filter. If you've ever worn polarized sunglasses you already know what effect they'll have on your photos. Better colors during bright days, less reflections (water). I'm not sure if graduated ND filters are a thing for the AIr, but that would be a great way to balance lighting in a scene, especially with clouds that tend to blowout against a darker foreground or where shadows are.  If you want to see some real life examples do a search for ND filter vs no ND filter and polarizer vs no polarizer.
What you'll find will typically mention DSLRs and big cameras, but it all applies.

ND filters control motion blur by reducing the shutter speed. With the exception of long exposure shots there is no need for ND's with photography as there is typically no motion to control in a still image. 'Neutral' means no impact on colour grading the image - if an ND filter changes the colours of your image then the filter you are using is not fit for purpose.

If its for photography the last thing you want is an ND - it'll do nothing but make the image worse by forcing a slow shutter speed or increasing noise due to the increased iso.  UV filters are worthless and have been since digital was invented.  A polariser filter is useful for stills but you HAVE to adjust it specifically prior to each flight and its only effective for shots taken at the exact same angle in the air..But its useful within that constraint.

Don't waste money on filters until you are a proficient photographer, using a drone.
Your question shows you are a long way off needing such filters.

I really think GND filters have a place on the AIR. If only because of the capability of the drone to expose shadows and light evenly and well. The built in Histogram will tell you a lot, and technically you should expose slightly right, but on a sunny day with clouds. If you're pointed towards the sun, there isn't any amount of settings that will make that a good picture for the AIR.
This is where a GND comes in. I have no experience with these on the AIR but I use them quite frequently on my cropped sensor DSLR and it makes a great difference.

Turns out I was able to find some for the AIR GNS polar pro

A CW Posted at 2018-6-12 12:34
ND filters control motion blur by reducing the shutter speed. With the exception of long exposure shots there is no need for ND's with photography as there is typically no motion to control in a still image. 'Neutral' means no impact on colour grading the image - if an ND filter changes the colours of your image then the filter you are using is not fit for purpose.

Very true.  I am looking at getting a ND1000 filter to get those nice long exposure shots.  This is going to be my next photography adventure   They can cause some great effects.  Imaging getting an awesome long exposure pano of some water like a river/waterfall.  Sounds like a plan

I tried to edit that last, but I'm too slow.  I was going to say, I'm not trying to be a contrarian, but I do think the "right" type of GND filter can be useful.

I've noticed that trying to expose foreground and sky together on this thing is tough and a light GND would have already helped in several situations.

okay, I'm done now.  

Moo_H Posted at 2018-6-12 14:16
I really think GND filters have a place on the AIR. If only because of the capability of the drone to expose shadows and light evenly and well. The built in Histogram will tell you a lot, and technically you should expose slightly right, but on a sunny day with clouds. If you're pointed towards the sun, there isn't any amount of settings that will make that a good picture for the AIR.
This is where a GND comes in. I have no experience with these on the AIR but I use them quite frequently on my cropped sensor DSLR and it makes a great difference.

Best not to compare compositions taken with a DSLR against a drone that has an H.264 codec, 1/2.3" sensor and an ambarella processor... Exposure can change dramatically in a split second on a drone and whilst a grad filter may help align the composition of a specific angle it may ruin the rest of the footage as soon as you yaw to and from the sun. I have used shutter speeds from 1/30th to 1/2000th on the same flight... Aerial photography is totally different to hand held.

Moo_H Posted at 2018-6-12 14:23
I tried to edit that last, but I'm too slow.  I was going to say, I'm not trying to be a contrarian, but I do think the "right" type of GND filter can be useful.

I've noticed that trying to expose foreground and sky together on this thing is tough and a light GND would have already helped in several situations.

Yes saw these come out not too long ago and are good at keeping the sky not too bright and ground not too dark.  These are really good for those landscape kind of footage/shots.  Saw a couple YT videos on these and they do make a difference.  Maybe not all care about the difference that these will give but some do.  

thank you all, for your info guys, they are really helpfull!

So for photos there is no need for nd only when you shot the sunrise or sunset, and the nd 1000 for long exp photos,
pl filters are usefull when you use them on water and on sky with specific use for more contrast and color i guess.

Nd filters are for videography.

Can you tell me which one you use and the purpose of it? and advice me which one to buy for photography and videography?

I guess if you dont practice with these you will never learn so i am willing to buy some.

Thanks again!

I use vivid polarpro collection (ND+PL), I use it for video and photo but I shot I d-log, color grading afterwards.

In Photography, It is allways a combination about 3 components, shutterspeed, aperture and ISO. One of these components are static, the aperture of the camera by the Mavic, therefore you have 2 options to change, to become the right settings for a proper composition of a photo.

SparksBird Posted at 2018-6-12 14:19
Very true.  I am looking at getting a ND1000 filter to get those nice long exposure shots.  This is going to be my next photography adventure   They can cause some great effects.  Imaging getting an awesome long exposure pano of some water like a river/waterfall.  Sounds like a plan

That would work if your drone stays exactly in one spot which the chances of that happening are slim to none. Maybe on a real calm day with zero wind you may be lucky enough to pull it off.

DronEnthusiast Posted at 2018-6-12 22:21
thank you all, for your info guys, they are really helpfull!

So for photos there is no need for nd only when you shot the sunrise or sunset, and the nd 1000 for long exp photos,

Polar Pro cinema series, shutter collection ND filter set (4, 8 and 16) for controlling motion blur in my video recordings. I may get an ND32 and ND64 for brighter conditions and long exposure. I don't use polarisers anymore as they cause artefact in the blues of the image when the polarisation is not aligned during flight.  

ND filter will only help if it is really strong (like ND1000) and you want long exposure photography.
PL filters might help reducing reflections (but they are hard to set up because they need to be rotated when using live view to see the effect and change when needed)
UV filters are useless, unless you want to protect the lens.
(I'm talking about photography only, since that was your question)

Scoobywrx05 Posted at 2018-6-12 22:35
That would work if your drone stays exactly in one spot which the chances of that happening are slim to none. Maybe on a real calm day with zero wind you may be lucky enough to pull it off.

Yup aware I mean think about it doing a 180 pano all 21 shots would have to be perfect to even make the 180 pano usable.  So my thought would be only on a very calm day.  And take like 10 panos in the same exact position.  Then go through each set picking out the best ones.  I know a lot of work but could be very rewarding.  

Most of the time I used ND filter only (cinema shutter collection). With PL filter, i use for short flight filming/capturing image because it needs to adjust to have best effect.