With the Mavic 2 Pro's variable apperture, will ND filters be 100% necessary? I ask, becasue I'm going away on a trip in 3 weeks and ND filters won't be releasing until mid-late September.

I'm still trying to get my had around the F-stop jargon etc! Will the adjustable apperture, allowing you to control the amount of light hitting the lens, mean it'll be easier to maintain a shutter speed double the frame-rate you're shooting at (to an extent)?

Cheers guys!

Hi, thanks for reaching DJI Forum. Wow, what a good way to spend your trip with our new product. The adjustable aperture of the Mavic 2 Pro f/2.8 – f/11 enables you to shoot from lowlights to as bright as the golden hour would be. Having this feature, you are correct to have it easier to manage the shutter speed of the camera. So generally its really not needed to have ND filters, but again it all boils down to your style of photography. Hope you had a blast on your upcoming vacation and Thank you again for choosing DJI.  

Nope the ND's aren't necessary unless you're shooting pro and are selling your footage and have exact requirements. For the most part you'll be able to get away with a higher shutter speed in extreme light, it'll be nothing worth worrying about, f/11 should be fine 99% of the time. You might get a bit of diffraction but again, not worth worrying about.

You will still need an ND filter during bright sunny days.    I'm not entirely sure of the Mavic Pro 2's "sweet spot" for when the lens is at sharpest but generally f/5.6 is usually the ideal spot and anything above f/8, the image looks soft.

I usually had a ND .6 or .9 on when I flew the P4Pro which allowed me to keep my f-stop around 5.6.

DJI Gamora Posted at 2018-8-24 05:02
Hi, thanks for reaching DJI Forum. Wow, what a good way to spend your trip with our new product. The adjustable aperture of the Mavic 2 Pro f/2.8 – f/11 enables you to shoot from lowlights to as bright as the golden hour would be. Having this feature, you are correct to have it easier to manage the shutter speed of the camera. So generally its really not needed to have ND filters, but again it all boils down to your style of photography. Hope you had a blast on your upcoming vacation and Thank you again for choosing DJI.

Thanks for your quick response. I'll be visiting Tuscany, Italy for the week so it really is perfect timing to test out the new Mavic! I intend on shooting primarily in the mornings and late afternoons, but my main concern is during the mid-afternoon sun when it's at its brightest -

Will f/11 aperture on the Mavic be capable of shooting in this light? (Thinking 25-30fps, at 50-60 shutter speed to achieve the cinematic effect)... this is a probably a dumb question, but is there an equivalent to f/11 aperture if you were to put on an ND filter instead? For example, does f/11 aperture equate to using an ND4, ND8, ND16 filter?

Thanks again.

travelswithlewi Posted at 2018-8-24 05:09
Thanks for your quick response. I'll be visiting Tuscany, Italy for the week so it really is perfect timing to test out the new Mavic! I intend on shooting primarily in the mornings and late afternoons, but my main concern is during the mid-afternoon sun when it's at its brightest -

Will f/11 aperture on the Mavic be capable of shooting in this light? (Thinking 25-30fps, at 50-60 shutter speed to achieve the cinematic effect)... this is a probably a dumb question, but is there an equivalent to f/11 aperture if you were to put on an ND filter instead? For example, does f/11 aperture equate to using an ND4, ND8, ND16 filter?

Hi, it will achieve that shot if you are on f/11 with the cinematic effect if all boils down thru your editing skills. But I'm pretty sure it will give you the results you are aiming for. For this, you might be needing the ND4 filter during bright sunlight.

travelswithlewi Posted at 2018-8-24 05:09
Thanks for your quick response. I'll be visiting Tuscany, Italy for the week so it really is perfect timing to test out the new Mavic! I intend on shooting primarily in the mornings and late afternoons, but my main concern is during the mid-afternoon sun when it's at its brightest -

Will f/11 aperture on the Mavic be capable of shooting in this light? (Thinking 25-30fps, at 50-60 shutter speed to achieve the cinematic effect)... this is a probably a dumb question, but is there an equivalent to f/11 aperture if you were to put on an ND filter instead? For example, does f/11 aperture equate to using an ND4, ND8, ND16 filter?

https://shuttermuse.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography/

From f/2.8 to f/11 its about 4 stops of light which would be about the same as using f/2.8 with an ND 16 filter.

SirPasta117 Posted at 2018-8-24 05:35
https://shuttermuse.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography/

From f/2.8 to f/11 its about 4 stops of light which would be about the same as using f/2.8 with an ND 16 filter.

Thank you!!

NDs aren't going to be needed on the MP2 in anything except the brightest of scenes.

You've got 4 stops of adjustment via the aperture (DOF change is negligible as you're always a long way away when flying).  4 stops is an ND16.  So anything that needed a ND2,4,8 or 16 now wont need one.
If you needed ABOVE that for say midday sun in the tropics over water etc then you'll still need maybe a 2 stop or so but thats about it.
It'll be so nice to be able to fly, realise conditions have changed due to cloud or terrain etc and NOT be stuck with the wrong filter on the lens!  Now we can just adjust aperture...
I can't see diffraction at f/11 and a 1" sensor being much of an issue at all.

The brightest filter i ever need is an ND32 (and i live in the tropics).  Given that im likely to only really need 1 ND filter of 2 stops or so to take care of everything.

I'll still need a polariser though.

I think I will still want some ND filters when I fly my Mavic 2 Pro. The good thing is now you can probably just use one density and then just tweak it in the air via changing the aperture which is a huge advantage.

I leave for Croatia on Tuesday so I made my own set. You can slide them in after you take off the included UV filter on the Pro. I did this for my Phantom 3 Pro when it came out and there were no filters available except for that design used a press on ring to hold them in place so you didn't have to unscrew the factory camera. With the Mavic 2 I think this will work fine with a medium density ND filter and do the rest with dialing in the f-stops. Of course if you are flying at night you will want to remove it.

When I get back from Croatia I will put a kit up on my store. They won't be as nice as the DJI filters but they will be cheaper and might ship sooner.

cheers
-David

The number on the filter indicates the stops reduction so 1 = 1 stop darker or ND2. I have filter material in-stock for ND2 - ND16 (1-4 stops reduction) and also circular polarizing material too.

gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-24 06:07
NDs aren't going to be needed on the MP2 in anything except the brightest of scenes.

You've got 4 stops of adjustment via the aperture (DOF change is negligible as you're always a long way away when flying).  4 stops is an ND16.  So anything that needed a ND2,4,8 or 16 now wont need one.

Someone posted yesterday a side by side comparision of all apatures from 2.8 to 11. The difference of quality in sharpness and color was "huge". What is most interesting ... 2.8 has by far the best quality. After seeing that i would definitly advise to get good ND filters to maintain image quality in sunlight situations.

The Mavic 2 Pro can be an excellent tool for capturing great footage, but it can also be a bit overwhelming if you're unfamiliar with the different shooting modes and settings. One of the most important settings to understand is ND (No Distortion) Filters. Without them, you'll end up with blurry footage due to motion blur.

To get the best out of your Mavic 2 Pro, use ND filters when shooting in low light or when there is movement in the scene. They are a small investment that will pay off in quality footage free from distortion.
https://www.royalclipping.com/

Nice. https://www.royalclipping.com/Pricing.html

travelswithlewi Posted at 2018-8-24 05:56
Thank you!!

Thank you!!
https://www.royalclipping.com/

Great!!
https://www.royalclipping.com/

Thank You !!
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SirPasta117 Posted at 2018-8-24 05:35
https://shuttermuse.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography/

From f/2.8 to f/11 its about 4 stops of light which would be about the same as using f/2.8 with an ND 16 filter.

https://www.royalclipping.com/