Just wondering what's the best camera settings when using the DJI Phantom 4 - ND16 Filter? Also what is the most ideal lighting conditions when using the ND16 filter from DJI?

I live in sunny California although currently it's not very sunny it's very gloomy outside, so what setting would you recommend for cloudy gloomy weather?

How much post work are you happy/capable (FCP ? PP?) to do  - this makes a big difference to how you should capture video & stills

I'm comfortable with heavy editing I like making my work look as professional as possible.

In that case, and I am assuming your query relates to video, the consensus appears to suggest you will get the best results from the following:
D-Log
Fixed white balance - usually somewhere between 5-6,000K
Sharpening, Saturation and Contrast all dialled back heavily i.e -2 or -3
Manual Exposure to achieve a shutter speed "twice" the frame rate - this is where your ND filter is required (your ND16 knocks out 4 stops of light which is quite alot - but I guess the sun shines a lot in California)
ISO as low as you can go and still acheive the shutter speed mentioned above - ideally 100
4K 24 fps if your editing suite and machine can cope with it - else 2.7K - else 1080P

All the above will give you a file with as much dynamic range as possible but will look very flat out of the camera and will therefore need alot of work in post, colour grading etc
Hope this helps

birdingbilly Posted at 2016-4-7 19:32
In that case, and I am assuming your query relates to video, the consensus appears to suggest you wi ...

You're the man. I shot in D-Log tonight for the first time and I cannot believe the difference.

birdingbilly Posted at 2016-4-8 08:32
In that case, and I am assuming your query relates to video, the consensus appears to suggest you wi ...

Very good advice.

Thank you for the advice. What settings do you guys use for night time video?

madaerial Posted at 2016-4-7 18:02
You're the man. I shot in D-Log tonight for the first time and I cannot believe the difference.

What was your settings?

TK-421 Posted at 2016-4-8 07:39
This COMPLETELY depends on the scene you're shooting. Is it sunny? Cloudy? Overcast? Sunrise/sunset? ...

'The only reason to use a neutral density filter is to limit light hitting the sensor to be able to slow shutter speed down, thereby reducing jello effect and creating a more "cinematic" motion to the scene.'

I would like to just correct this piece about jello. Using an ND filter does not reduce jello because it is a function of the rolling shutter used in these sensors. The cause of jello is vibration in the camera, from a variety of possible sources. It happens because the image is in a slightly different position on the sensor every time a line is scanned and read by the rolling shutter.

The only way to reduce jello is to reduce or eliminate the vibration, or to do it in post production.

Geebax Posted at 2016-4-8 06:39
'The only reason to use a neutral density filter is to limit light hitting the sensor to be able t ...

Surely a slower shutter speed will introduce more motion blur and therefore reduce the appearance of Jello - conventional wisdom suggests this is the case.

birdingbilly Posted at 2016-4-8 17:46
Surely a slower shutter speed will introduce more motion blur and therefore reduce the appearance  ...

The is a myth going around that suggests it would be the case, but if you look up the theory of the rolling shutter CMOS sensor, you will see that the cause of jello is not dependant upon the shutter speed at all. You might also try to Google for a link to any text on the subject of ND filters and jello and about the only reference it turns up is a link to this forum.

The best cure for jello effect is to try and nail down the reason for the vibration and eliminate that reason.  Traditionally in quads, it is caused by out-of-balance propellers, but in recent times it has also been introduced by software changes to the Phantom firmware that make the aircraft shake while in a hover.

Not a myth - plenty of evidence online that slow shutter speeds mask Jello - I have been shooting DSLR video for years and pans with slow shutter speed show far less Jello than pans with high shutter speeds - no reason it should be any different with  a Drone camera

What is the "jello effect" can someone show a video example

birdingbilly Posted at 2016-4-8 21:19
Not a myth - plenty of evidence online that slow shutter speeds mask Jello - I have been shooting DS ...

Strictly speaking, pans do not create jello effect, it is a totally different issue, same as horizontal moving shots and how it makes vertical structures appear to lean to one side. Jello is different, it is caused by vibration in the camera system.

Use the histogram.

Khan Posted at 2016-4-9 03:21
What is the "jello effect" can someone show a video example

This is a good example:

Just to let everybody know, I just got my P4 ND16 filter from DJI in the mail today. It's not like ones from other companies, it is the exact same lens that comes on the P4 (same color as well) except with an ND filter as the lens instead of the clear glass. This was an unexpected surprise, as the other 3 ND filters (lower #) from other companies I got are black. Awesome DJI!

projeffrey11 Posted at 2016-4-7 22:09
What was your settings?

Default settings pretty much.

FatedFilmsNC Posted at 2016-4-8 15:46
Just to let everybody know, I just got my P4 ND16 filter from DJI in the mail today. It's not like o ...

Are you saying it's a bad thing? I just purchased all of the ND lens filters from DJI, 4,8,16, etc.

projeffrey11 Posted at 2016-4-9 06:08
Are you saying it's a bad thing? I just purchased all of the ND lens filters from DJI, 4,8,16, etc ...

No, i'm saying it's a wonderful thing. They are the exact same as the lens that came on your P4, except without the clear glass and an ND filter instead (in other words, its the same color/size/everything of the lens on your P4, which means interchanging(sp?) them has zero issues). They nailed the ND filters. But, be careful, as it is also thin like your original P4 lens, and so are the threads. DO NOT try to screw it on if it doesn't seem to be fitting exactly, or you will kill the threads on it. Just a friendly warning!

What I was referring to in the post above is the other ND filters I got were not from DJI, but from a third party company, and they are black and don't fit exactly, where the DJI ones (like the ones you ordered) are much more seamless and work honestly better, if just a little, because of how easy they are to connect/disconnect and how it looks after applying it.

FatedFilmsNC Posted at 2016-4-9 04:57
No, i'm saying it's a wonderful thing. They are the exact same as the lens that came on your P4, ex ...

Oh okay great to know.