Shooting videos and stills in fresh snow cover with low angle sun in the sky, what if any lenses/filters would you use to get the best effects without altering the whiteness
of crisp snow fall ?

Cheers
Rob

In general, snow tends to fool the auto exposure.
Usually that means try and shoot manual.
ISO as low as possible to get the most dynamic range.
Also use raw shooting if you have the ability to post process.
Contrast down as much as possible.

ND Filters are not needed for stills, unless it is so bright out there that your fastest shutterspeed won't do the trick.

For video you will need some ND filter if you want to keep the shutterspeed at double your framerate.
But if you are also taking stills, I would ditch the filter and fly / move SLOW. That way you won't notice the stuttering too much.
(ND filters are bad for taking pictures as you want the fastest shutterspeed possible at base ISO)

With a low sun you might want to add a sun hood, to reduce flare.

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-2-23 10:20
In general, snow tends to fool the auto exposure.
Usually that means try and shoot manual.
ISO as low as possible to get the most dynamic range.

Great advice mate!   

For snow nd 32 atleast. Because of the bright conditions....if sun is not out try a 16

A CW Posted at 2018-2-23 11:25
Great advice mate!

Thanks

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-2-23 11:50
Thanks

Yeah, ND filters are not needed for stills except polarisers for cutting through the reflection but they can often do more harm than good depending on the direction of the light. For video it will depend heavily on the brightness - always difficult to align in heavily reflective surfaces such as snow. ND16, 32 or 64 to create the 180 degree rule if motion blur is important. I often find if the exposure is perfect on the snow the sky gets a little washed out. We're expecting snow here next week which I think is why Rob is questioning the best way to capture it.  

A CW Posted at 2018-2-23 11:55
Yeah, ND filters are not needed for stills except polarisers for cutting through the reflection but they can often do more harm than good depending on the direction of the light. For video it will depend heavily on the brightness - always difficult to align in heavily reflective surfaces such as snow. ND16, 32 or 64 to create the 180 degree rule if motion blur is important. I often find if the exposure is perfect on the snow the sky gets a little washed out. We're expecting snow here next week which I think is why Rob is questioning the best way to capture it.

The only time I use ND filters for stills is when I need long shutterspeeds.
That you don't want in the air......
But with the fixed aperture, I'm not sure if the brightness will be too high for the max shutterspeed to make for a correct exposure. That the OP has to find out.

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-2-23 11:57
The only time I use ND filters for stills is when I need long shutterspeeds.
That you don't want in the air......
But with the fixed aperture, I'm not sure if the brightness will be too high for the max shutterspeed to make for a correct exposure. That the OP has to find out.

Max electronic shutter speed on the MP is 1/8000th - thats the equivalent of an ND80ish. He should be OK - for stills at least.

A CW Posted at 2018-2-23 11:59
Max electronic shutter speed on the MP is 1/8000th - thats the equivalent of an ND80ish. He should be OK - for stills at least.

I would say so.

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-2-23 12:02
I would say so.

Think I'll grab a few shots in it next week! Flying after the snow has settled gives some great images.

A CW Posted at 2018-2-23 12:04
Think I'll grab a few shots in it next week!  Flying after the snow has settled gives some great images.

You should do that. Looking forward

Thank you for all your answers.  Regarding shutter speed, it is often mentioned here about requiring fasted shutter speed is this really just because you need a high speed to limit over exposure
and by setting a fast speed 1/8000 for example  you avoid this, and by using say an ND32 it allows in less light at the same speed ? So by setting your shutter speed to 1/8000 and by using a filter
surely less light gets in ?  

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-2-23 12:07
You should do that. Looking forward

Me too.  Does anyone here in the UK mind sharing a few choice locations for flying over snowfields, frozen lakes, hills and mountains ?  

Im based in Surrey, and we have a number of places worth a visit to fly your drone and capture amazing footage and images.

So here are my 3 suggestions..
1. Leith Hill Surrey
2. Virginia Water Lake, Berks.
3. Cuckmere Haven, E Sussex. including river cuckmere and seven sisters cliffs.

I would love to hear your choices as a snowy landscape is rare here in southern england so
I really want to make the most of next week..

Sure I will post footage and images here.
Cheers

Rob

Rob Hulford Posted at 2018-2-24 03:42
Thank you for all your answers.  Regarding shutter speed, it is often mentioned here about requiring fasted shutter speed is this really just because you need a high speed to limit over exposure
and by setting a fast speed 1/8000 for example  you avoid this, and by using say an ND32 it allows in less light at the same speed ? So by setting your shutter speed to 1/8000 and by using a filter
surely less light gets in ?

The ND filter will prevent less light so you can reduce the shutter speed as the goal is to get your shutter speed to be double your frame rate to create cinematic video footage without over exposing the frame. So if you record at 30p you ideally need your shutter to be 1/60th but if your image is over exposed using those settings then you put on an ND filter to bring down the exposure value without increasing the shutter speed/camera settings. The more light/brighter the environment the higher the f-stop the ND filter needs to be. As an example, if you need to use a shutter speed of 1/800th in order to properly expose the frame then placing on an ND8 on the lens will reduce the amount of light by 3 stops and this will enable you to set the shutter to 1/60th whilst retaining the same exposure value.   

A CW Posted at 2018-2-24 03:49
The ND filter will prevent less light so you can reduce the shutter speed as the goal is to get your shutter speed to be double your frame rate to create cinematic video footage without over exposing the frame. So if you record at 30p you ideally need your shutter to be 1/60th but if your image is over exposed using those settings then you put on an ND filter to bring down the exposure value without increasing the shutter speed/camera settings. The more light/brighter the environment the higher the f-stop the ND filter needs to be. As an example, if you need to use a shutter speed of 1/800th in order to properly expose the frame then placing on an ND8 on the lens will reduce the amount of light by 3 stops and this will enable you to set the shutter to 1/60th whilst retaining the same exposure value.

VERY useful CW.. I will re read that to digest it. If I have any questions following may I ask ?

Rob Hulford Posted at 2018-2-24 05:01
VERY useful CW.. I will re read that to digest it. If I have any questions following may I ask ?

Of course mate. As Montfrooij pointed out - you don't need ND filters for stills as there is obviously no motion blur to control - the only exception being long exposure shots. That said, it's best to use them if you're taking videos and stills in the same flight. You'll experience a lot more exposure from reflective surfaces such as large bodies of snow so the angle of the gimbal and the sun will also play a big part in lining up the shots. Turning the drone with just a 90 degree yaw can dramtically change the exposure if the sun is very bright. It's takes a lot of practice.

Rob Hulford Posted at 2018-2-24 03:42
Thank you for all your answers.  Regarding shutter speed, it is often mentioned here about requiring fasted shutter speed is this really just because you need a high speed to limit over exposure
and by setting a fast speed 1/8000 for example  you avoid this, and by using say an ND32 it allows in less light at the same speed ? So by setting your shutter speed to 1/8000 and by using a filter
surely less light gets in ?

If you have the time, just take some sample shots while in the air. Experimenting with what you got already.
After some tries you can analyze the outcome and decide what you really need.

Well got to a fab location, battery nice and warm, Drone at ambient air temperature.  Powered up drone, RC and ready for take off. Nothing.  Battery still a little warm but the drone would not start up the props. The drone did not respond to the start up command using the joysticks on the RC. Air temp was -4C 25F it was dry with a light breeze. No idea why the drone would not start. Ive really lost interest now in trying to use it to capture snowy virgin landscapes.. Its really rare to see this in southern England. What a shame...

That is a shame and very odd. The battery temp needs to be above 15c for safe take off but I’ve never known it to stop take off. I’m heading out Saturday morning and will see what happens!

I'll try it again now.. Its really pi$$ed me off. Grrrr.....Just waiting on a courier so will see if I can get it airborne.. Battery 21oC currently..  Thanks for replying A CW

Rob Hulford Posted at 2018-3-1 08:51
I'll try it again now.. Its really pi$$ed me off. Grrrr.....Just waiting on a courier so will see if I can get it airborne.. Battery 21oC currently..  Thanks for replying A CW

Also make sure that you are not in beginner mode by accident - that will prevent take off if your GPS is weak / no home point on the map. Also make sure that the props are clean and securely mounted to the motors and they are free from obstructions. -4c isn't ideal to fly in but it should take off... Try auto take off too via the app.