Hi everyone,
In order to make my shots more cinematic, I am planning to buy ND filters for my Phantom 4 Pro+.
Some days ago, I found a thread where people made a lot of suggestions, but unfortunately I couldn’t get back to that conversation.

Until now, I was watching the PolarPro filters either the Vivid (ND4/PL, ND8/PL, ND16/PL) or the Shutter (ND8, ND16, ND32) Collection.
To tell the truth, I am not planning to shot any water, but I really like the way how polarized filters stop glaring. The downside of which I’m afraid of is the fact that it’s not like a switch and you don’t really know when the polarizer is really at 100%. In addition, I also heard of some unwanted color tint the polarized filters caused, so I don’t know if it worth the feature.

If I buy the Vivid Collection will the ND16 be enough on a shiny summer day?

On the other hand, if you have good experiences with other filters, please don’t hesitate to tell. I was also thinking about the stock DJI filters, but a lot of people are complaining that the filter almost stuck on the camera and while taking it off they almost hurt the camera/gimball.

Last but not least, will I be able to use the original gimball clamp with the filters? If not, what aftermarket gimball clamps to buy?

I have a set, and you will need ND filters even in the UK on a bright day if you like using D-Log colour mode as the ISO is locked at ISO500, plus you will loose any depth of field effect if you fly around with it constantly set at f11 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XHH14XG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - these wont fit in the clamp so you need to remove and refit the std uv filter in transport.

ND filters are mostly used to create proper motion blur, polar Pro are very good filters but you will find many cheaper options and some very good ones as well try also pgy tech really good value.

I went with a full set of the official DJI ND Filters. The main reason was you're able to use the standard gimbal clamp without removed the filter.

I have heard mixed results about the PL versions indeed.
Hard to plan ahead what angle will work.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-3-15 12:09
ND filters are mostly used to create proper motion blur, polar Pro are very good filters but you will find many cheaper options and some very good ones as well try also pgy tech really good value.

+1 for PGYTech filters.

I have a 6-filter set for my P4P, and now same for my Mavic Air. I bought each set for almost half the price of the PolarPro 3-set, and the quality and manufacture is excellent. I leave the UV filter on the camera as the default unless I want to apply an ND filter (and I have a choice of ND4, ND8, ND16, and ND32).

I found a set of six for 50 bucks on amazon from Skyreet.
They work well, and come with a carry case that fits inside the styro case the AC comes in.
I think all add-on filters have to be removed to put the stock gimbal brace back on.
There might be an alternate that works with a specific add-on, though.

JamesWhenman Posted at 2018-3-15 14:54
I found a set of six for 50 bucks on amazon from Skyreet.
They work well, and come with a carry case that fits inside the styro case the AC comes in.
I think all add-on filters have to be removed to put the stock gimbal brace back on.

That's not strictly true, as most quality after-market ND filters are of a similar thickness to the stock DJI lens. I leave my PGYTech UV lens on as a fill-time replacement to the DJI lens, for example.
The exception to this may be PL filters which are slightly thicker due to the need to rotate part of the shell.

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-3-15 13:01
I have heard mixed results about the PL versions indeed.
Hard to plan ahead what angle will work.

Can you rotate the polarizer while looking at the image through the device in FPV to achieve a good angle?

Anokadrone Posted at 2018-3-15 17:50
Can you rotate the polarizer while looking at the image through the device in FPV to achieve a good angle?

That is difficult when the bird is in the air.
But yes, if you can reach the filter, you can see the effect through the device.

Punchbuggy Posted at 2018-3-15 17:25
That's not strictly true, as most quality after-market ND filters are of a similar thickness to the stock DJI lens. I leave my PGYTech UV lens on as a fill-time replacement to the DJI lens, for example.
The exception to this may be PL filters which are slightly thicker due to the need to rotate part of the shell.

Thanks Punchbuggy for the heads up, I'll remember PGYTech for any future needs.
BTW , hows the weight of that brand ?

Polar Pro makes a gimbal clamp that accommodates every filter I have. I bought it on Amazon US. Here's a link to it on Polar Pro's site: https://www.polarprofilters.com/ ... m-4-pro-gimbal-lock

JamesWhenman Posted at 2018-3-16 08:07
Thanks Punchbuggy for the heads up, I'll remember PGYTech for any future needs.
BTW , hows the weight of that brand ?

Weight is negligible - the gimbal notices no difference. For specifics you can check their website.

Well, you say "Negligible" , I say "how heavy?" ;^)

After market filters are generally (if not always) heavier than standard. If you have some suitable scales you'll see the Phantom original non-filter is about 2.5g and other filters are often more than that.

The ones I use are 6.5g. So, just to stop the motors having to work harder and therefore have less reserve in windy conditions, or at speed, I stuck a small 4g coin on the back of the camera with double sided foam tape. Gimbal hangs level with filter on and works great.

+1 for the polar pro shutter filters. I’ve also bought one of their cinema nd 32PL filters n the basis of some posts I read on the lens flare on the p4p camera ( which I really don’t like much ). I’m told if you shoot with the aperture wide open and also polarise your shot, it mitigates the flare. Not tried it yet..

Bartiflier Posted at 2018-3-17 15:06
Well, you say "Negligible" , I say "how heavy?" ;^)

After market filters are generally (if not always) heavier than standard. If you have some suitable scales you'll see the Phantom original non-filter is about 2.5g and other filters are often more than that.

That's a great idea !