DJI Phantom 4 Pro | DJI ND8 | The Importance of ND Filters

[@emilcaruso3088]

over a year ago, when I found your channel, this type of information was so helpful to my early learning days.. even though I know this information, it's still good stuff..thanks!

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Emil. Yeah I'm rehashing some older video information but so many folks are brand new so I thought this was worth saying again. Thanks again...I always enjoy hearing from you.

[@HardDriver3950]

Really outstanding video. I have not seen anyone explain the need for ND filters like this, and it finally makes sense. (Also, the lighting and audio quality of the rest of the video of you speaking is just awesome. Very well done. Subscribed!

[@MarcusRFilms]

I just watched your video prior to this one on F-stops and now you addressed the ND filters and all I can say is SUBSCRIBED!! Excellent presentation and delivery of information man. I am a new flyer and videos like this one is helping to make me more confident about thinking my Phantom out and up int the air.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Marcus. Welcome to my channel and I really appreciate your support. I wouldn't be much without subscribers like yourself. Clear skies my friend, Frederick

[@roylongo4546]

You are giving the best education on shooting video that I have found on the internet. Thank you and I look forward to watching more of them.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Roy. I really appreciate the support!

[@nostra-thomas1557]

I'm in. I have a Mavic and have always loved RC. I'm now motivated to learn all this video lingo to maximize my Mavic footage. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the great work!

[@FrederickHagan]

T Briz you're welcome and thanks for the comment.

[@bencorwin]

Great video! One thing to add about using ND filters is that it cuts down on diffraction as well. Diffraction is essentially the softening of a image due to high aperture settings (such as f11). The DJI Phantom 4 Pro seems to be optically sharpest at lower aperture settings. With this being said, a ND16 filter would be more appropriate because you will need to lower your shutter speed (for correct motion blur) on top of lowering your aperture for the best optical performance.

[@FrederickHagan]

Ben Corwin thanks for the comment, Ben. I agree 100%!

[@mikelee1267]

Videos like this one is why I subscribed to you over a year ago. You're an amazing teacher and show such clear concepts! Maybe you could explain in another video (and show with examples) why someone would want to shoot in 24fps vs 60fps. I'm sure there are plenty of videos out there explaining it, but the way you actually show it to us makes it so much better. Just a suggestion if you're needing more ideas to add to your library of videos. Maybe even make an fh t-shirt available for sale (loving that new logo). I'll be in for 1. Keep up the good work!

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Mike. In answer to your question the video image quality is higher at 24fps than it is at 60fps. Why? Think about the bitrate that the camera is shooting. The P4Pro shoots at 100Mbps (100 Megabits Per Second). So when shooting at 60fps you're only getting 1.6Mbps of information processing on each of the 60 frames. Shooting 24fps will give you 4.1Mbps of information processing on each frame! The maximum bitrate available during recording (100) is spread much thinner per frame or image when recording at 60fps. So...shooting at 24fps gives you more than double the information input therefore the video quality will "look better" at 24 vs. 60. Will 60fps look bad? Not at all... but it won't "look" as good as 24fps for sure. It's kind of like splitting hairs at this point BUT remember.... bit rate is everything on a digital camrera. The more the bit rate, the better the quality. Make sense?

[@mikelee1267]

Makes perfect sense, Thanks so much!

[@homerdj0nt]

I just came from a tutorial information that the guy said that he always shot at 60fps, that's why he's always able to downgrade to 48/30 or 24fps in post production, while if you shoot at 24fps, you will not be able to raise the FPS in post... your information conflicts with his, and I have a guess that you are right... only if you want to use slow motion on a specific scene, that's when you'll have to raise the fps, other than that, you will want your footage to have cinematic look, in this case shoot at 24fps.. is that right?

[@FrederickHagan]

That is exactly correct, Homer. Footage shot at 60 and dropped on a 24 timeline doesn't have the same feel as footage shot in 24fps. These are the standard rules of film making. 95% of all movies you watch on TV and in the cinemas was shot at 24fps. The only over-crank (shoot at a higher frame rate) their footage for scenes that they know they want true slow motion. Video shot at 60fps then reinterpreted to 24fps produces beautiful and true slow motion. Thanks for the comment.

[@homerdj0nt]

Sure, I just watched your video about true slow-mo, I know what you talking about... thanks you for this awesome content, you're great, talks clean with very understandable and valuable information.

[@weschilton]

That was a great, simple and straightforward demonstration. Thanks!

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment.

[@mediablendertv]

I am literally sitting here....waiting for some ND filters to arrive via USPS so I can go shoot some test shots for an upcoming short film. The P4 Pro is a game changer for me and definitely is NOT like any other consumer drone. The camera's abilities for that size still amaze me. Your tutorials are outstanding and will save me so much time in dialing in some shots. Thank you!

[@FrederickHagan]

David Aman Thanks for the kind words, David.

[@Polishchickenn]

First time coming across your channel and I'm glad I did. I love learning new things I never noticed how much better the footage looks with motion blur. Subscribed

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Christopher. Welcome to my channel and thanks for subscribing!

[@ethang105]

Amazing video. So many of these vids about nd filters do a terrible job of expla Ning and leave you confused. This one explained it simply and provided examples. Perfect.

[@FrederickHagan]

Ethan Goore thanks for the comment, Ethan.

[@maiaproductions2855]

Great explanation! I just picked a Phantom 3 pro. Now i def need some ND Filters. Huge difference with the organic motion blur. Thank you for the video.

[@FrederickHagan]

Maia Productions Thanks for the comment.

[@Tacoma75]

It's so overwhelming for someone new to videography! Thanks for making it much, much easier to understand. For now, I'll just do what you say and maybe one day, I'll even understand why! Thanks again.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words Bryan. Keep at it my friend. Soon you'll be passing on your knowledge to the next person!

[@CatchMagazine]

Great stuff here Frederick. Watching all your work over this past year for tips I haven't caught on my own. Thanks. Wondering one thing as far at the shutter speed goes... I want to shoot 60fps from now on with the PH4 Pro so I can crank it down into a 30frame timeline for slow motion. Should I shoot with a shutter of 60 or double it at 120 to follow the video shutter rules even though I'm bringing it down to a 30fps timeline in post for slow motion?

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. Use the same recommended frame rate. When you crank footage down for slow-mo, ramping etc. you want the slow frames to visually appear clean. The S.S. of 120 will ensure the cranked down motion is a little cleaner frame by frame. (Try editing on a 24p timeline

[@CatchMagazine]

Interesting? Why on a 24p TL?

[@azimhamidun]

So much that i learn from this 4 min video! Subscribed

[@FrederickHagan]

Azim Hamidun thank you for the comment and thank you for subscribing!

[@philipdawson8582]

Great review Frederic, I have been using freewell filters and it works well.

[@aterkel71]

As always thanks for the informative and clear video. Mostly thanks for taking the time.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Amir.

[@xavier_arthur]

Very simple & easy to understand :)

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words.

[@xavier_arthur]

Frederick Hagan anytime Thanks for making and sharing this video :)

[@ferorozcocas]

Was thinking on buying a set of nd filters for my P4P and know I'm decided on buying it, nice tip

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Fernando. Yes your footage will look even better with ND's.

[@seancorwin8046]

Perfectly explained for me! Thank you, subscribed

[@seancorwin8046]

looks like I am your tipping pointe, just broke 10000! nice work...

[@FrederickHagan]

Sean Corwin thanks for the comment and for subscribing!

[@mikekeen9710]

cheers so much you have cleared up an issue i experience quiet often with my pro bloody awesome

[@FrederickHagan]

Mike Keen thanks a lot for the comment, Mike.

[@mickspawn]

i love your work Frederick you are F****** AMAZING. You are the best teacher on the planet i thank you sir for linking me to this video :D

[@FrederickHagan]

mickspawn thanks for the kind words. I'm really glad my videos are helpful!

[@user_e]

Thanks for the examples. I just received the DJI ND/Polarizer filters but am a little disappointed the gimble clamp now doesn't fit and so I can't keep my most-used filter on the drone full-time.

[@FrederickHagan]

That's strange... my ND8 is the same size as the clear filter that came with the P4P.

[@eliosotto]

Thank you Frederick Hagan !!! I'm new in aerial photo and filming and your videos are more than helpfull !! I have a P3S but decided to get a P4Pro, and if you agree and in the measure you could, I would like to ask for some advice from you time to time. I really hope you continue posting being that clear (even when English is not my native language) you make yourself easily understandable!! Thanks a lot again and my best wishes to you!!

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Elio S. Glad the videos are helpful!

[@kevinhudson6256]

My Polar Pro Shutter Collection gets here Friday Fred! It has an 8, 16 and a 32 in it. Hope they are as good as the set I had for my P4's. Midday the 16 is great.

[@FrederickHagan]

That's fantastic. Keep us posted as to your thoughts on the PolarPro ND versions.

[@TopsMiah]

Brilliant info, learning so much, thank you and keep up the work. Liked and subbed and notifications turned on. Looking forward to applying all this on my future work.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words and welcome to my channel!

[@petercandy3018]

Terrific concise explanation of why to use ND filters - thanks. You mentioned rule of thumb is shutter speed should be dbl fps. What would be an exception to the rule of thumb?

[@FrederickHagan]

There are times in film where you'd want a jerky studdery movement to convey chaos or panic. Say like a fight scene between to actors. A higher shutter speed looses the fluid movement creating this jerky confusing movement which would visually create more tension and chaos in the scene.

[@petercandy3018]

Thanks

[@pcobrea]

Seriously great stuff man. Thank you for this!

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Philip.

[@2dognero]

Another great video explanation. My filters are on they way.

[@FrederickHagan]

Awesome, Andrew! Let us know how you like them.

[@droneit3255]

Hey Fredirick, thanks for the videos, could you do one on night shots, still not video. if you have one out already how can i view it . thanks again.

[@drewmorg.]

Simply the best!!! But seriously Frederick, shhhhh. I'm trying stay ahead of the competition and you're making it too easy for em! LOL

[@WaaProductions]

drewmorgan yea, he's giving out all the tips.

[@Elmercuaton]

thank you man you open my eyes.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Elmer.

[@sginkirk]

did you purchase through dji? i prefer other vendors but they seem hard to find.

[@FrederickHagan]

NO. I purchase everything I can through B&H. They have the DJI ND8 in stock! B&H's return policy can't be beat. Unlike some other places that are a nightmare to return faulty equipment...if ya know wadda mean? ;)

[@sginkirk]

Ahhh, they're out of stock already at B&H, regardless, i'm sure i'll find a vendor. Either way, great video!!

[@PonySixfinger]

great stuff. I've been looking at ND filters but couldn't decide which to get

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. You'll likely need an ND4, 8 and 16 for all lighting conditions. But the ND8 seems to be a good middle of the road ND for starters.

[@PonySixfinger]

thanks for the advice, i'll get an 8. I'm studying digital film production at university and this will come in really useful.

[@FrederickHagan]

Awesome. Good luck in your studies!

[@abdulhakeemalhaddad7422]

Amazing video. When should we use the ND4 , ND8, ND16 Or ND32? how do i know my needs? Best Regards

[@FrederickHagan]

Abdulhakeem Alhaddad thanks for the comment. Just pay close attention to your exposure meter in the bottom center. -0+ That meter will tell you if your exposure is too bright or dark which in turn will tell you how dark of an ND filter to use.

[@CrazyCity26]

I thought the phantom 4 pro had an adjustable aperture. This is one of the great new features. Does it not enough range of adjustment to avoid the need for ND filters?

[@FrederickHagan]

It does...up to f11. It helps BUT unfortunately it does not remedy needing NDs. Not by a long shot. IF anything look at it like this... The P4Pro will require and ND8 where the P3Pro would require an ND16 under the same lighting conditions. For me the most used NDs were the ND8 and ND16. Filming with the P4Pro...the most used NDs will be the ND4 and ND8. Hope this helps.

[@CrazyCity26]

Frederick Hagan as always thanks for the reply and thanks for the great videos.

[@JaseEvoX]

Excellent video, I've jut got my first drone a DJI Mavic.. as it happens I purchased a set of ND Filters and a CPL with it but I didn't really know why I needed them with video. Now I do, well assume that also applies to the Mavic and not just the Phantom 4 Pro?

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. Yes this absolutely goes for the Mavic Pro. These rules apply to ANY video camera. DSLR's, RED Epic, Canon C300 and Phantom cameras are all bound by the same principals and physics of light.

[@JaseEvoX]

Just thought of something which may sound daft, does the speed of the drone make a difference to your rule of thumb regarding shutterspeed?

[@FrederickHagan]

No question is daft! But no... the speed of flight isn't really a factor. This rule of thumb is the rule for all video. Whether it's a scene with two folks talking in a coffee shop or low flying aerials...KZbin vids or the big screen cinema...this is the sweet spot setting for 95% of all video work.

[@biscuitsalive]

Out of interest. Jello/micro vibrations. I always used ND on my old phantom to get the SS down, and to remove that jello. (I'm new to phantom 4adv) I know all about 180 deg shutter for film. But do you get any jello with P4 pro? I have only flown my new drone once but noticed some slight jello in my first footage. Will fly with ND for my second flight. (Soon as weather clears) But what's your findings on P4 micro shakes. Should I be balancing my props? Or is it just normal to get a bit of jello with fast SS?

[@FrederickHagan]

biscuitsalive It is completely normal to get "Jell-O effect" in your footage when using a high shutter speed. The true term for this issue is actually called "Rolling Shutter." This can occur with any camera, drone or DSLR, when using high shutter speed with the camera mounted on a vibrating surface. (GoPro fanatics are notorious for this because the GoPro to chooses the shutter speed. And of course, on bright sunny days, that shutter speed maybe ramp up to 1500 to 2000 or more!) For 24 frames per second the shutter speed should be set to 50. I promise you....if you use ND filters and keep your shutter speed right around double the frame rate you will never see rolling shutter… A.k.a. Jell-O. On my Phantom 2 and Phantom 3 Pro I did balance the props just to be safe. But I have to admit I have never balanced one of my props on my Phantom 4 Pro… and I have never seen any sign of Rolling Shutter in my footage.

[@biscuitsalive]

Frederick Hagan thanks. Yep I know the science and terminology behind it all. (If you look at my channel you will quickly spot i am a camera nerd) I was more curious just how well the phantom 4 was tuned for vibration. (I'm coming from a phantom 2, so it's a big upgrade for me.) Good to know my version of p4adv is pretty typical, and getting RS/jello on first test flight with no ND is no big deal. :) NDs and full manual control for the rest of my flights. :) (Just left it all on auto to check bird was flying ok on her maiden buzz)

[@FrederickHagan]

Awesome. Clear skies to you my friend.

[@waqasmunawar]

Great stuff Frederick. I have questions (don't know if anyone has already asked this or not), at 2:19, there is a lot of "glitching" in the footage in the center of the frame. If that just the rendering issue or the actual footage. I've seen this issue on quite a lot footage.

[@FrederickHagan]

Waqas Munawar thanks for the comment. Yes that anomaly is the codec artifacting and breaking down because of the fast movement. This is common with KZbin uploads. KZbin re-compresses video on upload. So no matter how beautiful your video looks, KZbin's compression ends up throwing out about 80% of the information of a Hi-res render. Good eyes my friend.

[@waqasmunawar]

Ah... I see. I was getting a little worried for a second as I'll be getting a P4P very soon and I thought that was an actual issue with the recording. But yes, that makes sense now that you've explained it. Much appreciate buddy. I will be using the drone for a lot of the work I do with cars soon. Keep up the good work.

[@itsMeJustin]

Thanks for the information. Very helpful

[@CDigata]

explained like a pro as always, its now a fine line of adjusting the iso and fs to get that sweet spot.. ive got the 8 an 16 from dji but no 4 avail as yet until after CNyear, the polarpro set also came but to get a ND4 you have to buy the polarizer set which i did not :( Hope life is treating you well and look forward to your next video

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Chris. Always look forward to hearing from you.

[@pinzgauernorcal]

can you explain how to setup the app for using nd filters in the field, thank you.

[@FrederickHagan]

Highteckhobbies there's no difference. You set up the app the same way with the filters attached by watching your exposure meter. Make sure your shot is not too bright or too dark and you're good to go.

[@pinzgauernorcal]

thank you

[@JamieTheMink]

I'm all about organic. :-) Great video, thanks for offering and sharing!

[@FrederickHagan]

Jamie Mink Thanks for the comment and you are most welcome.

[@paulstraten]

Great session here - really appreciate the academics you put behind these videos and how you translate it so easily to novices (like me) - I am testing some shots taken today with a ND 16 and a ND16PL filter from Polar Pro to see if there is a difference - there should be, right? The day is pretty sunny. Will post results later but sure do appreciate your work here :-)

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words. The difference will be that the PL should be slightly darker (not much) than the straight ND16. Regardless both should give you "neutral color" in addition to darkening the scene. Meaning no color tint to your shots...too warm or too cool. Cheap ND's are guilty of this as they're not engineered correctly and give a warm yellow or cool blue cast to the footage.

[@paulstraten]

Thanks for the speedy reply Frederick - not sure I am getting what I thought I was supposed to get from these filters or maybe I am expecting too much and the real improvement work comes in post production - I will post some links via KZbin and you tell me what you think . . . . . . . after of course, I watch your live stream tonight! I have a P4P (and a P3P which is my mule) so I am interested to see how I might improve on my videography! I presume it can be watched via a KZbin live streaming link?

[@prettyboyjesse]

Thanks for also explaining to us photo guys. I have not owned a DSLR that does video, my D2 and 80 are too old for those kind of tricks. My (new to me) D4 on the other hand. Maybe I will start shooting some video with it. I will be getting the P4 Pro soon. Thank you for making awesome videos like this, keep them coming. Also if you can, please make a dos and don'ts type of video for new Phantom owners. Have several Syma that I fly but first time owning something this stable, will be fun.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Jesse.

[@RyanJosephLong]

Great demonstration!

[@gumalew]

Thanks for information. This film is realy helpful.

[@mikeisi]

I enjoy shooting sunrises. Would you still recommend using an ND filter (like a 4) when shooting early early morning? Like just before sunrise?

[@sergeipinin7174]

Great video!Big thanks for your work!Could you please tell the difference between ND Shutter/Vivid/PL filters?

[@FrederickHagan]

ND's are Neutral Density Filters that act like sunglasses for your lens. PL's are Polarizers that enrich skys and remove glare. PLs are more useful for photography. I never us PL's for video but I always use NDs.

[@sergeipinin7174]

Frederick Hagan ,thank you so much !)))one more question -If i want to see m.blur effect I need to order ND Shutter filters ?or it's the same like VIvid?

[@FrederickHagan]

Yes. You only need ND's for motion blur. The color profile doesn't matter.

[@sergeipinin7174]

Frederick Hagan that's super! Have a good day !)))

[@paulstraten]

Nice job Frederick - love these! QUESTION: I just received my PolarPro filters (6 set) for the P4P and saw little difference in any of my shots when comparing them to no filter versus the PolarPro ND8, ND16 and the PL (polarized) versions as well. Is it because I left the camera in AUTOMATIC exposure versus MANUALLY changing it? Shouldn't the filters work their magic regardless of what exposure mode I am in since it should be adjusting aperture down, or does auto exposure adjust ISO and shutter speed and deny the filters the opportunity to do their magic? Thoughts?

[@FrederickHagan]

In theory yes...BUT....filters can only "advise" the auto mode in camera as to what it should do for a proper exposure. You still have little control. In the end Auto mode will do what it wants as the lighting constantly changes. On Auto the exposure and shutter speed can appear to look good...but when you turn into the sun Auto will raise the shutter speed way beyond an acceptable speed (1000-1500) for decent video quality. Therefore it's paramount that you lock in your settings manually before hitting the record. Manual shooting is the only way to achieve natural cinematic results. With ND's or without. Remember... you are the creator...you tell the camera what to do and how to do it...vs. letting the camera "do wants to do". Hope this helps and thanks for asking a great question.

[@paulstraten]

Frederick Hagan And thanks for a great answer!

[@diegoforest]

Being a photog this is counter intuitive but I get it. NDs are on the way. Thanks again

[@FrederickHagan]

The best use of ND's I've found with my GH4 DSLR is to use them for outdoor close ups when you want a super shallow depth of field. ;)

[@stuartie007]

Great stuff Frederick, I've been waiting for your next video :-) would love to see some nice footage that you've taken also, maybe some of your own little video projects?

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. Yeah I'm looking forward to better weather. Last nights shot for this video was the first sun we've seen in about 19 days!!!

[@stuartie007]

Frederick Hagan The weather here in Northern Ireland hasn't been too good either :-( it never is lol. Looking forward to the summer though and my holiday to the Netherlands in July, I'll be bringing my Phantom 3 pro. I'll stuck in the house at the moment with a sore back so I put a new screen on my Ipad 3 cellular, tried it in the living room with the Phantom but it doesn't work :-( then plugged my phone in just whilst I had it out... 20 seconds later I cut a plant to bits before nose diving into the table, wall and floor :-( 2 very small stress cracks and 4 nicked props. sigh.

[@FrederickHagan]

Ouch!!! I hope your back and props get to feeling better!

[@dannydeangelis9520]

I started using the settings you posted in one of your videos for manual mode and also have started using my color grades and learning more about scopes which has helped a lot! I thank you for all that information. I am wanting to start using the ND filters now and just purchased them. I saw you primarily use ND8. I was curious do you still like to film in Cinelike and keep the settings the same as you do in your "best camera settings" video? Also, what aperture and ISO do you recommend?

[@FrederickHagan]

Danny DeAngelis Yes I still use the CINE color profile even with an ND filter. The aperture and ISO setting depend on how bright or dark you’re shooting environment is. Just keep an eye on the exposure meter in the bottom center. You want that on zero in the middle. It’s always best to use the lowest ISO as possible (200) to keep noise out of the footage. When you use a high ISO (like 800 or more) much more noise will be introduced into the footage.

[@Stephensbuslife]

Thank you for this video, it help explain the issues I have been having with my videos ;-)

[@FrederickHagan]

Drone Guy Aussie Road Trip you are welcome and thank you for the comment.

[@Ryan.Knowles]

Frederick, I thought one of the big selling points of the P4P was that you can adjust aperture. That being the case, are ND filters as necessary as they were for the P3 and P4 anymore? If I can just let in less light by raising aperture, then it seems like that could do the same thing as an ND filter, right?

[@FrederickHagan]

This is a great question, Ryan. A question I was wondering also while pacing the floor waiting for my ND filter to arrive. While it's very true that being able to now shoot at f11 greatly reduces the light intake of the camera - my tests have shown that it's not enough. Not by a long shot! The benefit of f11 vs. a fixed f2.8 is you might only have to use say an ND8 where normally it would take an ND16 to get the shutter speed at a manageable level. With the P4Pro the ND4 and ND8 will likely be the most used or needed NDs. With my P3Pro the ND8 and ND16 are the most needed for most lighting situations. Hope this helps and thanks again for an awesome question.

[@jeffellis6544]

It IS great you can adjust the aperture - and that helps. But, it's not the only thing to consider. First - ƒ11 @ 100 ISO on a bright sunny day still can call for a shutter speed of 1/500. Maybe higher due to direction & reflectance. Second, all lenses have a "Sweet spot" in the center of the lens that gives the sharpest image possible (talking resolving power & detail, not freezing the action) and on this lens it's around ƒ5.6. ƒ11 is certainly usable, as is ƒ2.8 - but the best possible performance of the lens is around the middle apertures. And I think for video with movement and the preference of a slight blurring of the frames for a cinematic feel, that's less important than it is for stills. Anyway, if the goal is twice your frame rate, then you want to lock in the preferred shutter speed, then adjust aperture and ISO to do the rest - with the help of your ND filter.

[@MasteringHow-To]

When would one need the nd16 and 4? Based on how sunny? Can you explain

[@FrederickHagan]

Check your exposure meter in the bottom center of the app. It'll tell you if the exposure is too bright or too dark and by how much. This will give you an idea of what ND to use.

[@MasteringHow-To]

Frederick Hagan ok so if it's way too bright. Maybe the nd4 wouldn't be enough? So without bumping up the f stop. Better to use a stronger filter? Sound right?

[@FrederickHagan]

Correct. You have to experiment a little but before long you'll get a feel for and know which filter to grab first. I usually start with the ND8 unless it's dusk or dawn which an ND4 will suffice. Full on bright, clear, midday sky sun usually will require the ND16

[@MasteringHow-To]

Frederick Hagan Thank you so much for the reply. I really appreciate it. Did you ever get into a polarizing filter?

[@FrederickHagan]

My pleasure. No I use straight NDs. All Poloarizing filters by nature are only effective at a 90º angle from the direction of the sun. So not much use on a quad copter that's constantly changing directions and angles from the sun.

[@j4nch]

Thanks for the video. Would you buy a polarized or a nd? In photography I love my PL filter, but since with the drone I don't have the same orientation all the time, I'm not sure

[@FrederickHagan]

J4N thanks for the comment. This is the exact reason why I usually don't use a polarizer on the quad for video. You're right with the constant changing angles it renders a polarizer pretty much useless.

[@j4nch]

Thank you for the answer. But in most case the polarizer will be less efficient but still a little bit no? And it cost the same price.

[@FrederickHagan]

J4N it depends. If you were flying in a position that is exactly 90° from the position of the sun it will be 100% efficient. With the correct position I think shots over bodies of water could really benefit from a polarizer

[@ProSolaceGaming]

Hi I'm new to filming with drones in general and I live in on California, should I get the ND 8 filter?

[@jerryzak2488]

F: great vid, thanks. However, in the early part of the video I notice a heat shimmer effect in the upper part of the screen. I suspect it's a function of watching via KZbin and my display gear and that it is not present in the "master" file. Comments?

[@FrederickHagan]

Jerry Zak Thanks for the comment, Jerry. You’re exactly correct. That shimmering effect is macro blocking and artifacting because the codec is breaking down. Especially in scenes with a lot of fast movement. This is because of the KZbin compression. No matter how great your video looks KZbin will always compress all that information (100Mbs) down to about 10 to 12 Mb per second unfortunately

[@bigbells]

Fred, the way you're able to convey oodles of vital info to we fledglings without being the least bit condescending is fantastic. Thank you! I don't yet have any filters for the camera on my P4P but I'm on the verge of getting some. Do you think it makes sense for me to get hybrid ND/PL filters rather than getting both hybrid and straight ND filters? What would be the advantage of using, let's say, an ND16 filter if I have an ND16/PL filter that I can use instead? I bought the whole PolarPro set for my P3P, but I always reach for the hybrid filters and hardly ever use the ND-only filters. I'll be watching your video about color settings for the P4P a bunch of times, because there's way more there than my brain can digest all at once. After the firmware update the second week of December, the names for the color settings changed. Film-A, Film-B, etc, are no longer there. I've been using "Emili" because it seems like it might be a little warmer than other settings, which I like. But, I don't know if it's the same as a previous "Film--x" setting or whether it's something new. Do you by any chance know? My favorite color setting with my P3P is "Vivid" and I was disappointed that there's no setting by that name with the P4P. I've observed and been annoyed by the aberrations that I now know, thanks to your videos, go by the names of moire and aliasing. Since I never knew there was anything I could do about them, I'm greatly looking forward to using your suggested -1, -3 and -2 settings for sharpness, contrast and saturation. I also know now that some of the problems in my videos can be remedied by using the white balance presets instead of auto WB. I'm delighted to have stumbled upon your videos. If I turn into a videographer, you'll get a lot of the blame.. er.. credit.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Dave. Stick with straight NDs. PL's are good for photography but most folks don't understand. PL's are good at blocking glare off water and glass buildings. BUT...a polarizing filter's effect is only active when shooting at a 90º angle form the sun! So if you're shooting straight forward the sun must t be directly left or right of the camera. if the sun in behind the camera or in front of the camera the effect is absent. This is just the way all PL's work. Add to this the fact the a quad is moving all over the place, constantly changing directions, makes a PL even more useless. I never use PL's for this exact reason. Plus if I want more vibrant color I can add that in post. For the life of me I don't know what's going on with the FILM mode color names. Many are stating what you've stated about the renaming. I've checked my P4P...twice...since the latest frimware update and I've still got FILM A thru I listed. Go figure!?? Finally I really appreciate your words and encouragement but please know this to be true... I'm still learning. I'm just passing on what others have been kind enough to teach me. I absolutely love doing it...but I didn't invent any of it. If you find yourself becoming a videographer the credit is given to a spark within you. You're the one that's hungry to learn, doing the work and are seeking the information. All credit goes to you and your passion. I'm just glad to help from time to time. You are the creator... go out there and create. Stumble...but jump back up and learn from the experience. I promise you'll start to see the payoff much sooner than later. Clear skies my friend, Frederick

[@bigbells]

Frederick; I have read and heard about the properties of polarized lenses before but now I understand a little better. Your ability to explain things is top-notch. Often, people with a good understanding of what they are doing are not real good at explaining it to others. (Do ya hear me, DJI?). So drone video made with a PL and the camera pointing straight down near sunrise or sunset comes pretty close to meeting the 90 degree rule? What is the difference between a CPL that has a rotatable element and the Polar Pro polarized lenses I have for my P3P which do NOT have 2 separate elements and cannot be rotated? I'll now start using the straight ND filters I have for my P3P, and I just pre-ordered from B&H the DJI ND filters for my P4P. Thanks!

[@FrederickHagan]

"...So drone video made with a PL and the camera pointing straight down near sunrise or sunset comes pretty close to meeting the 90 degree rule? ..." Yes...but only if the sun is directly left or right of the drone's body. CPL is just an easier Polarizer. You have to rotate a PL to find the sweet spot...then attach to the camera lens in that exact position. CPL's allow you to spin the PL lens after you've attached it.

[@bigbells]

What I'm thinking is that with the sun on the horizon, the sun is directly right (and directly left as well) of the drone's body no matter which way the nose of the drone is pointing, as long as the camera is pointed straight down. The same angle between the camera and the sun is maintained regardless of the heading of the aircraft. I could be all wrong, but that seems logical to me at the moment.

[@FrederickHagan]

No, no it's which way the nose is pointing! The forward heading of the craft IS the way the PL is pointing on the camera. So there are only two positions that the polarizer will work even with the camera pointing straight down. So you see how limited a PL is? If by chance the direction you're filming in just happens to be the sweet spot you'll get the effect. But it's somewhat of a roll of the dice....so again PLs on a quad are not very useful. Hope this is making sense.

[@jibzouth]

Nice! Do you get any colorcast from the filters? Like when im using Lee ND filters for photography I allways have a slight cold/ blue tint

[@FrederickHagan]

jibzouth Great question. To my delight I've not yet seen any color cast. The DJI NDH seems to be truly neutral in color tone.... which it should be!

[@aerogisgeotecnologia4150]

This is really nice video. Thank you so much for all help!!! I got a Nd4 filter and now i cant buy a ND8 and ND16. should i use the same frame rate, shutter and all settings? Greats from Brazil

[@FrederickHagan]

Yep same shutter and frame rate applies no matter what ND you use. Thanks for the comment.

[@aerogisgeotecnologia4150]

Hi Frederick, i dont know If somebody asked before, but those filters are polarizeds? Thkyou

[@MrKevinsss]

Hey Frederick, Great videos. You are doing an amazing job. Just a quick question, hope you haven't already answered it. I understand the advantage to shooting 4K at 60fps in terms of slow mo options & smoothing out footage, but is there any drop in image quality compered to shooting at 4K at 24fps? Thanks a million for your time.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. In answer to your question the video image quality is higher at 24fps than it is at 60fps. Why? Think about the bitrate that the camera is shooting. The P4Pro shoots at 100Mbps (100 Megabits Per Second). So when shooting at 60fps you're only getting 1.6Mbps of information processing on each of the 60 frames. Shooting 24fps will give you 4.1Mbps of information processing on each frame! The maximum bitrate available during recording (100) is spread much thinner when recording at 60fps. So...shooting at 24fps gives you more than double the information input therefore the video quality will "look better" at 24 vs. 60. Will 60fps look bad? Not at all... but it won't "look" as good as 24fps for sure. It's kind of like splitting hairs at this point BUT remember.... bit rate is everything on a digital camrera. The more the bit rate, the better the quality. Make sense?

[@MrKevinsss]

Thanks, that makes perfect sense. Keep up the great work.

[@mikeisi]

First of all...fantastic videos. You’re a great teacher and great on screen personality. I just got my phantom 4 advanced last week, after 4 years of flying with a phantom 2 with GoPro. I got a DJI ND4, 8, and 16. I did some tests with the Nd 16 yesterday at noon on a super sunny day. I was able to achieve the proper motion blur you’re talking about here, however...The Nd filters seem to make my footage seem over saturated...almost with a blueish tint to it. The color looks far better without it. Any recommendations of where to set the color style and white balance when using one? Thanks! -Michael (Nashville, TN)

[@FrederickHagan]

Aerial Hiking Thanks for the comment, Michael. I would try using a manual white balance but it’s going to take some trial and error. If the footage looks too blue I would use a little bit lower white balance setting. You’ll have to look on screen and do some tests until you get it in the right sweet spot. The biggest concern I would have is that your ND filters are not true neutral density. The Tiffen filter that I talk about it one of my videos is a great ND filter with no color shift. Also the Sandmark are good and if use the code in my video get 10% off! Again thanks for the comment clear skies do you my friend

[@mikeisi]

Frederick Hagan thanks so much for the quick response! I’m going to do some more testing today. The filters I have are the official DJI ones. One thing I forgot to do when first testing it out was to adjust the “style”. I’m gonna try out the settings you recommended in one of your videos (-1 / -3 / -2)

[@friartuck001]

Thank you for this and all that you do.

[@FrederickHagan]

Hey, thank you. If it weren't for subscribers like you... I'd be nothing! Thanks again for the support, Inertia Studios.

[@FrancescoLibassi]

Hi Frederick, Thanks for all the really useful videos!! I have DJI ND8 and ND16 for my P3P, do you think these would fit on the P4P or I need to buy new ones? From the images on the DJI site the lens size look the same but I'm not sure.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment, Francesco. Unfortunately the P3P and P4 filters DO NOT fit on the P4 Pro. It's a much bigger camera so you'll have to purchase new filters for the P4 Pro.

[@FrancescoLibassi]

Frederick Hagan copy that and thanks for the precious info! I'll make sure to buy the new ones.

[@sirocco454]

Very informative thanks

[@chrise4835]

Very good instruction

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment.

[@bigbells]

My second manual-camera-settings flight today wasn't a whole lot better than my first attempt yesterday. I waited until shortly before sunset and used no filter on the camera. I think I need to try shutter priority and allow the aperture to float, rather than setting both the shutter speed and the aperture, which is what I did with today's flight. I used aperture 5.6 and shutter speed 60, and a lot of the video was underexposed. Also, my favorite color setting when I was habitually using Auto camera settings may not be so great when using manual settings. I'll have to try something else. Not terrible but nothing I can brag about. On the plus side, the gimbal movement is definitely smoother with the movement setting at 20, and the radical changes that previously occurred when I'd go from the bright sky to the much darker landscape are no longer there.

[@FrederickHagan]

Boom! You're getting better in just 48 hours! Hats off to you, Dave. Lock that shutter speed and f-stop in though. If not you'll visually see the f-stop exposure "click" as it automatically adjusts. I was like you... I thought, "Hey if the shutter needs to stay at a certain speed lets shoot shutter priority and that's one less thing to worry about....right?" Man I was wrong. I could see the global exposure jump as the auto aperture opened and closed up. Ruined some beautiful sunset shots over a lake as I turned toward and away the sun. Grrrrrrrr.

[@bigbells]

So I should just use a more open aperture setting since my video was underexposed, right?

[@FrederickHagan]

Dave Bellware correct.

[@joshuaspalding5424]

Hi Frederick, I'm a new subscriber and love your videos! I'm in real estate in FL and was wondering what setting you'd recommend that would look/sell best on videos of houses? Also, your recommended settings of -1 -3 -2, would that be the best setting for real estate pictures/videos or would you recommend any tweaks? Thanks so much for your videos, the most informative I've seen yet about the P4P.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, Joshua. The settings I've mentioned in the video are for folks who want to do color correction in post. If you want best results straight from camera with no tweaking check the attached video link. In the end, whether shooting houses or sunsets, it's all about proper exposure with the given lighting and environment. Hope this helps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHaXp5eur9WWd9k

[@highflyer-skyfpv6531]

I ordered a ND 8 and ND 16 from DJI. 16 has come but no sign of the 8 yet. I did research the Polar pro filters and fairly quickly avoided the polarizing versions as I don't really think that a drone is a sensible platform for a polarizing filter that has its effect so drastically changed by the angle to the sun as obviously a drone is so mobile. OK if refective things are totally filling the scene such as expanses of water maybe, but that makes its use very limited

[@FrederickHagan]

About polarizing filters on drones: I agree 101% with your comments!

[@pgptimelapsesolutions2206]

Hi Frederick, great stuff. Will a higher shutter speed and ND filter help with moire' and aliasing. I shoot a lot of footage containing steel structures with lines.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. By far, the best thing to combat moire' and aliasing is turning your in-camera sharpness down to -3. I shoot with that setting constantly. Never change it. An ND will help a little if it's super bright. You want your shutter speed to be around double the frame rate. So... If you're shooting in 24 frames per second, you'll want your shutter speed to be at 50. At 30fps...SS at 60. An ND is necessary if it's too bright outside to get that shutter speed lower.

[@BashirAbuShakra]

Hey! Nice Video :) I have a question, if i use ND Filter, should i manually set my shutter speed to 1/60s if shooting 30fps? Cuz i do that all the time. Also do you shoot video with MF or AF?

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. Correct. You want to use a shutter speed that's double your frame rate. I tap focus and film.

[@xavier-qc]

I'm still using my P3P, so my shutter speed is still the only option for me to adjust the exposure in daylight. I've tried last year some (cheap) gel type ND filters, but I had to quit using them for bad image quality. I have some color aberration on corners, some shakes of the filter when facing the sun, and the moment there's a drop of water on it, the stain will never disappear. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have got these issues with a high budget filters (like polar pro or snake river), but it was too expansive for me. So I don't use ND filters anymore. And if you don't fly near nearer like maybe 20 feet of a subject/object, I don't find the motion blur is very noticeable. It's just my opinion though. Another big problem I find with ND filters is the absolute non convenience of using them. Each time the light change or depending when you're facing the sun, the shadow side or the ground, the exposure change everytime. It's a pain to land, turn off the aircraft, change the ND filters (especially in windy or cold weather), turn it back on, and get back in the sky where you were. Or you have to be more flexible on your SS ? Let's say your SS target is 50, so you face the camera before flying on the darker exposition that you're planning to shoot, you select the ND filter you need for SS at 50, and when you'll fly facing a lighter side, you'll crank up the SS till a virtual max SS of 200 let's say ? I'm curious of what's the way you do it guys, because for me the ND filters cons don't worth the pros. Maybe the variable ND filters can help, but i'm not sure if there are some of good quality without vignetting.

[@FrederickHagan]

The way I do it is I only have to install one ND depending on the time of day. Whether the sun gets clouded or not it's still and "ND8 Type Of Light" on that day. A slower shutter speed also smooths the video, removes vibrations and helps combat aliasing and moire. A variable ND would be too heavy. To be honest I rarely fly my P3Pro without an ND. There's a sweet spot during sun up and sun down where it's not necessary.... but that only lasts about 8-10 minutes.

[@jesseballard591]

When will we be able to buy the DJI's ND8?

[@FrederickHagan]

B&H Photo is where I got my ND8. They had the ND8 and 16 available but are out of stock at the moment. They tend to restock fairly quickly. Log in and have them send you an alert email when they're back in stock. That's what I did and purchased as soon as the email alert came.

[@IzakGt]

Thank you for your informative videos. I eventually want to purchase ND filters for my P4pro do you have a link that I can buy from that you might get some kick back from?

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words, IzakGt. I don't have a link.... yet. Working on that with a company as we speak so keep your finders crossed.

[@IzakGt]

Well, this is a new branch in the RC hobby for me and I'm quite enjoying the slow pace of things. So I'm in no immediate rush for a filter just yet. If you manage to collaborate with some sellers I'd definitely consider checking it out. Especially since I feel like I should be paying for your videos lol! Thanks!

[@alessandrobasilico5847]

Hi Frederick! Do you think an nd 16 is useless with the p4p? Do i have to buy just the nd8 or nd8 and nd16? thanks!

[@FrederickHagan]

Hey alessandro. With the P4Pro being able to adjust its aperture up to f11 it certainly reduces the need for an ND16. The ND's I use most are the ND8 and ND4. That said it does get bright enough on full sunny days where an ND16 would be needed. An ND32 would be pretty much useless... unless you live in snowy white conditions.

[@davidgarton2387]

Really interesting and great explanation

[@FrederickHagan]

david garton thanks for the comment, David.

[@abdulhakeemalhaddad7422]

what company provide the best filter quality fot the phantom 4 pro drones? the Polar pro. freewell or dji filters?

[@FrederickHagan]

Here you go… Best filters I found yet and you get a discount if you use the link under the video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5WkeKSnprKkjZo

[@philipdawson8582]

I am using freewell for quite some time and I much satisfied with the result.

[@scatdaddi3927]

great info and still waiting on some 4k footage

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment. When I shoot something that's breathtaking I'll upload a 4K video. Thanks for your patience. ;)

[@Silvertinge291]

I'm curious how you deal with motion blur on the Mavic pro. mine is terrible in yaw movements even nice slow movement in manual 24 fps shutter at 1\50. Way worse in any yaw movements .

[@FrederickHagan]

Bad yaw movement is pretty common, Razor E. The truth is yaw movement (or pan) is deceptive because it's supposed to be super slow. So if you feel you're doing a slow pan with the quad you probably need to slow that down another 30% and then you're at the traditional cinema pan movement.

[@Silvertinge291]

Thank you for responding. I notice the flashing effect you mention in this video during yaw movements on straight edges like trees for example - is this normal as well? Besides slowing down yaw pan even more would a ND8 filter help the motion blur look less jumpy and more fluid?

[@metatron2332]

many thanks and greetings from Germany. I´ve done some test with my p4p+ and notice that videoquality in 4k 60p got less resolution than in 4k 30p. Some people say it´s because of DJI do lineskipping in that mode and only read out every second line of the p4p sensor to got smoothness of 4k 60p. Is that right? I do some stillframes at 4k 60p and I can clearly see sawtooth at diagonal lines in the pictures. In 4k 30p not. Thanks!

[@FrederickHagan]

Hello Germany, Here's my theory: Think about the bitrate that the camera is shooting. The P4Pro shoots at 100Mbps (100 Megabits Per Second). So when shooting at 60fps you're only getting 1.6Mbps of information processing on each of the 60 frames. Shooting 24fps will give you 4.1Mbps of information processing on each frame! The maximum bitrate available during recording (100) is spread much thinner per frame or image when recording at 60fps. So...shooting at 24fps gives you more than double the information input therefore the video quality will "look better" at 24 vs. 60. Will 60fps look bad? Not at all... but it won't "look" as good as 24fps for sure. It's kind of like splitting hairs at this point BUT remember.... bit rate is everything on a digital camrera. The more the bit rate, the better the quality. Make sense?

[@metatron2332]

Frederick Hagan yepp! that is a good answer! thank you.

[@highflyer-skyfpv6531]

I've also experienced some skipping/jumping frames at 4k 60 fps as many people have also reported. I'll avoid 4k 60fps unless I specifically need it for slowed down footage

[@FrederickHagan]

Yep. That's what I do too. There's really no need to film aerials in 60 anyway unless you intend to ramp the speed or use slo-mo when flying low.

[@metatron2332]

Frederick Hagan first I've tried 50p because to use it in combination with ground cameras 50p here in Germany. It looks ok but less resolution than 4k 25p. I think you're right with your thoughts about the bitrate. I likely would use 30p but it is no good to mix it together with our pal 25p 50i 50p Cameras in Germany. So I guess I will use 50p with p4p and maby the bitrate will be improved in a p5. :) thank you!

[@volodymyrstepanov7068]

Hi! Would you recommend DJI ND filters for P4Pro or third party filters like PolarPro?

[@FrederickHagan]

I would recommend the DJI filters. They're made well and don't give the footage any odd color cast. I've not tried the PolarPro filter but I'm hearing they work just fine. Just be careful with any "super cheap" brands. That usually means cheap plastic lenses instead of glass which leads to a dull image and a bad color cast to your footage.

[@volodymyrstepanov7068]

Frederick, thanks so much for such a fast response!

[@froston020]

well done. very informative channel. subscribed

[@lowcee89]

Hey Frederick, which Aperture do you suggest for those landscape shots?

[@FrederickHagan]

I always go by the exposure meter and adjust accordingly. That said, traditionally around f5.6 should get best clarity edge to edge across the entire image.

[@philkoury2052]

Frederick, You have some if not this most informative info on KZbin. I currently have the Mavic Pro and was wondering which filters you recommend for it? Taco, Polar Pro, or many others. Any help is greatly appreciated..

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the kind words. I think the PolarPro versions are good and affordable compared to others.

[@philkoury2052]

Great, that's what I was leaning towards

[@AfizDozo]

Thanks 4 explaination.. really2 help.... :))

[@blkfxbb327]

So I’m a noob but my question is I’m running an ND8 filter recording 1080 60 shutter speed needs to be set at 120?

[@FrederickHagan]

Xavier Munoz Correct! Your shutter speed should always be right at double the frame rate for video. Thanks for the comment and the sub!

[@vwkaufman]

50th of a second 100th 1 f stop 200th 2 f stops 400th 3 f stops 800th 4 f stops 1000th 4.25 f stops ND 8 filter is 2 stops just so people understand what each f stop is, whether it is one of the three doubling shutter speed 1 f stop 5.6-8 eg. or doubling iso thanks for your well lit videos

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the info, David. Really appreciate your input.

[@JonnyDeeFilms]

Great videos sir. Was the motion blur shot at 24 or 60 FPS?

[@FrederickHagan]

Jonnydee Daddy Thanks for the comment. It was shot at 24 frames per second in the shutter speed of 50

[@marijasverko285]

hello,, so as i got it right now with the phantom 4 pro and the possibility to change the aperture value i am more flexible,, does it mean that i still need the same ND filters like on the phantom 4 pro??? or if i have the ND 16 for example i don t need the 8 and 32 because i can regulate the amount of light to mimic those filters just by adjusting the aperture??? thanks a lot..

[@FrederickHagan]

Marija Sverko Even though you can change the aperture unfortunately you still need ND filters for the phantom for pro. I have an 8 and 16 that I use often.

[@vfam825]

I dont want to be negative, but that is not really answer to the Marijas question. And I dont think you answer it completely in your video which should give answer if you go by the name of your video. So, if you can mimic filter with adjusting the aperture to get more or less light in to the sensor, what is ND filter doing that benefits the footage even more? Greetings from Sweden!

[@FrederickHagan]

V Fam The simple answer is just because you can now adjust the aperture it’s still not enough on bright sunny days. On traditional camera lenses you can close the Aperture down to f22 while the phantoms camera only goes to f11. Also since edge to edge full frame sharpness is at its peak around f5 to f7 you’ll need an ND filter to stay in that range while using an appropriate shutter speed of 50 or 60.

[@vfam825]

Allright, now I understand how you ment it. Thx

[@loganboyd]

I missed the point where you said that you need an ND8 filter because it does something better than setting the aperture to f/8. What's the difference?

[@FrederickHagan]

It's about cinematic motion blur by using a lower shutter speed. An ND makes this possible. It's simply that even thought the P4Pro's f-stop can be raised to f11 it's still not enough to suppress the sunlight in super bright conditions to get the shutter speed to a manageable level. Therefore an ND filter will still be needed. That said, you may only need an ND8 for the P4Pro where say the P3Pro would've require a much darker ND16 for proper exposure in the same lighting conditions. Hope this makes sense?

[@loganboyd]

i know why they are needed but how is an ND8 filter which blocks 3 stops of light different than changing the aperture from f/2.8 to f/8 which reduces the light by 3 stops? And yes, if i need 4 stops of light blocked I can use f/11 but for 5 stops of light then the aperture doesn't go to f/22. Using aperture is WAY better than ND filter because the aperture is adjustable when the light changes and an ND filter requires you to land, change out a physical part and then take off again. Are you saying that if I put my aperture at f/2.8 and added an ND8 filter that the video would look different than if I just put my aperture at f/8? using 1/60th shutter in both scenarios and ISO 100.??

[@loganboyd]

Also, when mixing between video and photos during the same flight, adjusting the aperture is preferred so you can get back to a high shutter speed to freeze motion on a photo and then adjust the aperture back down to achieve the slower shutter speed for video recording. I've used ND filters on ALL of my previous Phantoms but opted to just go with aperture adjustment on my P4P. Your videos always have good specific detail in them but i felt that your title and your content of this video were out of sync and left me with questions. Thanks for taking the time to respond and explain.

[@FrederickHagan]

Correct but the factor we're leaving out is image sharpness across the entire frame. Traditionally around f5.6 will give a camera more focal sharpness edge to edge vs. f11. So an ND will allow you to keep the lower f-stop that puts you within the "sharper" edge to edge range.

[@FrederickHagan]

You're correct, Logan. I've only touched the surface in this video about the "entire picuture" regarding f-stop. It's difficult to do videos that explain base principals, keep it simple and understandable BUT also not misinform people. Thanks for asking questions to keep the discussion honest.

[@philippblank]

So I only need a "DJI ND8 Filter" for most situations and a ND32 when there is a lot of snow in the image? I'm on a low budget... says the kid that just cleared his bank account for phantom 4 pro :D Great video, even the comment section has a ton of insight since you're really interactive, loving your work!

[@FrederickHagan]

Yes I've found with the adjustable f-stop going to f11 it lessens the need BUT doesn't remove the need. So if you were used to using an ND16 with a fixed f-stop of f2.8, you'll likely only need and ND8 for most shooting conditions with the P4Pro. With the Phantom 4 Pro I think the most needed ND's will be the ND4 and ND8. That said the ND16 would be more suitable for full on midday sun in snowy conditions. I have an ND32 for my Phantom 3 Pro....but I never found the need for it. Even in super bright conditions with snow covered scenes. The ND16 worked well so I"d assume the ND16 would be the maximum one would need for the P4Pro. Please let me know if I'm wrong on this one. I don't want to spread misinformation.

[@TravelswithYoly]

Hey Fred, I didn't see any comments addressing one aspect of choosing an ND filter .... DO NOT buy one because it's less expensive than the others. As a complete novice I bought an ND8 filter for my P3A a year ago. It was branded by Polaroid and it was half the cost of the ones I see listed here. Frankly, it was terrible. It reduced the amount of light as you would expect but the quality of the lens produced an unevenness to the overall screen image. Some areas appeared to have what looked like faint smudges on the lens where in fact, the lens had been meticulously cleaned beforehand.

[@FrederickHagan]

Yes Yoly you've found out through experience than a good ND is all about the quality of the glass. I'm impressed with DJI filters at just $30 a pop. Clean edge to edge with no apparent strange color shift. This is one of those time in life where the saying, "You get what you pay for" is unfortunately dead on truth.

[@herwinkwint3139]

Many thankx for the good info.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for the comment.

[@bluegrassdroneguy3495]

Right on 👍

[@chalemi]

I learned something...thanks!

[@PJGGolfer]

Hello Frederick, I just came across your channel. Looks like some great stuff that will help me be a better pilot. I also just sub'd your channel.

[@FrederickHagan]

Thanks for commenting and subbing, PJG.

[@YannickCerrutti]

Waiting for your thoughs about the new DLOG ;)

[@FrederickHagan]

That's easy. Still not happy, Yannick. It's "better" but it's still a muddy mess in post. Cinelike still delivers straight from camera or in post. I think DJI will get there but they're still relatively new to cameras all things considered. True LOG color profiles aren't just "flat looking" like DJI's. They're flat but filled with massive information just waiting to be brought out in post. DJI's LOG profile is like pulling teeth to get anything out of it in post. Sorry I wish I had better news but it is what it is.

[@YannickCerrutti]

From my tests, with the new DLOG (with the firmware 01.02.0304 from 11/01), you win almost 2 stops in the shadows compared to DCinelike and maybe 3 compared to None. White are not stuck at 75% like before. The major problem is more the fact that the P4Pro records at 8bits, so all this dynamic compressed into 256 values is not the best when trying to color grade.

[@FrederickHagan]

Ditto this. All of it. Thanks for commenting with your information, Yannick.