Does anyone know of a good quality variable ND filter for the Phantom 4 Pro. Seems like a better way to go, then having to constantly change filters.
Variable ND filters
- Thread starter Joe Cinquina
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The disadvantage is probably going to be the weight of the filter, since a variable ND is two stacked polarizing filters with a rotation ring. That may be too heavy for the gimbal.
Found this site for P4P
Phantom 4 PRO/PRO+ L Series Variable Lens Filters (Circular Polarizer
I myself use a variable filter (ND2-400) for my P3P and this filter has no impact, gimbal works perfectly.
Phantom 4 PRO/PRO+ L Series Variable Lens Filters (Circular Polarizer
I myself use a variable filter (ND2-400) for my P3P and this filter has no impact, gimbal works perfectly.
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Don't ever, ever order anything from Drone World. They supremely overcharge and rip people off - just look at the 400x price increase they put in place for the ITElite antenna that they falsely claim they "invented".
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
A variable ND with CP is a triple whammy of bad news:
1. Too heavy.
2. Variables leave patterns, not as clear.
3. CP will look like poop unless it's aligned perfectly.
1. Too heavy.
2. Variables leave patterns, not as clear.
3. CP will look like poop unless it's aligned perfectly.
I love the idea of a variable ND filter, but for the reasons that ianwood describes above, they're not a good idea. I have found they are much less necessary for my P4P than they would have been for my previous P3A. Don't get me wrong, you still need an ND filter (ND8 is my go-to filter), but now that there are aperture controls built-in, the variation of a variable ND filter is no longer as necessary as it may have once been. Just change your aperture settings and you're golden!
Agree with you Ryan, if you can control the aperture a fix ND filter works perfect.
Since P3 series has a fix aperture the use of a variable ND filter is exactly what I need since I do not want to change the exposure time (want to keep it the double of the frame rate).
Since P3 series has a fix aperture the use of a variable ND filter is exactly what I need since I do not want to change the exposure time (want to keep it the double of the frame rate).
A variable ND with circular polarization is, presumably, a rotatable linear polarizer followed by a second, fixed linear polarizer combined with a 1/4-wave plate with its fast and slow axes at 45˚ to the plane of polarization. I'm not clear what the CP is intended to achieve in that situation since the lens/camera combination should be polarization agnostic, but I'm curious what you mean in reference to aligning the CP.
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
Interesting. I would have expected any polarizing filter to have that effect, since the predominant polarization angle from scattered sunlight is azimuth-dependent, but I can't see why circularly polarizing the filter output, as opposed to leaving it linear, would have any effect. I guess I need to explore that further.
If you want to try that one they offered me 15% off. Me? I went with a 4 piece taco set. I think an 8 and a 16 would have been enough for shutter optimization purposes with the Pro's variable aperture but the 4 and the 32 will allow me to keep it away from the extremes and in the sweet spot for most if not all situations.
Thanks everyone for the input, however I am a little confused. I was interested in a variable ND filter, not a variable CP/ND filter. I understand the issue with CP filters. I currently have a variable ND filter for my Osmo (Inspire 1 x3) camera and I am pretty sure it is not a variable CP / ND. It is extremely handing to dial in the perfect exposure on the fly. Tested it last week in Malibu with the family and got a great result in different lighting conditions. As the Sun kept on peeking in and out of the haze and fog. Here is the footage:
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