ND filters come in different strength values, according to the amount of light reduction. In photography and videography, we are familiar with the concept of exposure stops to describe variations of luminosity. The idea of stops can be applied to any of the three parameters of exposure: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed

Also, every lens filter has a specific role in delivering a particular effect that enhances the ultimate look of an image. Sharpness and vignetting: The image remains absolutely sharp in comparison without the filter and vignetting is not visible. ND filters are typically made from plastic or glass that has been tinted by a specific amount. Most ND filters for the DJI Mini 3 come in at under 1g in mass so that the Mini 3 can retain its sub-250-gram status.ND filters are used to help manage the exposure of videos and to maintain a natural amount of motion blur.

In some countries, the use of aftermarket components on drones can result in your drone being considered “privately built,” which could affect where you can fly your drone and/or any insurance or warranty claims you need to make. By adopting the 180 degrees rule used in videography, when shooting hyperlapses, with an interval of two seconds between each photo the correct shutter speed is one second, with an interval of 3 seconds, 1.5 seconds, a Shutter Speed of 2 seconds for an interval of 4 seconds, and so on Timelapses and Hyperlapses Without ND Filters However, if you film in primarily bright and sunny conditions, then the DJI filter set will likely work well for you 99 percent of the time.Most third parties appear to offer similar specifications for their ND filter, although Neewer and Skyreat provide the broadest range of ND filter sets.

Some of these filter sets also offer multi-coated glass and claim to not impact the color of the light that’s filtered. The filter frame is made of soft Aircraft aluminum alloy. Each side of the filter contains grooves that enable easy holding for removal and installation. For hyperlapses and photos with a drone like the Mini 3 Pro in many cases, we use a shutter speed of one second. It is a much slower value compared to the ones used in video, therefore much stronger filters are needed Undeniably, even the best camera drones find it hard to capture unique shots in harsh or highly bright conditions. Weight: The filter weighs 1.5g and replaces the camera's lens protector, which weighs 0.7g. The drone therefore weighs 0.8 g more with the filter and therefore remains safely in the range of under 250 g total weight and can continue to be used without a drone license.

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More details about Motion blur, the crucial element of time lapses, in my dedicated article Limitations in Drone Photography

On a bright day without an ND filter, this frame rate and shutter speed combination would result in a blown-out image, where pixels are saturated. On a less serious note, there's a reason that major lens filter makers don't typically offer a bunch of single-stop filters, especially in the smaller sizes. It's because the difference between a 2 and 4-stop filter or 4 to 8-stop filter will be very slight, possibly not even noticeable. Honestly, just looking at weather conditions, I don't know if I'd be able to accurately determine whether the conditions called for a 4, 8 or 16-stop filter. This is why filter kits typically jump from 32 to 64 to 128 etc. For photography with the Mini 3 Pro and with drones in general, ND filters are not a must. For someone really serious about photography, ND filters are a desirable item, but not a necessity Allows you to maintain a wider aperture: With a wider aperture, capturing your image with striking effects of the shallow depth of field becomes easy. Besides, wider apertures work better when shooting portraits because you focus on the subject.They are not out yet, so I can’t speak much about them, but I’ve used Polar Pro filters for other drones, and they don’t disappoint. For example, under this rule for natural motion blur at 24 frames per second, the shutter speed would be 1/48 seconds.