Best ND Filters for DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Best ND Filters for DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Released in 2016, the Phantom 4 Pro is one of the oldest DJI drones that’s still in use. Considering DJI’s first ever drone was the Phantom 1, the Phantom 4 came with many improvements.



While many other drones have been released in the past six years, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is still viable. Why?





It can still shoot in 4K (which is what later drones achieve), has a 30-minute flight time, the aperture ranges from f/2.8 to f/11, and has a larger payload capacity.



But even with an extensive aperture range, it also helps to have ND filters. So, which are the best ND filters for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro?



PolarPro, FreeWell, DJI, and LENSKINS ND filters are some of the best ND filters you can get for your Phantom 4 Pro.



These four models are of the highest quality and achieve the desired effect, and their design doesn’t alter the intended mechanism of the gimbal.



Please keep reading to learn more about ND filters for the Phantom 4 Pro.



What are ND filters, and what do they do?



ND filters are simply sunglasses for your drone camera.



A friend of mine who primarily uses DSLR cameras once told me that he often avoids takings shots when directly facing the sun because they would often appear too exposed.



He either had to look for shade (away from the scene) or postpone the shot.



It turns out he had not heard of ND filters or any other filters for that matter.



ND filters block excess light from getting to the lens, allowing you to take shots at the correct ISO, exposure, and shutter speed settings.



A common rule is always to have the shutter speed double your frame rate and keep the ISO in lower numbers, such as between 100 and 500.



Of course, you can always break these rules when necessary, but they always give you a baseline.



Are ND filters necessary for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro?



As I mentioned, the Phantom 4 Pro has varying apertures ranging from f/2.8 to f/11. That’s an excellent range for a drone, but if you’ve used DSLR cameras, you’ll know that the aperture can go up to f/22.



The larger the number, the smaller the space that allows light in.



With varying apertures, it’s not always necessary to use an ND filter since you can adjust the aperture until you get the best exposure. But at some aperture settings, you can’t get images as sharp as you’d want.



According to most users, the sweet spot for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, or where you get the sharpest image, is at f/5.6, ISO 100, and with the shutter speed double the frame rate.



But the issue is, depending on how much light is available during the day, you may find your shots are overexposed even at this spot.



ND filters can help you block excess light and get good images regardless of the light.



Also, making the footage look sharp is easy, especially when there are moving objects. But our eyes don’t see things like that. There’s always a slight blur in what we see.



So, it’s always best to add an ND filter to effect a blur and make the footage look more natural.



ND filters have varying strengths (also called f-stops), ranging from ND2 to ND10000. The higher the number, the more amount of light it will block, and the darker it will be.



Below is a brief guide on when to use some of the most common ND filter strengths.



- No filter – If it’s dark or there is minimal light, an ND filter will not be necessary. What you will need here is Polarizer to minimize the glare. More on this later.

- ND2 and ND4 – Dusk and Dawn

- ND8 – Cloudy days

- ND16 – Partly cloudy and partly sunny days.

- ND32 – Sunny days

- ND64 – Very bright sunny or snowy days.

Other filters



Besides ND filters, below are other types of filters you might need for your Phantom 4 Pro.



Polarizing Filters

These filters block out the reflection of the subjects from getting to the lens. When there’s too much reflection, the actual colors of the subjects are not clearly recorded.



Also, when light reflects off a glass surface, you can’t determine what’s beyond the glass.



The good thing with polarizing filters is that they don’t block much light. So if you don’t need an ND filter but are having issues with reflection, the Polarizer is the best way to go.



UV Filters

These filters block out excess UV light without changing the nature of the shot. They are more of a protective filter and may be built into the drone’s camera or provided with the drone.



The Phantom 4 Pro comes with a UV filter, which you remove to attach other filters you will be working with.



Best ND Filters for the Phantom 4 Pro



Now let’s look at some of the best ND filters available.



PolarPro Filters

PolarPro manufactures some of the best filters for drones. Over the years, they have gained quite a good reputation due to the high-quality, refinement, and excellent results you can get with their filters.



For the Phantom 4 Pro, PolarPro released the following filters.



PolarPro Cinema Series

This is a shutter collection of ND filters and PL filters. You can either get the 3-Pack that consists of an ND8, ND16, and ND32 filter set. Or, you can go for the 6-pack, which includes ND4, ND8, ND16, ND4/PL, ND8/PL, and ND16/PL.



The plain ND filters work fine by stopping the required amount of light based on their strengths. However, the ND/PL filters sometimes have an extra darkening effect that may make you think otherwise.



Below is what I am talking about, as observed by Black Raven Films when he compared these and the DJI straight ND8 filters:





That doesn’t mean that ND/PL filters are bad. You can’t compare the two since they are both meant to achieve different results.



Besides, some users even prefer to have the tint in the images, and you can even reduce the amount of tint by adjusting the PL section or the shutter speed.



If you want to achieve deep blue skies and cut out the reflection off of water bodies while still blocking a significant amount of light, then the ND/PL filters are the best.



Below are some of the results you can achieve with them, as observed by Ed Ricker.





The good thing about ND/PL filters is they allow you to rotate the PL part to control how much reflection to cut out.



Note: Polarizing filters behave differently depending on the angle you are flying. To get the best results, adjust the PL part, fly at one angle, land the drone, adjust the filters, and then shoot at another angle.





PolarPro Cinema Series





PolarPro Cinema Series

PolarPro Shutter Collection – Cinema Series Filter 3-Pack (ND8, ND16, ND32) for DJI Phantom 4 Pro/ADV V1 and V2.





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FreeWell ND filters for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro

FreeWell is another brand you can’t go wrong with when it comes to filters and other accessories for drones. What DJI is to the drone market, FreeWell is to the filter market.



What I love about them is that you get a broader range of filters than you would from PolarPro and DJI at more affordable prices. Below are the ND filters currently available for the Phantom 4 Pro:



- ND16 to ND 32, CPL filter, and Lens Cleaner – This pack is perfect for anyone shooting on very bright days. The CPL comes in handy in cases where you only need a standalone Polarizer.

- Hybrid 3-Pack (Nd4/PL, ND8/PL, ND16/PL – If you want to kill two birds with one stone, then the ND/PL filters will come in handy. Like with the PolarPro ND filters, you can rotate the Polarizer until you get a sweet spot.

Below is what you can get with an ND8/PL as observed by Ed Ricker;





DJI ND filters for Phantom 4 Pro

As mentioned, DJI makes filters for the Phantom 4 Pro, like with all their other drones. Their ND filters are usually straight, ranging from ND4 to ND64.



These filters look identical to the DJI’s cover filter, only that they are darkened a bit to achieve the required light stopping.



Compared with the PolarPro ND filters, images may look a little more exposed, but that may stem from the fact that these filters are made from different materials. But all in all, the DJI filters work, too, and are worth checking out.



Below is a side-by-side comparison of the DJI’s ND 8 vs. the same shot taken without a filter as posted by Billy Kyle.





To achieve this shot, Billy first flew the drone without the ND filter with a shutter speed of 120, ISO 100, and aperture at f/11. As you can see on the right, the image is too bright and may be difficult to color correct, and the image is not that sharp.



He then added the DJI’s ND8 and made the same shot, but this time, he reduced the aperture to 5.0 (close to the sweet spot mentioned earlier) and came up with a great shot. The sky is deep blue, colors are more pronounced, and they will now be easily corrected in post-processing.



LENSKINS Filters For The DJI Phantom 4 Pro

If you are on a budget and are looking for functional filters to use with your DJI Phantom 4 Pro, consider the LENSKINS.
https://skydanceimaging.com/best-nd-filters-for-dji-phantom-4-pro/

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