ND Filter Sets for your DJI Osmo Pocket drone

More about ND filters and the DJI Osmo Pocket Drone

What filters are compatible with my DJI Osmo drone?

In addition to the gray filter for long exposures, polarizing filters and hybrid filters, are other filters that are recommended for the DJI Osmo drone. The polarization filter is a necessary tool for landscape photographers as it prevents reflections on non-metallic surfaces, such as glass or water. At the same time, green tones can be intensified, pictures by the sea can be taken without reflections and sky pictures can be optimized. The sky shines in a strong blue and the white clouds come into their own. Hybrid filters, i.e. a combination of ND filters and polarizing filters, are a good solution, especially for drones, because several filters cannot be mounted on top of each other. One also speaks of a combination filter, which is a normal gray filter with an upstream polarizing filter. You don't have to choose between the two filters, you can use the polarizing filter for light reflections and the ND filter for darkening. One could speak of a "2 in 1" filter.

Does an ND filter pay off for the DJI Osmo drone?

In summary, it can be said that successful photography and drone photography also include ND filters, which have very positive effects, especially in landscape images or city panoramas. These can be used to correct colors, avoid mirroring and reflections and achieve wiping effects for an imaginative, dreamy picture. Depending on your needs, we have different filters on offer, and we have put together different sets for you.

Which ND filter strengths should you buy for the DJI OSMO Pocket and when should you use them?

When photographing with a drone or a handheld camera, five different filter strengths are generally used. These are ND4, ND8, ND16, ND32 and ND64 filters.

• The ND4 filter has 2 apertures;
• The ND8 filter has 3 apertures;
• The ND16 has 4 apertures;
• The ND32 has 5 apertures;
• The ND64 filter has 6 apertures.

As a rule of thumb, one can assume that the exposure time doubles per aperture. It follows that the ND4 filter has, for example, four times the exposure time and the ND64 sixty-four times. With long exposure, more infrared radiation gets through, which changes the color of the photos and makes them appear in shades of blue.

Why do I need an ND filter for my DJI Osmo Pocket drone?

ND filters, neutral density filters or gray filters, are often used by professional photographers to ensure even lighting of the recordings. This is a lens that is colored in a light shade of gray and can be screwed or clicked in front of the lens. Sometimes slide-in filters are also available, but we cannot recommend them, as light can penetrate through the slits on the side of the lens, which often has a negative effect on the recording. With such a neutral density filter, very good photos can be taken, regardless of the incidence of light and solar radiation. We offer many different models that differ in tone and transparency. Another reason for using such filters is the imaging of a surrealistic image effect due to the increased exposure time. As a result, movements can be "fixed" and so-called wiping and flowing movements, such as with water flow, cloud movements or moving cars in a big city, arise.

What can you do with a gray filter and how does it affect drone photography?

As already described, an ND filter allows significantly longer exposure times depending on its density. This enables shutter times of sometimes several minutes. But the depth of field can also be positively influenced by using an ND filter. In addition, an ND filter makes it possible to increase the sharpness of the image. Many photographers know the pictures of velvety streams and snow-white smooth waterfalls. In most cases these pictures were taken with an ND filter. The long exposure time makes the water appear blurry and soft. In order to achieve exposure times of several seconds, one would be forced to close the aperture as much as possible without a gray filter. During the day it is often not possible to expose for a long time, despite a closed aperture and ISO100, without making the images too bright. This is where the gray filter comes into play. On the one hand, the exposure time can be increased to several seconds to minutes by using the ND filter, while the aperture value can be reduced to get more sharpness in the picture. This is related to the so-called diffraction. Every lens has an optimum focus range, which is roughly half of its f-number.