Fred should really set up a drone forum, until then...
What ND densities have people found useful for drone STILL photography? Most ND kits on the market seem heavily skewed towards video (understandbly). I am thinking that ND8, ND64 and ND512 are probably better suited for for stills. My main question is whether ND512 is usable?
Video aside, unless you are after an effect such as milky waterfalls or long exposure waves effect, using ND's on a drone for still photography is a detriment. Intentionally increasing your shutter speed on a camera that is hanging in the air from a vibrating drone that is subject to wind variations is the opposite of what you need.
that would bring yet another question - what's the minimum speed your drone can shot at and still provide a sharp (not shaken shot)? relates to comment from Jeffrey. 9 stops is quite a bit, but still have a 'fast' speed in a very bright day
Bacalhau wrote:
that would bring yet another question - what's the minimum speed your drone can shot at and still provide a sharp (not shaken shot)? relates to comment from Jeffrey. 9 stops is quite a bit, but still have a 'fast' speed in a very bright day
The criteria are the same for a drone or a ground based camera. The drone is generally less stable, but you just need to assess the conditions and set your camera accordingly. 9 stops is quite a bit of what?
Jeffrey wrote:
The criteria are the same for a drone or a ground based camera. The drone is generally less stable, but you just need to assess the conditions and set your camera accordingly. 9 stops is quite a bit of what?
shutter, iso, aperture...the usual settings that will be greatly affected by the induced filter darkness. I agree that is same criteria - as handheld likely. There is the tripod feature in most? drones, which I assume increases the stabilization mode - or simply changes settings to be less likely to suffer from any turbulence/shaking - never used that feature.
I use nd filters on my drone, but either a ND 6 or 8 I believe. CPL are border line impossible to use since they cannot be adjusted in flight - I preset one flight based on ground readings, but ofcouse, in flight it did not worked as expected
GroovyGeek wrote:
Fred should really set up a drone forum, until then...
What ND densities have people found useful for drone STILL photography? Most ND kits on the market seem heavily skewed towards video (understandbly). I am thinking that ND8, ND64 and ND512 are probably better suited for for stills. My main question is whether ND512 is usable?
I don't think drones are stable enough for long exposures where you might want to use an ND for stills.
Jeffrey wrote:
Video aside, unless you are after an effect such as milky waterfalls or long exposure waves effect, using ND's on a drone for still photography is a detriment. Intentionally increasing your shutter speed on a camera that is hanging in the air from a vibrating drone that is subject to wind variations is the opposite of what you need.
Not quite. Older drones such as the Mini 3 pro will routinely saturate in broad daylight without the ability to reduce aperture or shutter speed further.
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Bacalhau wrote:
that would bring yet another question - what's the minimum speed your drone can shot at and still provide a sharp (not shaken shot)? relates to comment from Jeffrey. 9 stops is quite a bit, but still have a 'fast' speed in a very bright day
A drone will usually stabilize at speeds where most cannot hand-hold, e.g., 1/10 to 1/4s, unless there is strong wind
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ilkka_nissila wrote:
I don't think drones are stable enough for long exposures where you might want to use an ND for stills.
Drone will stabilize 1/10 to 1/4s, which is what you would want for most wave/water action. It will not stabilize sufficiently for cloud streaks, etc.
Which is why I thought that the typical drone kits are next to useless for most still photography. ND64 seems to be the minimum usable density, because if you are in a regime where ND8 will get you to sub-1s you can usually do so by lowering ISO and decreasing aperture.
GroovyGeek wrote:
Not quite. Older drones such as the Mini 3 pro will routinely saturate in broad daylight without the ability to reduce aperture or shutter speed further.
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A drone will usually stabilize at speeds where most cannot hand-hold, e.g., 1/10 to 1/4s, unless there is strong wind
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Drone will stabilize 1/10 to 1/4s, which is what you would want for most wave/water action. It will not stabilize sufficiently for cloud streaks, etc.
Which is why I thought that the typical drone kits are next to useless for most still photography. ND64 seems to be the minimum usable density, because if you are in a regime where ND8 will get you to sub-1s you can usually do so by lowering ISO and decreasing aperture. ...Show more →
I believe another issue you will face is the lack of high quality filters; typical budget can cast a tonality
