ND Filters for your DJI Mavic 4 Pro Drone: A Battle with Light/ Videography
- Xavier Arthur
- Nov 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 16
Morning of Promise and Challenge - Drone Videography ND Filters
The Hudson River shimmered under a defiant autumn sun as drone videographer Xavier Arthur stood in a parking lot, scanning the sky. He wasn’t new to this. But today, the sunlight wasn’t just bright, it was aggressive. It dared him to fly, to capture cinematic beauty in conditions that seemed engineered to sabotage it.
“That’s not ordinary,” Xavier muttered, squinting upward.
ND Filters for Drone Photography: The Gear That Should Have Worked
In his hands: Freewell's darkest split ND filters for the DJI Mavic 4 Pro. These drone videography ND filters are professional-grade tools
These weren’t hobbyist tools; they were professional-grade, designed to balance exposure across the drone’s unique three-camera system. The top camera differs from the bottom two, so the filters compensate with different densities. It’s a clever solution. Usually, it works.
But not today.
The Flight Test: Brutal Truths
Xavier launched.
The drone soared. The landscape below was stunning, with rolling hills, a bridge, and toy-like cars. But the footage was Overexposed. Blown out, Lost!
Exposure readings: +7. Then +2.3. Then +1. “I want to film these boats so bad” Xavier said. “But look at my exposure, that’s insane.”
He faced a choice: compromise his settings and lose cinematic quality, or land and rethink everything.
The Pivot: Lighter, Stronger Filters
Back on the ground, Xavier reached for Freewell’s newest innovation: ND64/128 and ND128/256 filters.
Not only darker, but lighter, critical for flight time and gimbal performance.
“We’re not even in summer,” he said. “If the old filters are struggling now, they’ll collapse in July.”
The weight difference was immediate. But the real test was in the air.
Redemption in the Sky
Second launch, same sun, same scene, but this time the exposure meter read -0.7, Excellent!
“Look how rich this image looks,” Xavier said, “Natural and Cinematic.”
Settings locked:
Resolution: 6K
Frame rate: 30fps
Shutter: 1/60
Aperture: f2.8
ISO: 400
Profile: DLOG
No compromises, just buttery motion and rich color.
The Lesson: Tools Shape Possibility
This wasn’t just about filters.
It was about craft, Xavier’s refusal to settle reflected a deeper truth:
Excellence isn’t about knowing when to compromise. It’s about creating conditions where compromise isn’t necessary.
The new filters didn’t just fix exposure. They preserved vision. They turned a punishing sun into a cinematic ally.
The Final Frame
As the drone glided over the Hudson, capturing cars, bridges, and blazing foliage, Xavier had his answer. The footage was “marvelous.” The sun hadn’t dimmed, but Xavier had risen.
Sometimes, the win isn’t in fighting the light. It’s in upgrading your tools, and refusing to settle.
🎨 What I Love
Log Color Profile for cinematic grading
Shoots RAW and STD photos for flexible editing
PLOG mode + LUTs = creator-ready workflow
Comments