Long Exposure Photography on Phantom 3 Beach

Landscape photographers often utilize long exposure to mistiness move. For this serial of photos I used a ND64 filter to achieve a long exposure with my Phantom during (tardily) daylight. The photos are fabricated at 2 different waterfalls in Iceland. The new Phantom iv Pro and Inspire 2 give you lot even more possibilities.

i. Long exposure

Aperture ： 2.8 Shutter Speed ： 1.six ISO ： 100 Type ： Phantom 3 Professional/ND64

With a long exposure (or slow shutter) photograph you will mistiness any moving objects similar waterfalls, waves or urban center traffic. At the same time, stationary elements like rocks or roads will remain sharp if your camera is stable enough. With moving h2o this gives a kind of mystic or serene effect.

For long exposure photography you lot demand 'less light'. For photography on the ground, this can exist achieved by the lowest possible ISO, a smaller diaphragm (higher F value), photographing effectually sunset/sunrise or attaching a neutral density (ND) grayness filter. Yous will always use a tripod to avoid whatsoever motion of the camera.

A Phantom or Inspire is sometimes referred to as a flying tripod. It is really astonishing how all technique works together to hover the quadcopter in place every bit proficient as possible, while the gimbal does the balance in achieving a perfectly even so paradigm. On Skypixel we have seen nifty long exposure photos, but they are often fabricated afterwards sunset or during the dark dark. With a Phantom 3, Phantom 4 standard or Inspire one, ISO can go no lower than 100 and the diaphragm is fixed to F2.8 so yous cannot apply them to attain a longer exposure. Then we need to wait till it is dark plenty and/or use a filter.

2. ND filter

Aperture ： 2.8 Shutter Speed ： 1.6 ISO ： 100 Blazon ： Phantom three Professional/ND64

A neutral density (ND) grayness filter will reduce the amount of light coming to the sensor of your photographic camera. ND filters are sometimes used by drone pilots while filming to smooth out the video in vivid light conditions. However they are too useful in nevertheless photography to reach longer exposure times. I utilise the PolarPro ND64 (available for Phantom 3, Phantom 4 standard and Inspire ane). The ND64 reduces shutter speed past 6 stops. This will not be enough in bright low-cal in the heart of the day. About half an hour before sunset nonetheless, I could reach shutter times of almost 1 or 2 seconds while some areas were all the same lit up by the dominicus.

iii. Hold still

Aperture ： two.eight Shutter Speed ： i.6 ISO ： 100 Type ： Phantom 3 Professional/ND64

While making long exposure photos, it is very important that your flying photographic camera doesn't move at all (unless yous want to capture the movement to go an overall blurred image). After you move your drone to another position or turn it around and release the control sticks, it automatically brakes to finish the movement. And then the drone and gimbal stabilize at its electric current position. This process may take i or a few seconds (at least with the Phantom 3). If you scout closely at the corners of the image on your tablet or smartphone you will find some slight movement that volition blur your overall prototype. And then after repositioning I e'er wait a few seconds until the prototype is totally still, before I take the photo. At the other side, don't forget to wait until the exposure has finished before you start moving once more.

4. Low ISO

Discontinuity ： two.8 Shutter Speed ： 1.three ISO ： 100 Type ： Phantom iii Professional/ND64

In nigh cases I recommend to photograph at 100 ISO (or lower if possible), to get a longer exposure too every bit less noise in your image. You probably have to set the exposure to transmission, considering otherwise the camera will increment the ISO. This also ways you have to bank check and adjust the exposure fourth dimension before every photo. You may apply a slight overexposure to accomplish a slightly longer exposure fourth dimension, but brand sure to retain detail in the lightest areas. Photographing in RAW will give you more than possibilities for a lighter exposure because more details are conserved.

5. Double shots

Discontinuity ： 2.8 Shutter Speed ： iv.5 ISO ： 100 Type ： Phantom three Professional/ND64

Even though the quadcopter and gimbal volition do a great task together and many photos volition be sharp, it's a practiced idea to make a long exposure photo twice (without moving your camera in the meantime). If 1 of the photos is blurred at places where it should be sharp, you still have some other one. For your most important photos, yous may even want to make several more – just to be sure. The same applies when flying in windy weather condition or with exposure times longer than near 2 seconds.

Making every photograph twice has some other advantage. If you notice out later on that a longer exposure would have been better, y'all can achieve it afterwards. By blending two divide photos (taken at exactly the same spot) together in Photoshop, you effectively achieve a twice as long exposure fourth dimension. This results in an even more blurred image. The image above is blended from two photos (ii seconds and 2.5 seconds), and then the outcome is similar to a iv.5 second single exposure.

six. Phantom 4 Pro / Inspire 2

Aperture ： 7.1 Shutter Speed ： 0.6s ISO ： 200 Type ： Phantom 4 Pro/ND16

The new Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 (with X4S camera) have an adaptable diaphragm from F2.eight to F11. This gives much more than flexibility. On F11 (four stops light reduction) you lot may exist able to achieve long exposure times without a filter effectually sunset/sunrise (although sharpness may subtract a flake at F11).

The ND64 filters will not fit on the Phantom 4 Pro and X4S. However, for the Phantom 4 Pro DJI sells a ND16 filter (4 stops) and PolarPro produces a 'Cinema series' filter set including a ND32 (5 stops) for Phantom 4 Pro and X4S. The ND32 combined with F11 gives a full light reduction of ix stops (compared to F2.8). With 9 stops reduction you tin can achieve long exposure times before on the solar day, or even longer exposures (upward to the maximum of viii seconds) before sunset.
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