Honestly so fed up with the blown-out footage on my Pocket 3. Took it out for some rolling shots of my '19 Civic Si on the highway (mostly hot, bright desert driving, around 65k miles) and everything looks totally washed out because I couldn't control the shutter speed properly.
I was looking at the Freewell magnetic sets and the DJI OEM ones online, but reviews are all over the place about color shifts and whether the strong NDs actually vignette. I've only got about a $50-$70 budget for this.
Oh wait - do magnetic ones scratch the lens if you swap them too fast in the dust?
Which filters are actually worth my money right now?
This comes up a lot. Search the forum, there's a thread about this but the short answer is to look at Freewell Standard Day 4-Pack DJI Osmo Pocket 3 or DJI Osmo Pocket 3 ND Filter Set OEM.
- Freewell Standard Day 4-Pack DJI Osmo Pocket 3: Costs around $50. Includes ND8, ND16, ND32, and ND64. Magnetic mount is fast. Neutral color science. Fits your exact budget.
- DJI Osmo Pocket 3 ND Filter Set OEM: Costs around $59. Only includes ND16, ND64, and 1/4 black mist. Better build tolerance on the frame clip, but fewer options for variable desert light. To answer your concern about dust: wipe the Pocket 3 lens element before swapping magnetic filters to avoid scratching the coating. Stick with the Freewell set.
Get the Freewell Standard Day 4-Pack for around $50, which fits your budget and covers typical bright conditions without buying extra filters you won't use. For extreme desert highway driving, you need ND16 to ND64 range to keep your shutter speed at double your frame rate, usually 1/50s for 24fps. Magnetic filters do not scratch the glass if you wipe off blowing dust before snapping them on, but keep a blower in your car. DJI OEM filters cost more and lack the extra options at this price point. Freewell glass has negligible color cast compared to no-name brands on Amazon. Stick to the 4-pack and you will stay right in your budget.
Rarely post here, but highway driving in the desert with a Honda Civic Si at 65k miles is an exact match for what I was shooting last month. Dust and grit destroyed my first set of filters because I was swapping them too fast on the side of the road. Before I share what actually worked to fix my washed-out footage within your budget, what exact shutter speeds were you locked into during the highway runs? Also, are you mostly shooting in manual mode or relying on auto exposure when the sun hits the windshield?
This comes up a lot. I had the exact same issue last summer shooting bright highway footage in Arizona. Bought a cheap magnetic set off Amazon, swapped them constantly in the dust, and managed to scratch the factory coating on my lens within a month. Now I just use a fixed ND8 and ND32 and stick them on before I head out so I don't swap in dirty environments.
Re: "Rarely post here, but highway driving in the..."
- I've been through three of these cameras now. Before you drop cash, are you shooting in 24fps or 60fps for those car shots?
Rarely post but wait are you running stock suspension on that civic si? mine was so bouncy at 65k miles until i swapped the coils... anyway lol
Oh man this is exactly my thing, I've tested every filter on the market for the Pocket 3. Get the Freewell All Day 6 Pack FW-OP3-AD for around $60. The magnetic mounting is solid and hasn't scratched my glass despite constant desert swaps. Skip the DJI OEM set because the magnetic pull is weaker and they lack the 3-pack gradient options. Freewell includes a hard case too.
TIL! Thanks for sharing