Leaving for Maui next week for a wedding and freaking out about ND filters for my Air 3. PolarPro seems too pricey but Freewell has those weird split ones and I dont get if I actually need them for the dual lenses or not. Which set should I grab for bright beach shots before I leave?
Honestly, i totally get the panic before a trip like Maui. I was in a similar spot a few months ago and ended up going with Freewell. PolarPro is nice and all, but my bank account wasnt feeling it. Im super satisfied with the Freewell ones. They work well and I havent had any gimbal issues which was my biggest fear... basically didnt want to stress about breaking a brand new drone. About those split filters - honestly, you probably dont need them unless youre doing super specific professional stuff where the two lenses need different stops. For a wedding or beach shots, just get the standard ones that cover both lenses with the same strength. I use the Freewell DJI Air 3 Bright Day 4-Pack ND Filters ND8 ND16 ND32 ND64 and theyve been solid. A few reasons why im happy with them:
> Freewell has those weird split ones and I dont get if I actually need them I skipped the split ones too because they're kinda a pain to manage tbh. I've been super happy with the K&F Concept DJI Air 3 ND Filter Set 6-Pack ND8 ND16 ND32 ND64 ND128 ND256. They're affordable, fit perfectly, and dont mess with your gimbal calibration. For those bright Maui beaches, you'll definitely need the ND64 or ND128 to keep your shutter speed right. No complaints here.
Coming back to this after thinking it over... you really need to be careful with the Air 3 because those two lenses have different fixed apertures. The wide one is f/1.7 while the telephoto is f/2.8, so if you use the same ND strength on both, your light transmission is gonna be way off when you swap. I learned that the hard way during a shoot in the Keys where half my telephoto footage was totally crushed. Like someone mentioned, the dual-lens setup is tricky. Honestly, I would suggest looking at K&F Concept. Just get any of their multi-packs. Their glass quality is usually decent enough to avoid the refractive index issues you see on the super cheap stuff. Just make sure you account for that stop difference between the sensors or your Maui footage might end up looking inconsistent. Basically, just grab a set from K&F and watch your histograms closely... dont want to ruin those wedding shots.
> Freewell has those weird split ones and I dont get if I actually need them for the dual lenses or not. Maui is gonna be insane but you definitely gotta be careful with the Air 3 since those two lenses are so different... it can really mess up your shots if you get the wrong set. Before you pull the trigger on anything, are you planning to do mostly cinematic video where you need that 180-degree shutter rule? And are you gonna be swapping between the wide and the 3x tele a lot during the same flight? Honestly knowing that makes a huge difference for which way you should go if you want reliable results.
> Freewell has those weird split ones and I dont get if I actually need them for the dual lenses or not. Man, you are gonna have an absolute blast in Maui! I shot a wedding near Lahaina last year and the light there is just... wow. Intense is an understatement!! I've been flying these things since the original Phantom and Maui is still my favorite spot. Those weird split filters from Freewell are actually a total lifesaver for the Air 3. I used to struggle matching the exposure between the 1x and 3x cameras because of that aperture difference mentioned earlier. If you use a standard ND, your telephoto shot ends up way darker. But if you get the Freewell DJI Air 3 Split ND8/ND32 or the Freewell DJI Air 3 Split ND16/ND64, it basically does the math for you so your footage looks consistent when you swap lenses or zoom. It's honestly incredible tech for cinematic stuff! If that feels too complex tho, check out the Skyreat ND Filter Set 6-Pack for DJI Air 3. They're super budget-friendly and the quality is fantastic for the price. Definitely go watch some side-by-side comparison videos on the Captain Drone YouTube channel before you pull the trigger... he shows exactly how the colors shift. Have an amazing trip!