I just finally pulled the trigger on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and oh my god the footage is already insane even without tweaks but I know I need filters to get that motion blur right. Im heading to Hawaii in like two weeks for a 10 day trip and its gonna be super bright on the beaches so I really need to figure this out fast. I've been looking around online and everyone keeps mentioning the Freewell sets because they have that all day thing but then I saw some people complaining that the magnets on them are kind of weak and might fall off if you move the gimbal too fast which scares me a bit lol. Then there are the PGYTECH ones which seem okay but they have so many different versions like the professional vs the standard and I honestly cant tell if there is a real difference in the glass quality or if its just marketing talk. I also saw some people saying the official DJI ones are best for color accuracy but they only come in a small pack of 3? My budget is probably around 60 bucks so I dont want to buy a massive 20 pack if I only need a few core ones. Do I really need the PL filters for the ocean or should I just stick to the straight NDs? Which brand is actually staying on the lens the best for you guys?
tbh the magnet issue with Freewell is kinda exaggerated. i use the Freewell DJI Osmo Pocket 3 ND Filters Bright Day 4-Pack and they stay on just fine unless you really whack the thing or the gimbal resets too hard. Since youre going to Hawaii, you definitely want those ND/PL hybrids. Straight NDs help with motion blur, sure, but the PL part is what makes the water look deep and blue instead of just a big white glare. PGYTECH is decent but the professional vs standard thing is mostly just marketing for better oil-resistant coatings. Not really worth the headache of choosing if you just want good glass. The DJI official ones are okay for color, but you really need more than three options for a place as bright as Hawaii. TL;DR: Grab the Freewell Bright Day 4-pack. It fits your budget and the PL filters are absolutely mandatory for those beach shots.
This thread is gold. Bookmarking for future reference 🔖