Why Use Filters with Your Drone
Enhance Your Shots
How to Improve Image Quality With Filters On Your Drone
If you’ve ever looked at your drone photos and noticed overexposed skies, dull colours, or distracting glare, filters can change everything.
Just like professional photographers use filters on traditional cameras, drone filters give you more control over light, colour, and exposure — resulting in more cinematic footage and sharper, richer photos.
Whether you’re shooting for fun, for a client, or for your portfolio, understanding filters is one of the easiest ways to take your aerial photography to the next level.
What Are Drone Filters and Why Are They Important?
Drone filters are lightweight glass or resin accessories that attach to the drone’s camera lens. They control the amount and quality of light that enters the sensor, helping you:
- Avoid overexposure in bright conditions
- Enhance colours and contrast
- Reduce glare and reflections
- Capture smoother, more cinematic motion
Tip: Drone cameras usually only accept circular screw-on filters, and the size depends on your drone model — so always check compatibility before buying.
The 4 Main Types of Drone Filters
1. Neutral Density (ND) Filters
ND filters reduce the amount of light hitting your sensor, allowing you to use slower shutter speeds or wider apertures without overexposing your image.
Benefits of ND Filters:
- Create motion blur effects for water, clouds, or moving subjects
- Maintain correct shutter speed for cinematic video (especially in bright daylight)
- Preserve colour accuracy in harsh sunlight
ND Filter Densities & Light Reduction:
Stops | Filter Type | Light Transmission |
2 | ND4 | 25% |
3 | ND8 | 12.5% |
4 | ND16 | 6.25% |
5 | ND32 | 3.125% |
6 | ND64 | 1.563% |
Pro Tip: Start with ND4, ND8, and ND16 — they cover most lighting conditions.
When using ND filters, switch to Manual (M) mode so you can adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to match your creative intent.
2. Polarising (PL) Filters
Polarising filters are ideal for outdoor and landscape drone photography.
Benefits of Polarising Filters:
- Reduce glare from water, glass, or shiny surfaces
- Deepen blue skies and boost contrast
- Cut through haze for clearer, sharper images
How to Use Them Effectively: Rotate the filter while previewing your shot to find the best polarisation. The effect changes based on the sun’s position, so adjust during flight if needed.
3. Natural Night Filters
Natural night filters block certain wavelengths from artificial lighting, reducing light pollution in your images.
Best Uses:
- Astrophotography with drones (where legal)
- Capturing cityscapes under a starry sky
- Night shots with minimal colour cast from streetlights
Important: Always check your local drone laws before flying at night — in some regions, you’ll need special certification.
4. Hybrid Filters (ND/PL)
Hybrid filters combine ND and polarising properties, giving you the benefits of light reduction and glare control in a single filter.
Advantages:
- No need to stack separate filters (which can cause vignetting or gimbal imbalance)
- Perfect for sunny days with reflective surfaces — like beaches, lakes, or snowy landscapes
How to Use: Screw on the filter, adjust for the polarising effect, and lock in your camera settings for the best results.
Why You Should Avoid Stacking Filters
While stacking multiple filters may seem like a good idea, it’s usually a bad move for drones:
- Gimbal Balance Issues – Extra weight can strain the gimbal and cause vibration or damage.
- Vignetting – Dark corners in your image due to wide-angle lenses.
If you need both ND and polarising effects, use a hybrid filter instead.
Tips for Choosing and Using Drone Filters
- Match the filter size to your drone model — not all filters are universal.
- Carry a set of ND filters for different lighting conditions.
- Keep filters clean and scratch-free for sharp results.
- Practise flying with filters attached — the extra weight is minimal but can slightly change flight dynamics.
Drone filters are an affordable, powerful way to improve your aerial photography and videography. Whether you want smooth motion blur, richer colours, reduced glare, or clearer night shots, the right filter can help you achieve it.
Choose your filters based on the conditions, plan your shots, and experiment. Once you start flying with filters, you’ll wonder how you ever shot without them.
