ND Filters for Autel EVO Nano by FORFOCUS

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ForFocus Autel EVO Nano ND filters

If you’re anything like most new Autel Nano owners, you’re likely already searching for compatible accessories such as chargers, cases, spare batteries, or ND filters. In this review, we will have a closer look at the ForFocus Autel Nano filter kit.

Neutral-Density (ND) filters are optical glasses that are placed in front of the camera lens to obtain particular effects. The advantage of an ND filter is that it reduces the amount of light getting through the sensor of your camera. Fixed ND filters come in a range of densities in order to meet the needs of the photographer and the conditions they might be shooting in. In addition to using ND filters for daytime water photography, they can also be used to take better urban night shots.

To cover all light conditions, ForFocus’ neutral density filter kit comes with six filters of different ND values. Below there is an ‘ND filter chart’ that gives you recommendations of usage.

Main features

  • All Day Kit: FORFOCUS offers everything you need from sunrise to sunset. The ND kit consists of ND4, ND8, ND16, ND32, ND64, ND1000 filters;
  • Optics: High-quality optical glass;
  • Lightweight: Made of aviation-grade aluminum alloy;
  • Compatibility: Autel Evo Nano and Evo Nano Plus

FORFOCUS ND filters kit review

Disclosure: I received this ForFocus filter kit as part of a product review collaboration with RCGoing. Although the filters were offered for free, all the opinions in this review remain my own!

The filters come in a solid plastic case sitting in a soft foam angled upwards to ensure the lenses do not touch anything and they won’t move around while in transport. The case is small enough to fit in a drone backpack or even in your pocket. Each filter is labeled so you know which one you want to remove. The manufacturer also includes a cleaning wipe for maintenance in the box.

Unboxing

When I tried to remove one filter, I bent it. Being made from some thin aluminum alloy, it deforms easily. The filters have a circular shape, and the mounting part is attached to the filter frame using two tiny screws.

Design

As you can read in my Autel EVO Nano+ review, its gimbal has vent holes on top and the bottom, the filter’s ‘claws’ can be inserted into these holes. Initially, I attached the ForFocus filter to the bottom holes. It passed the gimbal initialization, but, when the drone was in the air, the gimbal shut it down itself. On the second attempt, I mounted the ND filter on the top. This time worked well, with no issue due to the extra weight.

Installation

Price and availability

As I previously mentioned, ForFocus is RcGoing’s home brand, and you can find these filters only on their website. The 6-filter kit is available for $69.99 or each individual filter for $18.99. For $13.54, they also have a cleaning kit to remove dirt from optical surfaces.

ND filter chart

Filter factor number Light Reduction Light Transmission Suitable for
ND1000 10 f-stops 0.10% Harsh light
ND64 6 f-stops 1.56% Extremely sunny days
ND32 5 f-stops 3.12% Very bright days
ND16 4 f-stops 6.25% Partly cloudy days or early to mid-morning
ND8 3 f-stops 12.5% Mostly cloudy days or approaching sunset
ND4 2 f-stops 25% Minor reduction in brightness

The first screenshot below was taken without an ND filter, ISO of 100, an aperture of f/1.9 (fixed on Nano+), and a shutter speed of 1/4000 seconds. The second picture was taken using the ND16 filter, the third one with ND64, and the fourth one with ND1000 filter. With ISO and aperture remaining the same, the shutter speed modifies to 1/200 seconds in the case of ND16, 1/60 seconds for ND64, and 1/3 for ND1000.

If you opt for a too-high ND value, there will be too much blur, or you will need to compensate with a higher ISO value (grainy results).

 Without ND Filter
Without ND filter: F1.9, ISO100, 1/4000s
With ND16
With ND16 filter: F1.9, ISO100, 1/200s
With ND64
With ND64 filter: F1.9, ISO100, 1/60s
With ND1000 filter
With ND1000 filter: F1.9, ISO100, 1/3s

 

ForFocus vs. FreeWell ND filters

FreeWell and ForFocus are the first brands offering ND filters for the Autel Nano series. While FreeWell is a well-known brand since 2012, ForFocus is a newcomer in the filters market. Both manufacturers include six filters in their kit, even with the same ND values. While the FreeWell filters have a rectangular shape and are made from plastic, the ForFocus filters have a circular shape and are made from metal.ForFocus vs FreeWell

Being a more trusty brand, the FreeWell Autel kit is $30 ($99.99 vs $69.99) more expensive than the ForForcus one.

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Price/value ratio
Design and build quality
ND Variety
Senior editor and co-founder of FirstQuadcopter.com. Everything started about 4 years ago when I purchased my first drone. I still own that Syma X5C . Since then I have had the luck to review and test more than 100 drones.
nd-filters-for-autel-evo-nano-by-forfocusIf you’ve got an Autel Nano drone and you want to get the best of it, a set of ND filters is essential. The six different ND values will cover every photographer’s needs. In order to be as light as possible, they are made from some thin metal that can deform easily while being handled. <br> +Pros<br> +Affordable;<br> +Passes gimbal initialization;<br> +Wide range of ND factors (ND4 – ND1000).<br> <br> -Cons<br> -Sharp metal edges that can scratch the gimbal/camera;<br> -Soft metal deforms easily.<br>

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