been flying my mini 3 (not pro, just the regular one) for a few months mostly just landscape stuff on weekends. footage looks ok but ive been reading that ND filters make a big difference for smoother looking video. the DJI branded ones are like 50-60 bucks for a set which feels steep but i also dont want to buy garbage that falls off mid flight or whatever

are the official ones actually better or is there a cheaper set that works just as well. i keep seeing FREEWELL mentioned but have no idea if theyre the same quality or not

Freewell are genuinely fine, i've been using them on my mini 2 for over a year and had zero issues. fit is solid, they dont affect colors in a weird way, and the price is much more reasonable than DJI's own filters. only thing id say is make sure you get the right model - there are different versions for mini 3 vs mini 3 pro because of the sensor size difference so double check before ordering

tbh for weekend landscape flying you might not even need a huge set to start, like an ND16 and ND64 will cover most situations unless youre shooting in really harsh midday light. i started with the DJI ones just because they were easy to grab at the same time as the drone but looking back probably could have saved the money. they work fine tho, no complaints just maybe not necessary to go official brand