okay so i've been going back and forth on this for a while. picked up a set of ND filters for my mini 3 pro a few months ago, the ones that came in a little case with like ND4 ND8 ND16 and ND64, and i feel like i barely understand when to use which one. i've watched videos and read stuff but in the field i just kind of guess and half the time i end up with footage that looks the same as without them, or worse i mess up the exposure trying to compensate.

also the case they came in is already kind of falling apart which is annoying. the little foam inserts are coming loose. wondering if there's a better way to store them ? i've seen people just throw them in a pelican case with foam cut outs but that seems like a lot of effort for 4 filters.

am i just overcomplicating this whole thing or is there a simpler way to think about it when you're out in the field trying to make quick decisions

the 180 degree shutter rule is really the thing that makes it click ? basically you want your shutter speed to be double your framerate so if you're shooting 30fps you want 1/60 shutter. in bright sun that means you need an ND to bring the exposure down to hit that shutter speed without blowing out the image. once i started thinking about it that way instead of just slapping on whatever filter, it made a lot more sense.

for storage i just use a small zippered pouch, nothing fancy. the filter cases that come with cheap sets are pretty universally garbage so dont feel bad about ditching it. some people use those little stackable plastic cases you can get at craft stores, each filter gets its own slot, works fine.

tbh for the mini 3 in typical daylight i just default to the ND16 for almost everything and adjust from there. its not the most technical approach but it gets me in the right ballpark fast and i spend less time fiddling. the ND64 i mainly pull out for really harsh midday sun or if im near water with a lot of reflection. maybe not the answer youre looking for but sometimes simpler is better when youre trying to actually fly and not just stand there doing math