been flying for about 8 months now and every time i watch a video about getting better footage someone mentions nd filters and the 180 degree shutter rule and i kind of understand it conceptually but when i actually go out and fly i just forget about it and shoot in auto and the footage looks... fine? like not amazing but fine.

i feel like i should probably just get a set but i dont know if im at the level where itll actually matter or if ill just lose them. also do you change them mid flight or do you have to land every time you want to swap, that seems annoying if the light changes

yeah you have to land to swap them, theres no way around that. and honestly the light changing thing is real, i usually check the weather app and try to pick a filter before i take off and just commit to it. on overcast days i barely bother with them at all.

as for whether theyre worth it ? i think once you start caring about the footage looking cinematic rather than just documented, youll notice the difference pretty fast. the motion blur on moving subjects just looks more natural when your shutter isnt too high. that said if youre happy with how it looks now, no rush.

dont overthink it, get a cheap set first and see if you even use them. i bought some polaroid brand ones for like 25 bucks just to try before i committed to the nicer ones. they're not perfect but they let me figure out which NDs i actually reach for most which turned out to be the ND16 like 80% of the time anyway