The way i understood it, ND filters are only needed when you want to get a shallow depth of field and not blow out your shot since the aperture is too open OR when your camera cant get the F stop high enough. Polar filter has been way more useful to get rid of weird reflections and stuff off water or glass. You can rotate it to make it work more or less to your liking.
I like the filters. They have a place and slip-on style for this type of content IS the way to go. The most typical issue I see when using an action cam for talking head/blog style content is the lack of close focus. This is seems to happen as a lot of action cams are fixed focus. They are setup for wide angle shots where everything in the distance is in focus. This is where a phone would typically have an advantage as most phones have the ability to autofocus and can focus on objects i.e. "the talent" at a much closer distance to the camera. All that said THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF VIDEO IS.... THE AUDIO. People will tolerate less than perfect video if THE AUDIO is done correctly. As well you are spot on the audio input/interface capabilities of phones. While it has never been more economical than today to make quality content the reality is that it can still be challenging. I personally think that the focus issue with an action cam could be improved with a very weak close up filter. Essentially a very low power "magnifying" lens that could be placed over the front of the action cam lens just like the filters you are displaying today. This should shorten the focal distance of the action cam providing better clarity to the talent. Idk what the filter power would need to be off the top of my head but it would not take too much power. For those that don't need a portable camera I believe the newer webcams have a lot to offer. They have fast autofocus and adjust fairly well to varied lighting conditions. there are some drawback but I suppose that is topic for conversation another day. Just my two cents ... Thanks for sharing information Bark. You are a superstar!
As long as you keep rocksteady off you can use nd filters. The footage will be terrible if you have it on. Without stability, filters honestly aren’t worth it.
