I shoot with a D70, 80/400vr, 12/24mm wide angle. I have a circular polarizing filter and the standard uv filter. I am somewhat in the dark about ND filters and the grades of them. PLease tell me why I should buy one and the difference in the grades.
I shoot 99% landscape and wildlife.
Thanks
Don
Posted by David Bostedo on March 20, 2008 at 9:14 AM
Donald - This Wikipedia page has a pretty good overview. I'm not sure what you mean by "grades". Do you mean the quality difference? In that case, the usual recommendation is to get the best you can afford - higher end filters have better glass and are coated to avoid flare and ghosting. They are also less likely to cause color casts.
Posted by John Mumaw on March 20, 2008 at 10:00 AM
The 'external link' at the bottom of the Wiki page (Neutral Density Filters: What are they & when to use them ?) is especially descriptive, and refers to 'grades'.
Posted by Rod Barbee on March 20, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Looks like that Wikipedia link pretty much sums up why you'd want ND filters.
You may know that Singh-Ray sells a variable ND filter. I use mine to dial in whichever shutter speed I need for creative purposes.
For instance, in brighter lighting conditions it's impossible to longer shutter speeds like 1/4 second or longer. With the vari-ND (or with combinations of fixed nd filters or a polarizer and nd filter) I can easily choose the shutter speed needed for the effect I want, like smoothing out water in a stream or stretching clouds across the sky.
Ok, now that I have read what they are used for and what the different grades will do for me, what filter optical density do most of you use? Is a 0.3 too little if I just buy one for now? I am not crazy about f-stop reduction but I guess since one of the main reasons to buy an ND in the first place is to shoot when it is super sunny.
So what optical density and I may as well throw in which brand do you like as well?
The only ND filter I own is a 0.9 (3 stop light reduction) grade. Just right for my applications (achieving shallow DOF in bright conditions, slowing down water, etc.). You can always bump up your ISO speed if the filter is too dark for your application.
Not sure what you mean when you say you're "..not crazy about f-stop reduction".
Posted by Rod Barbee on March 21, 2008 at 10:08 AM
I have a two stop nd (0.6) as well as the Singh-Ray Vari-ND. I've often combined a polarizer with the two-stop nd and have found that was often enough. But as John pointed out, you could go with a three-stop and then adjust ISO if needed.
I don't remember which brand of ND I have, probably a Hoya or Tiffen.
Posted by David Bostedo on March 21, 2008 at 10:09 AM
I only have an ND4. I typically end up using it with a polarizer, which already takes about two stops away, so I can get 2 stops with just the ND or just the polarizer, or 4 stops with both.
And I think a lot of people - landscape photogs in particular - use NDs when it's not very sunny. This is to get long shutter speeds like 1 second or more for flowing water, moving clouds, etc. Some people also use it in city type scenes or road scenes to make moving objects disappear. If you set a really low ISO, and get a really long shutter speed, people or objects that move through the scene won't show up. Here's an example of a busy ice rink with 2-stop ND. It gave me a 5 second exposure. Without the ND, it would have been a ~1.25 second exposure and people passing close to the camera would have shown up much more.
Posted by Kent Staubus on March 21, 2008 at 3:19 PM
I very, very rarely ever have a need for an ND filter. An ND grad, yes. The very few times I need to cut the light, I just put on my polarizer. If I need to cut it more, I add my 3-stop ND grad and shoot through the top (darkened) half.
--->If you haven't had a need for one, be cautious about spending the money. Most of us have expensive filters lying around we used once or twice and now they sit in a drawer somewhere.
Kent in SD
Posted by Scott Reeves on March 29, 2008 at 1:16 AM
The Sigh-Ray Vari-ND is great, but expensive and can vignette at wide angles. It's analog. Just dial it in as needed. Good for running water, automotive traffic, or whatever, where you want a long exposure (up to a much longer exposure) than ambient light permits. Singh-Rays grads are great, too. I mostly use the soft 2 and 3-stops. In my area it's rare for me to find a clean straight deliniation between bright and dark where a hard grad line works well.
Discussion
9 repliesI shoot 99% landscape and wildlife.
Thanks
Don
You may know that Singh-Ray sells a variable ND filter. I use mine to dial in whichever shutter speed I need for creative purposes.
For instance, in brighter lighting conditions it's impossible to longer shutter speeds like 1/4 second or longer. With the vari-ND (or with combinations of fixed nd filters or a polarizer and nd filter) I can easily choose the shutter speed needed for the effect I want, like smoothing out water in a stream or stretching clouds across the sky.
So what optical density and I may as well throw in which brand do you like as well?
Thanks
Don
Not sure what you mean when you say you're "..not crazy about f-stop reduction".
I don't remember which brand of ND I have, probably a Hoya or Tiffen.
And I think a lot of people - landscape photogs in particular - use NDs when it's not very sunny. This is to get long shutter speeds like 1 second or more for flowing water, moving clouds, etc. Some people also use it in city type scenes or road scenes to make moving objects disappear. If you set a really low ISO, and get a really long shutter speed, people or objects that move through the scene won't show up. Here's an example of a busy ice rink with 2-stop ND. It gave me a 5 second exposure. Without the ND, it would have been a ~1.25 second exposure and people passing close to the camera would have shown up much more.
--->If you haven't had a need for one, be cautious about spending the money. Most of us have expensive filters lying around we used once or twice and now they sit in a drawer somewhere.
Kent in SD