I'm planning on buying one or more ND filters (not graduated) for use in extended exposures for applications such as waterfalls and cloud movement etc...
Do you have any recommendations? Which ND filters do you find yourself using quite often? I'm specifically interested in the f-stop level I should be looking at; I'm leaning towards a 3, a 6, and a 9 or 10 f-stop combination.
I have Hi-tech 0.9 and 1.2 (3 and 4 stop) ND filters for P holder. Combined they give me 7 stops. I have found that to be adequate. I occasionally use one or both in combination with a GND filter.
I have circular B+W 3, 6, and 10 stop ND filters. I've been quite happy with them. At times I kind of wish I'd just invested in a single Singh-Ray variable ND, but it's a bit of a beast and vignettes heavily when you're shooting wide angle. It does offer the advantage, however, of allowing you to more easily dial in focus and composition when the filter is attached because you can rotate it to 2.5 stops or so. It can be pretty tough or impossible to compose and focus when you've got a 6 or 10 stop ND filter on, though live view often helps. [Yeah, you can tell yourself you'll do all of that before attaching the filter, but at least sometimes you'll want to make adjustments afterward.]
At least with these filters (and I think in the experience of those using other brands as well), if you end up purchasing a 6-stop or greater ND filter, you will find that it actually blocks 1-2 more stops of light than its rating indicates. I do not know why this happens, but it does . . . some folks refer to it as "digital reciprocity failure." Just something to keep in mind when you take that first shot and find it vastly underexposed . . .
Posted by Joe Abounader on July 29, 2011 at 10:10 PM
Thanks for the information Phil. I was thinking of having the exact combination of filters you have, even the same brand.
Edited - Actually I'd be interested in knowing whether you can stack up your B+W filters?
I have a 4 stop HiTech ND for use in a Cokin P size holder and feel I can combine it with a CPL (which is roughly a 2 stop ND filter) to give myself options of 2, 4 and 6 stops. I'm not really interested in the effect's of a 10-stop filter, but 6 stops is plenty to blur waterfalls in sunlight.
Joe, sorry for the delay in responding to your question about stacking B+W ND filters. Yes, I can stack mine. I don't know if B+W makes thin mount NDs, which would not be stackable . . . just something to keep in mind as you make a purchasing decision.
In practice, I don't think I have ever actually stacked the ND filters together. I often place one on top of my polarizer. That makes for some pretty heavy vignetting at wide angles (anything less than 28mm or so on a full frame camera), but that's just something you have to live with. But using just one of the NDs has always been sufficient to give me the shutter speed that I want . . . you'll be surprised how much a 10-stop ND affects your shutter speed even on a bright sunny day.
It's a bit off topic but following Preston's lead, I'll point you to www.colethompsonphotography.com. I find his work with long exposures to be quite interesting. He has a blog that is linked to his website that explains his techniques (which, of course, rely heavily on NDs). In particular, check out his "Monoliths" and "Ghosts of Auschwitz" portfolios. Both are incredible and showcase the creative potential of NDs.
Posted by Joe Abounader on August 3, 2011 at 9:18 PM
No worries at all about the delay Phil; I really appreciate your feedback; I've now narrowed down the choices and I just need to make up my mind on whether to go for a variable ND or 2-3 fixed filters. I checked out Cole Thompson's website and it's just amazing, thank you for drawing my attention to it.
I use a B+W 10 stop ND filter and I also have the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter. I find that this combination gives me the ability of slowing the shutter to what I really want. Look thru the Singh-Ray blog, lots of info there. Darwin Wiggett also wrote a good article at: Click Here.
cheers,
André
Posted by Joe Abounader on August 6, 2011 at 10:49 AM
Many thanks André; that's one combination I'm taking into consideration. I wonder though how bad the vignetting becomes once the two filters are stacked together. Cheers for the link as well.
One thing to watch out for- When I've mixed brands of ND filters in stacks, I often get color shifts, especially to the olive/green side of things. Same when stacking an ND and polarizer. If you're stacking, I'd plan to match brands.
As for vignetting, you can beat it with slide-in filters on a Cokin mount. I'm working mostly with lenses having 77mm filters, and it's never been an issue.
Posted by Joe Abounader on August 6, 2011 at 6:07 PM
Thanks Hank; now I'm a bit hesitant because the combination I had almost set my mind to buy was a Singh-Ray variable and a B+W 10-stop filter. More food for thought.
Discussion
13 repliesI'm not sure whether this belongs in this forum.
I'm planning on buying one or more ND filters (not graduated) for use in extended exposures for applications such as waterfalls and cloud movement etc...
Do you have any recommendations? Which ND filters do you find yourself using quite often? I'm specifically interested in the f-stop level I should be looking at; I'm leaning towards a 3, a 6, and a 9 or 10 f-stop combination.
Thanks in advance.
At least with these filters (and I think in the experience of those using other brands as well), if you end up purchasing a 6-stop or greater ND filter, you will find that it actually blocks 1-2 more stops of light than its rating indicates. I do not know why this happens, but it does . . . some folks refer to it as "digital reciprocity failure." Just something to keep in mind when you take that first shot and find it vastly underexposed . . .
Edited - Actually I'd be interested in knowing whether you can stack up your B+W filters?
Perhaps that thread will answer some of your questions, and/or give you some ideas.
--P
In practice, I don't think I have ever actually stacked the ND filters together. I often place one on top of my polarizer. That makes for some pretty heavy vignetting at wide angles (anything less than 28mm or so on a full frame camera), but that's just something you have to live with. But using just one of the NDs has always been sufficient to give me the shutter speed that I want . . . you'll be surprised how much a 10-stop ND affects your shutter speed even on a bright sunny day.
It's a bit off topic but following Preston's lead, I'll point you to www.colethompsonphotography.com. I find his work with long exposures to be quite interesting. He has a blog that is linked to his website that explains his techniques (which, of course, rely heavily on NDs). In particular, check out his "Monoliths" and "Ghosts of Auschwitz" portfolios. Both are incredible and showcase the creative potential of NDs.
I use a B+W 10 stop ND filter and I also have the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter. I find that this combination gives me the ability of slowing the shutter to what I really want. Look thru the Singh-Ray blog, lots of info there. Darwin Wiggett also wrote a good article at:
Click Here.
cheers,
André
As for vignetting, you can beat it with slide-in filters on a Cokin mount. I'm working mostly with lenses having 77mm filters, and it's never been an issue.