Abbott Schindl Offline Upload & Sell: Off
|
In general, I use my NDs as follows:
2- and 3-stop are good for gentle blurs on subjects like moderately flowing waterfalls and gentle surf at the beach.
I generally recommend a 3-stop as a good first ND filter if you're only buying one.
6 stops works well for faster waterfalls and clouds.
10-stop filters do a nice job of turning the slow ripples on lakes into mirrors on most days; combine with other NDs if the day's brighter. I don't get a lot of use from my 10-stop ND; the 3- and 6-stop ones are my most used. I also get a lot of use from my Tiffen VND.
As for color cast: I found major cast differences among B+W NDs; my current set of Hoya PRO ND's (2-, 3-, 6-, and 10-stop) exhibit virtually no color shift to my eye (B+W was very obvious so ditched my 2-, 3-, and 6-stop B+Ws pretty quickly). I've compared my Tiffen with a Singh-ray VND and neither exhibits noticeable color shift until the denser ranges are reached.
If you're not sure which ND you really need, then I'd suggest either getting a VND and seeing what you end up using, or buy a 3-stop ND and see how it works for you. While BT are supposed to be the best, the Hoya Pros I have are outstanding and produce fine images with my 5DSR and various L lenses. If you're unhappy with your first ND, then you can move to BT for future ones and at least have a good idea of which one(s) you really need for the work you're trying to do.
|