I took some test shots today with a B+W 110 (3.0) NDx1000 77mm Neutral Density Filter. Here are some observations I have made about the filter.

If you want to do a 60 to 90 second exposure in broad daylight it's no problem at all. The problem is as follows..........when you look through the viewfinder........you literally cannot see a thing. It is dead black. Thus.....you cannot compose a photo with the filter on the camera. You must compose without the filter and then screw it back on. A HUGE pain in the neck handling an expensive filter like that for every shot.


The perfect situation would be to either get the insanely expensive Sighn-Ray vari-nd...............or............I am looking for a 10 stop ND that will fit in my Lee filter holder. That way I could just compose and then slide the filter down just like the GND's I use now.


That would be the best way to approach these ultra long exposures. If you don't mind unscrewing the filter all the time the B+W is superb. I find it to be a pain. This type of photography opens up an insane amount of possibilities though and I am hoping to find a 10-stop slide-in filter somewhere on the net. I don't want to stack three 3-stop filters because all those filters would be way too thick causing vignetting and just the thickness alone would degrade the image far too much.

If anyone knows of a 10 stop ND filter that works like a slide-in Lee or Cokin...please let me know.

In the meantime.....here are some test shots. Nothing artistic or well composed. Merely testing the filter.

The first photo is a 50 second exposure.
The second photo is a 60 second exposure.
The third photo is an 80 second exposure.
All taken between 3 and 4 pm.

Edited by Tom K. on Jan 10, 2008 at 10:24 PM GMT

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I'm in the same boat Tom. I have a 9 stop and love the results, but composing is a pain in the butt.

Tom,
Very nice results. It bites not being able to find a decent ND filter for 82mm size. $400 will get the Singh ray. DOOOHHHH !

Klaus Priebe wrote:
Tom,
Very nice results. It bites not being able to find a decent ND filter for 82mm size. $400 will get the Singh ray. DOOOHHHH !

This is another reason that a 4 x 6 or 4 x 4 that fits in a Lee or Cokin holder would be terrific. I am amazed something like this does not exist.

Hey Tom,

Very interesting. Let me know if you find one that fits a Lee or Cokin holder, I would love to get one also.

I had just ended leaning towards the vari-nd, but as you said it is expensive, so I haven't gotten one yet.

Jim

Here is a 70 second test shot.

Wow! Love what that does to the water, especially in the 2nd and 3rd, and the 3rd is just a very cool image!!

I'd be interested in a Lee version myself.

Barry

nice results. you Could do it with gels and a flip frame holder. simple , easy light and cheap too


J

jmcfadden wrote:
nice results. you Could do it with gels and a flip frame holder. simple , easy light and cheap too


J

Please link me to the products you mentioned here. I am very interested.

Here is an 121 seceond test shot.

I ran across these filters. I have no experience with them and frankly know nothing about them. Does anyone have any info they can share as to whether these will work for this type of photography? http://www.tiffen.com/displayproduct.html?tablename=kodakaccessories&itemnum=EK1497825

I use a Hoya ND400, declared as 9 stop ND, but it performs as a 10 stop ND in my experience. It was a bit of a pain using it at first, but I got used to the process and I love the results

On the other hand, I am not sure how a strong ND slide-in filter would work - I have made 3 or 4 test shots with a Cokin IR filter and my Canon 20D. That called for exposures longer than 20 secs, so it can be compared to this, I guess. I had problems with light leeks. It was hard for me to block all of the openings in the cokin P filter holder system, and the shots were ruined. I was discouraged by those first attempts and never tried again - I returned to using screw-in filters for IR photography. Talking to some other photographers, it turns out they had similar experiences. But if you have a holder with a tighter fit, why not try?

These are awesome !! Love the water/sky reality that goes out the window !

I ran across this combo. Filter holder here: http://www.adorama.com/LEGSP.html
10-stop filter here: http://tiffenfilters.com.au/100mm-filter-96nd-p-7091.html

Oh man! These are absolutely awesome shots! I'd love to get shots like these... What a cool filter, pain and all.

Tim

Would a B+W 6-stop be a happy medium between practicality and results? I think you can still focus with a 6-stop in daylight, and the exposures will be long, although not 90 seconds of course.

I think its also cheaper but dont quote me on that.

Very nice.

I might be saying something stupid but ... the Vari ND works with two polarizers, and one "darkens" the whole thing by turning one of the polarizers, right?

Did you try with two stacked polarizers? I hear you about the vignetting and such, but the Vari ND must suffer from it too, no ?

nico_p wrote:
Very nice.

I might be saying something stupid but ... the Vari ND works with two polarizers, and one "darkens" the whole thing by turning one of the polarizers, right?

Did you try with two stacked polarizers? I hear you about the vignetting and such, but the Vari ND must suffer from it too, no ?


vari nd is 2 polarizers and the outher most one is Reversed soit's "back" is screwed to the "front" of the other. they cost over 350bux too


J

Beautiful results, Tom.

Have you tried any long exposures in a public place with lots of foot traffic to either create "ghost" people or to eliminate the people entirely?

The Vari-ND really isn't THAT expensive when you consider the cost of two (quality) polarizers or two (quality) ND's. The Vari-ND comes in a thinner Wide Angle version as well.

I tried the Vari-ND but wasn't particularly thrilled though many are very happy with it. The limiting factor of 2 CP's is the maltese cross effect (which is similar to an area of darkness using a CP on a wide angle lens) and occurs around 8-stops.

I find having 2, 4, and 6-stop ND's and combining any 2 of them is the best way to go.

Chaz wrote:
Beautiful results, Tom.

Have you tried any long exposures in a public place with lots of foot traffic to either create "ghost" people or to eliminate the people entirely?

Not yet. I just received the filter and used it for less than one hour as I had minimal time to take photos yesterday. I will try using it in public places to see what effect I can obtain.

This is a great set of shots. I just picked up a set of Lee ND filters and now I just can't wait to use them.

You could focus and compose first, then turn off your auto focus, put on the filters and measurre the light and shoot. It slow, but it will work for your composition.