p.1 #1 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
I want to keep cost down and not go the pricier route of a variable ND filter. I'd like to get a 77mm ND filter to put behind my CPL for blurred water shots. Obviously it is hugely variable, hence the advantage of a variable filter, but if I wanted to shoot generally with shutter speeds of 3-7 seconds in pretty good daytime lighting, what ND filter should I get? As in, how many stops? Any tips on a specific model/brand? Thanks for any advice on this query. Best -L
p.1 #6 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
Get the B+W ND110.. it's a screw on filter, and WAAAY easier to buy than the Lee big stopper (and cheaper too!)
Now if you're REALLY budget conscious and don't mind doing some DIY, get a welding glass (shade 10 to 14) and go to work. Fabricate the glass against a cheap cokin holder and seal off the sides to prevent light leak. Welding glass will give you a green tinge so you might want to do a preset WB before exposure and shoot in RAW.
Of course, nothing beats filterless IF you have the time. Get on location when it's dark and you wouldn't even have to use a filter for long exposures
p.1 #7 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
Paul.K wrote:
Realize that you get 2-stops reduction from the CPL so you could use a 7-stop ND filter, which might be cheaper?
This was my first newbie mistake, and it cost me. Several years ago, I went to Land's End at Cabo San Lucas and I cheaped out on filters I figured I could save a lot of money by simply using my CPL + some hitech ND's. Hey, 2 stops from CPL + 5 stops from ND's + stop down to f16 = long exposures, right? WRONG. When I got there, I did several long exposures after long exposures, and I couldn't figure out why all my images have a NASTY dark band across them. I had a moment when I figured out that it's the combination of the CPL and the GND's causing the weird effect. Nearly ALL the images I took that day was junked. That day, I learned to never cheap out on filters, and that CPL + ND's give you weird polarization, causing dark bands across the images.
p.1 #8 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
Shouldn't be too hard to calculate this.
Sunny 16 rule: f/16 at 1/100s at ISO100 = decent exposure. A 10 stop is 2^10 = 1024x (roughly 1000x) exposure... so 1024/100 = about a 10s exposure. Open up roughly 2/3rd's of a stop from f/16 and you get roughly 7 seconds exposure in bright daylight.
However do you think you really need a 7 second exposure? It's rather long for daytime water shots. For ocean waves, I tend to prefer 1/4-1/2s, and for waterfalls, somewhere between 1/4-2s depending on how much whitewater there is. That said, I've done some 10s exposures that look great.
I have a custom-cut Hitech 6-stop ND for the 14-24mm but I find myself pulling this out from time to time; must be inner cheapskate
I also like the colour cast and leave it uncorrected at times, use it as a base for x-pro
Considering their cost, I'm less cautious with them, plus I've got spares
Timed mine to be roughly 9 stops
p.1 #11 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
Or you can use stack modes in photoshop instead... (combined with your camera's multiple exposure mode it's questionable if you still need NDs as long as you are willing to do some of the work in post).
p.1 #19 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
I just came back from Hawaii and I brought my ND filters:
Hoya NDX400 (9 stops)
Hoya NDX8 (3 stops)
and my CPL (B+W Circ. Pol.) (1-2 stops)
I put all of these on my 17-35AFS in mid-day and still had to stop it down to f/8 at ISO 100 for 30 sec. of exposure. So, as others have said you need a lot unless it's an overcast day.
It Was So Dark You Couldn't See Anything In The Viewfinder
p.1 #20 · ND filter: How many stops if I had to choose one?
Loren E wrote:
I want to keep cost down and not go the pricier route of a variable ND filter. I'd like to get a 77mm ND filter to put behind my CPL for blurred water shots. Obviously it is hugely variable, hence the advantage of a variable filter, but if I wanted to shoot generally with shutter speeds of 3-7 seconds in pretty good daytime lighting, what ND filter should I get? As in, how many stops? Any tips on a specific model/brand? Thanks for any advice on this query. Best -L
I figured I could save a lot of money by simply using my CPL + some hitech ND's. Hey, 2 stops from CPL + 5 stops from ND's + stop down to f16 = long exposures, right? WRONG. When I got there, I did several long exposures after long exposures, and I couldn't figure out why all my images have a NASTY dark band across them. I had a 
moment when I figured out that it's the combination of the CPL and the GND's causing the weird effect. 
Nearly ALL the images I took that day was junked. That day, I learned to never cheap out on filters, and that CPL + ND's give you weird polarization, causing dark bands across the images. 
