Topic: Neutral density filters: how many stops? (Read 6830 times)

Chris13 · « **on:** March 10, 2009, 09:34:50 am »

Hello
I plan to by a neutral density filter but I wonder if 3 stops would be enough compared to 4 stops for long eposure.
I primarily shoot at sunrise or sunset.
Thank you

Wally · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2009, 09:46:09 am »

Quote from: Chris13

Hello
I plan to by a neutral density filter but I wonder if 3 stops would be enough compared to 4 stops for long eposure.
I primarily shoot at sunrise or sunset.
Thank you

it really all depends on what you are shooting, the lighting, and what you want to do with it. I do a lot of long exposures of water in my kit I carry everything from a 3 stop to a 10 stop ND filters. If you can only get one right now I would get the deepest one you can get

Luis Argerich · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2009, 10:06:13 am »

It is impossible to answer if 3 or 4 stops will be enough if we don't know what you want to achieve with the filter.
The one thing I can say is that 1 stop can never be a difference you can compensate that with a smaller aperture and I don't think the DOF or diffraction effect will be dramatic as long as it is just 1 stop. If you have a 3 stops ND and you are at F8 when 3 stops is not enough you can move to F11 and you have your 4 stops...

I use a ND400 9 (almost) stops filter and many times stack it with a ND8 for 12 stops so my initial guess is that 3 stops won't be enough. YMMV.

Chris13 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2009, 10:09:26 am »

Tnahk you for your answers.
It is mainly for long exposure of water and grass.

Luis Argerich · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2009, 10:27:04 am »

For water it depends if you want a sily or foamy look. You can get sily water with 4 secs exposures, you need longer exposures and adequate water movement for foamy effects.
For grass you need strong winds or very long exposures to get a smooth effect instead of the nasty out-of-focus look that grass has with a moderate exposure.

Unless you are shooting in dim light 4 exposures won't be enough. (My guess)

Luigi

Quote from: Chris13

Tnahk you for your answers.
It is mainly for long exposure of water and grass.

wolfnowl · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2009, 01:35:08 pm »

Reading this thread got me thinking that while digital cameras can now do ISO 25600, I still long for ISO 25 (Kodachrome) at times...

Mike.

peteh · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2009, 02:58:11 pm »

Quote from: Chris13

Hello
I plan to by a neutral density filter but I wonder if 3 stops would be enough compared to 4 stops for long eposure.
I primarily shoot at sunrise or sunset.
Thank you

Or ty this if ya got the dough for them.
http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html or this with the ND
http://www.singh-ray.com/morslo.html
I love mine, but big bucks.I have the 77 mm one's for my Canon L glass.

Peter McLennan · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2009, 03:35:02 pm »

Quote from: peteh

Or ty this if ya got the dough for them.
http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html or this with the ND

Is this just a pair of polarizers mounted in the same ring? Can you tell if it polarizes or not?

stephent · « **Reply #8 on:** March 11, 2009, 12:06:11 am »

I like the Singh-Ray VariND too - not sure, but I suspect it is a pair of polarizers.

A couple of shots I've taken with mine here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephent/tags/varind/

Lots more info on the Singh-Ray blog: http://singhray.blogspot.com/search/label/Vari-ND

Josh-H · « **Reply #9 on:** March 11, 2009, 12:31:05 am »

Quote from: wolfnowl

Reading this thread got me thinking that while digital cameras can now do ISO 25600, I still long for ISO 25 (Kodachrome) at times...

Mike.

Same here - ISO25 without a sacrifice in dynamic range would be excellent.

As to ND filters - I always take as a minimum a 3 stop, 2 stop and 1 stop grad ND with me on landscape shoots - sometimes I will stack them for more stops.

Using the large LEE filters on 35mm means they can be used as grads or as full ND's - avoids having to buy twice.

Guillermo Luijk · « **Reply #10 on:** March 11, 2009, 01:36:31 am »

Quote from: wolfnowl

Reading this thread got me thinking that while digital cameras can now do ISO 25600

They cannot. Any ISO over ISO3200 is software based, just like ISO50.

erick.boileau · « **Reply #11 on:** March 11, 2009, 01:45:47 am »

Quote from: wolfnowl

Reading this thread got me thinking that while digital cameras can now do ISO 25600, I still long for ISO 25 (Kodachrome) at times...

Mike.

me too

erick.boileau · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2009, 01:47:40 am »

there is a good Singh Ray vari ND filter 77 or 82 mm

Author Topic: Neutral density filters: how many stops? (Read 6830 times)