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Author Topic: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)  (Read 1781 times)

Dave (Isle of Skye)

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I haven't been out on the island recently, as the infamous Scottish midges are now out in force and so are keeping me indoors for the time being, which is so annoying as we have had some stunning sunsets recently. They were late coming out this year, but now seem to be trying to make up for lost time or something and they all seem to like the taste of Dave the photographer, anyhoo...

So I got this new big stopper type of filter (link here) for my birthday (yes I am 21 again before you ask) and as there was a bit of a breeze last night, it meant the midges couldn't fly or bite me and so I decided I would go out and give this 10 stop filter a go at one of my local scenes. So off we went with our flask of tea etc and when we got there, it was a pleasant evening, not stunning but pleasant none the less and I was just glad to be out grabbing a few clicks and taking the shot shown below.

So do I think the Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter is any good and worth buying?

Well on my old 16-35 L Canon with 77mm filter size and even though this Hoya filter is of a thin construction and 82mm, I was still getting quite a lot of very dark vignetting at 16mm and so had to zoom in quite a bit to remove it (about 24mm, although I zoomed in more to frame this shot), but I imagine this would not be a problem at all on slightly longer focal length lenses. There also doesn't seem to be any colour cast problems with this particular version of the Hoya ND filter, as I had read there can be with other manufacturers filters at the lower end of the price range, so that was good.  I also found that in bright side lit situations as shown in the image below, that all I needed to do was to expose at a fairly standard 1.5 minutes at ISO 100. I tried 2 minutes as well to see what would happen, but the shot began to wash out and at 1 minute the image was too dark, although I am sure I could have easily repaired both shots in PP. I imagine on overcast days, all I will need to do is double that exposure time to around 3 minutes or bump up the ISO to 200 or both if it is really dark, so not a difficult filter to use. I also have my camera set to not emulate the exposure time on the screen (A7R2), as the camera can only go up to 30 seconds without BULB mode, which meant I could still set manual focus easily by eye, as the screen tried its best to light up the scene and allow me to see it and focus properly, instead of trying to show me what a 30 second exposure (its limit) would look like if it was emulating the exposure, which would be far too dark to focus by eye.

Also the filter is reasonably priced at around £64 (it was even less when I selected it for my birthday present, at around £57 if I remember correctly, so shop around for a bargain), which meant I could buy the biggest 82mm version of it and a set of cheap step up and step down rings (link here) for not a lot of money and I would also be able to use it with all my other lenses of different filter sizes.

So all in all, for around £75 all in or less, you can buy a really dark "Big Stopper" type of screw in filter, that seems to be just as good as the more expensive Lee version (link here) and you don't need a filter holder kit, but that does mean you will be shooting exposure times in excess of 1.5 minutes - but if you really want to shoot ultra wide without vignetting, then the Lee filter system may still be your best choice, but you will need a filter holder kit which isn't cheap, but then if you already own one...

So yes, I would recommend this filter, it is fun and easy to carry in your bag without taking up much room and even though loooong exposure shots of seascapes etc have definitely become something of a well worn cliche these days, it is still very much fun to do and with not too much financial outlay for a really heavy ND filter such as this and when bought with a set of cheap step up/down rings, means that nowadays anyone with any size lens (within limits of course) can now do this type of photography and also expect to do it really well  ;)

Dave
« Last Edit: June 05, 2018, 10:48:38 am by Dave (Isle of Skye) »
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guido

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #1 on: June 05, 2018, 12:06:24 pm »

Nice report!

I've been gearing up to experiment with a bit of ND too... Since the wizards at Canon saw fit to give me 77, 82 and no-can-do filter sizes i've been assembling a Haida 150 system with interchangeable adapters as a way to cover all bases with one set of filters...

I will report...
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KMRennie

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2018, 09:24:30 am »

Dave I also have the Hoya ND 1000 and although I have no technical problems with it I find it a pain to use as Live view in the Nikon D810 does not allow you to get a good view with it fitted so you are left with either turn the ISO fully up to get any view for composing and then return to the chosen setting or remove the filter, compose, screw it back on, take the image. Things finally came to a head when working with a polariser and the ND filter. Set the polarising angle, remove polariser, fit ND, refit polariser, hope you remembered the markings for the correct angle, take shot. Fitting the polariser inside the ND is no easier. Now use a Lee system but would probably buy a nisi system if I was starting over again. My Fuji XE-1 allows focusing and composition with a 10 stop filter attached although the auto adjusting brightness makes polarising angle difficult to determine. The midges are out in force here in Cumbria but not to grey cloud that you probably have. Oh nearly forgot, nice image. Ken
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2018, 09:46:01 am »

Thanks Guido  ;)

Ken can you not turn exposure emulation off on the Nikon and then use the live view screen at maximum magnification to set your focus point even with the filters fitted onto the lens? Because if you can, then the camera will try to take care of showing you the dark scene as brightly as it can so you can see it? It will look really grainy and horrible on the screen as you do this, but you should still be able to set your focus point using this idea without having to change anything when you then take your long exposure shot.

But other than that Ken, I suppose you could set the lens/camera to autofocus, then half press the release button to get your focus point and then turn autofocus back off again as you put on your filters and then work the scene - although perhaps not a good idea if you are using a zoom where the barrel is easily moved when you touch the lens as you screw on your filters.

Another idea is to take along a really powerful torch with you or even a laser pen, so you can shine it brightly onto the subject for focusing with all the filters already fitted onto the lens, then set your focus point and turn off the torch or laser pen to take your shot.

Come on Ken, don't let it beat you, as I am sure there must be a good work around somehow  ;)

Dave
« Last Edit: June 06, 2018, 09:54:08 am by Dave (Isle of Skye) »
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KMRennie

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2018, 10:57:06 am »

Dave on a dull day I can see the rear screen with a 10 stop filter, sometimes the autofocus works, below f8 @10secs it is hit and miss. On a bright and sunny day the screen is difficult to see anyway. The strangest thing is I can use viewfinder autofocus when I can just about make out the dimmest objects ie long after live view autofocus has given up. Juggling step up rings and trying to hold filters just became too much trouble thus moving to the ridiculously expensive Lee system which should last longer than me. Unfortunately my eyes are starting to show their age and anything that gives me a brighter image to work with helps. Ken
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2018, 12:58:54 pm »

Dave on a dull day I can see the rear screen with a 10 stop filter, sometimes the autofocus works, below f8 @10secs it is hit and miss. On a bright and sunny day the screen is difficult to see anyway. The strangest thing is I can use viewfinder autofocus when I can just about make out the dimmest objects ie long after live view autofocus has given up. Juggling step up rings and trying to hold filters just became too much trouble thus moving to the ridiculously expensive Lee system which should last longer than me. Unfortunately my eyes are starting to show their age and anything that gives me a brighter image to work with helps. Ken

Yes as we get older we have to do what we have to do to get the shot don't we? Although I never ever use autofocus for my landscape work, even though the A7R2 has something like a million focus points on it or something just as ridiculous. Instead I bought myself a really cheap pair of those really thin reading glasses (x2.5) which fit easily into my bag and which I don't need to read as they are far too strong for that, but I do find that if I use them as I also shade the screen and my eyes with my left hand, then I seem to be able to set focus manually without too much problem every time - so far...

Dave
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davidgp

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2018, 10:39:16 am »

Hi,

In 82 mm I have an 3 stops and 6 stops NDs of Hitech Firecrest (not the new line of Firecrest)... the 3 stops is perfectly neutral the 6 has a slight tint of green. I also have a NiSi 10 stops... it has a slight tint of blue ... but very slight... nothing of the level of Bigstoppers... I really like the filter.

I also have the Haidas Nano Pro in square 150mm, the 10 stops is more or less like the NiSi the 6 stops is completely neutral.

Regards,

David


http://dgpfotografia.com

Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2018, 02:34:24 pm »

Hi,

In 82 mm I have an 3 stops and 6 stops NDs of Hitech Firecrest (not the new line of Firecrest)... the 3 stops is perfectly neutral the 6 has a slight tint of green. I also have a NiSi 10 stops... it has a slight tint of blue ... but very slight... nothing of the level of Bigstoppers... I really like the filter.

I also have the Haidas Nano Pro in square 150mm, the 10 stops is more or less like the NiSi the 6 stops is completely neutral.

Regards,

David


http://dgpfotografia.com

Wow David, that is quite a few filters you have there and thanks for chipping in and adding your thoughts about them all and their merits and drawbacks etc, so thanks again  ;)

Dave
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davidgp

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Re: Trying out my new Hoya 82 mm Pro ND 1000 Filter (a bit of a review)
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2018, 02:40:14 pm »

Wow David, that is quite a few filters you have there and thanks for chipping in and adding your thoughts about them all and their merits and drawbacks etc, so thanks again  ;)

Dave

Yes... I had to buy the Sony 12-24... anyway, for my taste, I like 3 filter set: 3 stops, 6 stops and 10 stops. Really 10 stops is the one I use less... 3 stops and 6 stops are the ones that I most use for giving a bit of movement to sea scapes or rivers/waterfalls. So... yes... too much money on filters.

By the way, On Landscape has a nice review of 10 stops filters: https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2017/07/nd-filters/
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