ND filters

[spoony]

Which one, variable or non variable and which nd 2,4 or darker also what makes
Tia Alan


"Courage is being scared to death-and saddling up anyway!"
-John Wayne-

 

[brancho]

What do you want to put them on?

THIS looks like it explains them OK

A kit is available HERE but cheaper filters can give colour cats. The ones linked I find OK but I have Cokin filters. If you can afford them Lee filters are see as the best.

I have a variable ND filter which is OK but not great but not too expensive either. They have their problems and they only fit one size.

I use ND graduated filters a lot to balance out skies from the land.

any questions?

 

[spoony]

Well im just starting out, bought a canon 450( in about 2009) and its pretty much sat in the box. Soooo i thought i would give it a try.
went to the beach to grab a few sunrise shots. Have a play. now i wanted to try a few long exposure shots, but couldnt get it, kept getting a white out. Or could get a pic but not the blur i wanted, my friend said to get those shots in this light i need a nd filter.
Now i know you getbwhat you pay for, but just wanted to try a not so expensive, and if i get what im looking for ill save and get a better one.
Dont really want the slot in types, would rather have the screw in type, so do i get a fixed grade ND 8 or a variable??
I want it for water blur, and shooting in bright sunlight for longer exposures.

 

[brancho]

The slot in types are better than screw in type filters as they can be fitted to various filter thread sizes.

Just hang around after sunset to try it out blurring starts at around 1/30 second. You can stack a couple of filters to achieve the effect.

You can get what you need from welding glass but it gives terrible colour casts and needs a real understanding to get rid of them. Look HERE

You will need a tripod and cable release for long exposures if you do not have one. You can stack a couple of filters if you use slot in types.

This was taken just after sunset shutter speed 0.8 second.


Parton beach sunset by alf.branch, on Flickr

 

[lamper]

Hi Ya,

Brancho is right in saying that Lee filters are considered to be the best although you don't have to spend Lee money to get great filters.

I started out like yourself with a 450D and wanted to expand my creativity so bought some Cokin filters which served me well. The only and main issue with Cokin filters is that have a colour cast on them - they will tint your image (normally towards a pink/magenta for an ND filter) - this is very obvious when you start to stack filters.

After Cokin I moved to HiTech filters (https://www.formatt-hitech.com/) who are based in Wales. They are very good for the price you pay and have very little is any colour cast at all.

They do some expensive ones at 100mm x 150mm size, but if you get the 80mm x 80mm ones you can buy the Cokin holder (approx 12 pounds).

When people speak about Lee filters they are normally referring to the GLASS ones which are top of the line and come with a price to boot. The resin ones made by Lee are very comparable with HiTech or Sigh Ray range.

A good place to start might be this article - http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2...-density-filters-6-models-tested-and-rated/2/

 

[spoony]

many thanks guys

 

[ArkAngel]

I have Lee filters (thanks to a PPI refund!) and they are fantastic. However i should say i had Cokin before and they performed without any major problems. The only reason i upgraded was due to my acquisition of more pro lenses with much bigger front elements.

There is the other option these days of shooting in RAW and using a program like Lightroom as you can pull the sky back from nothing in the computer. It depends if you want to do it in/on camera or through software later if you are able.

 

[Wayland]

If you want the sort of blurred water shots I take in strong daylight you need something between 6 to 10 stops. My current solution is a 6 stop B+W jobbie.

I haven't used the variable ones but long ago when I experimented with two polarisers (which is basically how they do it) I noticed a strong blue cast on film. Perhaps they have improved on things now.

Most strong ND filters introduce some degree of cast, usually warmer the darker you go. This is a function of the wavelength of light and is very difficult to correct optically. Having said that, it can usually be removed quite easily in post processing with a custom white balance setting.

 

[brancho]

There is the other option these days of shooting in RAW and using a program like Lightroom as you can pull the sky back from nothing in the computer. It depends if you want to do it in/on camera or through software later if you are able.

A Canon 450D is not likely to be able to do that. The latest sensors will though but and ND grad is still a better solution.

 

[Comfy]

A cheap way to get a very long exposure during the day is to use welding glass, it's main drawback being that you'll only have a black and white image at the end (green and white to start then convert to b&w). It's approximately a 10-stop (1-stop equals doubling the exposure once, 10-stop means doubling the exposure 10 times, not timesing it by ten) so you get a massive increase in exposure time. The fun of it is to pick targets that move, even slow moving clouds will give you a nice effect.

 

[brancho]

A cheap way to get a very long exposure during the day is to use welding glass, it's main drawback being that you'll only have a black and white image at the end (green and white to start then convert to b&w). It's approximately a 10-stop (1-stop equals doubling the exposure once, 10-stop means doubling the exposure 10 times, not timesing it by ten) so you get a massive increase in exposure time. The fun of it is to pick targets that move, even slow moving clouds will give you a nice effect.

Welding glass is cheap but requires a lot work to get right as it may be up to 15 stops with no info on what strength it is.

It will probably look like this too


Parton beach unprocessed by alf.branch, on Flickr

I got it to look like this using RAW files


Parton beach by alf.branch, on Flickr

Without a filter it looked like this


Parton beach 2 by alf.branch, on Flickr

 

[Wayland]

Hmmm... Spend thousands on cameras and lenses and then save a few pounds by using a bit of old welding glass. Interesting idea...

I think I'll stick to buying from Hong Kong on Ebay.

 

[BearInTheWoods]

Hmmm... Spend thousands on cameras and lenses and then save a few pounds by using a bit of old welding glass. Interesting idea...

Same as the people who say, 'I've just bought a 5Diii, I want some spare batteries, I found these for a tenner each from the Jingaling Cheap Exploding Battery Corporation of Shanghai, what do you think?'

 

[Wayland]

My extra battery solution is an external Lithium Polymer power pack which I can wear under my clothing for cold weather work.

It also gives me a couple of weeks power when off grid.

For portability I have a few spare Canon batteries as well.

 

[Pandabean]

A Canon 450D is not likely to be able to do that. The latest sensors will though but and ND grad is still a better solution.

I use a 400D and have managed to pull back quite a lot of detail in some photos when I have shot in RAW and there has been overexposure. When you try to do that with under exposed areas then you hit the problem of introducing noise. I have been experimenting with getting it right in the camera or as close to as possible and then working in Lightroom/Photoshop.

I have thought about gettings some Coikin filters but I have been unsure whether it is best to get the solid ND ones or the graduated. I guess the graduated would be better for landscapes where you have a strong contrast between the land and the sky. I would love to take one of those beach shots with the misty water and beautful sky at some point.

 

[brancho]

Hmmm... Spend thousands on cameras and lenses and then save a few pounds by using a bit of old welding glass. Interesting idea...

I think I'll stick to buying from Hong Kong on Ebay.

I have never spent thousands and at that point I was learning digital photography it was never a solution for me just a bit of fun but it taught me some useful things about White balance.

IMO welding glass is not a solution to the Op's question maybe I should stated that a bit clearer. I got it for free but I also gave it away.

I use a 400D and have managed to pull back quite a lot of detail in some photos when I have shot in RAW and there has been overexposure. When you try to do that with under exposed areas then you hit the problem of introducing noise. I have been experimenting with getting it right in the camera or as close to as possible and then working in Lightroom/Photoshop.

I have thought about gettings some Coikin filters but I have been unsure whether it is best to get the solid ND ones or the graduated. I guess the graduated would be better for landscapes where you have a strong contrast between the land and the sky. I would love to take one of those beach shots with the misty water and beautful sky at some point.

You are right about pulling details from shots and getting it right in camera.
ND filters and ND grad do different jobs you may want both but the ND grad is most useful IMO and what I use regularly I do not have a 10 stop filter and I am not overly concerned about one.

 

[Wayland]

It's amazing how fast the cost of your gear mounts up. I recently did the "insurance valuation" thing and got quite a nasty shock...:yikes:

As far as filters go, I just try to be careful about what I put in the optical path, as you never know just how good you will want your image to be.

I've had pictures that I didn't expect to do much with, printed to quite high dimensions by clients, so I always like to have a bit of headroom.

 

[Wayland]

I would love to take one of those beach shots with the misty water and beautful sky at some point.

The cheapest way to do it is to go out pre-dawn or carry on shooting long after sunset. Most people give up too soon but cameras can often carry on taking good images with exposures up to 30 seconds or so.

 

[Comfy]

Hmmm... Spend thousands on cameras and lenses and then save a few pounds by using a bit of old welding glass. Interesting idea...

I think I'll stick to buying from Hong Kong on Ebay.

I did say it was a 'cheap way' to get you long exposures.

And I personally have a B+W 10-stop which I bought in Britain. It pays to support your local shops in the long run.

 

[Wayland]

Aye it does that.

I used to work for one of those local companies that put itself out of business with uncompetitive business practices and poor service.

I managed a store for them back when they were the big cat in the woods that was putting the little guys under pressure.

Not surprising that the new on-line tigers swallowed them whole when they stopped being competitive then.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good companies out there and they are, for the most part, still in business.

But there are also some, including a few big names, that have forgotten that the customer should always come first.