Newbie Guide to Filters

[Diluted]

Bro.. gotta check ur math..1/60 X 2 is 2/60 which is the same as 1/30.. how come u will think its divide..

 

[cheesy]

paiseh my bad shag liao hahaha

 

[SkyStrike]

bump....

 

[samueltan99]

Hi DD and sifus.

I am thinking of buying a ND filter to produce a silky effect on the moving lakes / waters in a bright day condition. My primary objective is landscape photography.

Question 1: what is the minimum number of F-stop reduction i need to have? The B+W filters offers one that reduces 6 stops, and one that reduces 10 stops. Can i assume with a higher number of F stop reduction, if need to, I can up the shutter time to compensate the higher number of F stop reduction, while it is not the same for ND filter with a lower number of F stop reduction?

Question 2: there are different brands - B+W, Cokin and Hoya etc. Which brand is highly esteemed for ND filters? Is it the same as the ratings posted earlier for UV filters?

Question 3: Do we stack ND and CPL together? say for eg in a bright day condition, say mid day with harsh light. I want to achieve the objective of ND - to reduce the light and also the objective of CPL - to reduce reflection, and to saturate colors.

Many thanks for your advice.

 

[daredevil123]

Hi DD and sifus.

I am thinking of buying a ND filter to produce a silky effect on the moving lakes / waters in a bright day condition. My primary objective is landscape photography.

Question 1: what is the minimum number of F-stop reduction i need to have? The B+W filters offers one that reduces 6 stops, and one that reduces 10 stops. Can i assume with a higher number of F stop reduction, if need to, I can up the shutter time to compensate the higher number of F stop reduction, while it is not the same for ND filter with a lower number of F stop reduction?

Question 2: there are different brands - B+W, Cokin and Hoya etc. Which brand is highly esteemed for ND filters? Is it the same as the ratings posted earlier for UV filters?

Question 3: Do we stack ND and CPL together? say for eg in a bright day condition, say mid day with harsh light. I want to achieve the objective of ND - to reduce the light and also the objective of CPL - to reduce reflection, and to saturate colors.

Many thanks for your advice.

The summary answer: to extend the shutter speed enough to smooth water out in bright daylight, you will need around 10 stops. Your options are:

Round screw on filters:
Hoya ND400 (extends shutter speed by 400 times)
Kenko ND400 (same stops as Hoya nd400)
B+W ND110 (extends shutter speed by 1000 times)

Square filters:
Lee big stopper (x1000 shutter speed)
Hitech 10 stops. (x1000 shutter speed)

My recommendation: B+W ND110, Hoya ND400 or Lee big stopper. Choose the one according to your needs.

 

[samueltan99]

Many thanks for the advice. Say I proceed with B+W ND Filter with 10 stops reduction, is it possible to extend the usage of B+W ND filter (besides making the lake silky in bright light condition) to normal landscape shots during mid day when there is harsh light? Is it better served by a ND filter with a lower number of Fstop reduction? Or can I just up the shutter time with the filter with 10 stops reduction?

Betw Hoya ND 400 and B+W ND 110, is B+W 106 a good compromise in between the two filters?

Thanks again.

 

[daredevil123]

Many thanks for the advice. Say I proceed with B+W ND Filter with 10 stops reduction, is it possible to extend the usage of B+W ND filter (besides making the lake silky in bright light condition) to normal landscape shots during mid day when there is harsh light? Is it better served by a ND filter with a lower number of Fstop reduction? Or can I just up the shutter time with the filter with 10 stops reduction?

Betw Hoya ND 400 and B+W ND 110, is B+W 106 a good compromise in between the two filters?

Thanks again.

ND110 extends your shutter speed by x1000.
ND400 extends your shutter speed by x400
ND106 extends your shutter speed by x64.

All these shutter speeds extension will give you about the same exposures only if your aperture and iso stays constant.

In the end, you need to understand exposure and the relationship between the 3, iso, aperture and shutter speed.

We can only tell you what each ND can do. How you use each one is totally up to you. There is no secret magic formula to know which one to use. Ultimately you choose the one you want to use according to your desired end result and the conditions of the scene. These factors include wind speed, cloud movement, wave speed, strength of the waves, light levels, quality of light, etc etc.

Examples:
Windless morning at a reservoir may even give you mirror like reflection even with a 1 sec exposure. And if it is relatively dark, you do not even need ND to smooth any water. You can still put on an ND filter, but it may not accomplish anything.

Dawn hours where shutter speed is 1 sec at iso 100, aperture is f16. If you put on a nd110, your exposure becomes 1000s. Is that what you want? Sunrise lighting changes very quickly. So you need to consider that as well. You can also open up aperture to reduce shutter speed. But you can lose the deep dof.

Also when using high stops ND you cannot see a single thing in your viewfinder. So you cannot recompose Auto focus will not work. And A, S or P modes will probably not work well. So metering will not work. So a lot of thought need to goes into your shot BEFORE you put on that 10 or 9 stop filter.

 

[samueltan99]

Many many thanks.

I was concurrently researching on the web on ND filter and B+W ND filter 110. Finally i am enlightened when I was reading this website, and see myself how I can use the ND 110 Filter. Thanks

http://www.redbubble.com/people/pet...ltimate-easy-guide-to-neutral-density-filters

 

[samueltan99]

Examples:
Windless morning at a reservoir may even give you mirror like reflection even with a 1 sec exposure. And if it is relatively dark, you do not even need ND to smooth any water. You can still put on an ND filter, but it may not accomplish anything.

Dawn hours where shutter speed is 1 sec at iso 100, aperture is f16. If you put on a nd110, your exposure becomes 1000s. Is that what you want? Sunrise lighting changes very quickly. So you need to consider that as well. You can also open up aperture to reduce shutter speed. But you can lose the deep dof.

Also when using high stops ND you cannot see a single thing in your viewfinder. So you cannot recompose Auto focus will not work. And A, S or P modes will probably not work well. So metering will not work. So a lot of thought need to goes into your shot BEFORE you put on that 10 or 9 stop filter.

Believe our posting crosses before I read your additional comments.

Thanks for sharing the examples on the ND filters, which highlights the limitation of ND filters.

 

[daredevil123]

Believe our posting crosses before I read your additional comments.

Thanks for sharing the examples on the ND filters, which highlights the limitation of ND filters.

No problem. Most of us who are into landscape photography will usually carry quite a number of filters in our bags. We will make the call which to use at the scene.

What I carry:
GND8, GND4, ND8, big stopper and a CPL.

 

[Cowseye]

I tot I can make do with a ND Fader but I regretted. It vignette my photos at 11mm. Luckily I spent quite little on it.

 

[tecnica]

I tot I can make do with a ND Fader but I regretted. It vignette my photos at 11mm. Luckily I spent quite little on it.

what lens huh?

 

[Cowseye]

I tot 11mm might give a hint. It's the tokina 11-16mm. Vignetting very obvious from F8 or smaller

 

[tecnica]

I tot 11mm might give a hint. It's the tokina 11-16mm. Vignetting very obvious from F8 or smaller

sorry luh, my mind was somewhere else.

vignetting due to the profile of the filter or ?

 

[Cowseye]

Profile of the filter? As in filter ring frame? If so, yes.

 

[daredevil123]

I tot 11mm might give a hint. It's the tokina 11-16mm. Vignetting very obvious from F8 or smaller

The Toki at 11mm will even vignette with Cokin p series wide angle filter holder. Have to go to 100mm filters.

 

[cheesy]

hello people, mind sharing with me how you clean your filters? my filter appears to be clean but whenever i blow a breath at it i can see some markings which im unable to get rid of.

 

[daredevil123]

hello people, mind sharing with me how you clean your filters? my filter appears to be clean but whenever i blow a breath at it i can see some markings which im unable to get rid of.

Cannot see ok already la. You can try lens pen or blow breath followed by micro fiber cloth.

 

[cheesy]

i use lens pen also but cant seem to get rid of it. or is it my lens pen chui liao? is it ok to use a damp cloth?

 

[daredevil123]

i use lens pen also but cant seem to get rid of it. or is it my lens pen chui liao? is it ok to use a damp cloth?

Bro you know how to use lens pen right? Need to put the cap on and twist to load more carbon powder onto the tip.