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06/14/2005 09:50:47 AM · #1 |
I want to purchase an ND filter but I need some advice from people who have used them before. These filters come in different strengths (darkening effect). What I want to know is:
- How strong is a circular polarizng filter at darkening when comapred to ND filters? What type ND filter would it correspond to?
- How much darker than a cricular polarizing filter should I go? I mostly want a filter that will allow me to slow down shutter speed for waterfalls/streaming water shots.
Thanks.
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06/14/2005 10:35:10 AM · #2 |
I'm no expert here, but if I'm not mistaken, a polarizing filter is about a 2-stop difference.
I have an ND4 filter in front of me, and the package says that it "reduces light by 75%." I'm not sure if the "4" means "4 f-stops" or not... but that would be my guess. |
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06/14/2005 10:36:46 AM · #3 |
| What strength depends on the situation. You can stack them to achieve a particular result. |
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06/14/2005 10:36:54 AM · #4 |
If you want to do waterfalls during the day, with the DRebel, get a kit of ND. Get a +2, +3 and +4. You can stack them, so you could have a +5, +6, +7, +9 all in that one kit. :) I do LOTS of waterfall photos and this is the setup I use.
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06/14/2005 10:47:11 AM · #5 |
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06/14/2005 12:38:25 PM · #6 |
A polarizer is typically about 1.5 stops, but varies a bit depending on the efficiency of the filter and the setting. I've found that at least 5 stops of total light reduction are required to get good waterfall shots on bright days. I'd like to have significantly more, and I don't like to stack multiple filters, since each one will slightly degrade optical performance. You also may get vignetting on wide lenses with stacked filters.
I plan on augmenting my 3-stop ND with at least a 5-stop. I might go as high as an 8-stop. That would allow me to use wider apertures to control DoF, while still keeping shutter speeds long enough for good blur.
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