Neutral Density Filters

[Squidy]

Hey guys,

I've noticed a few people mentioning adding a CPL in front of an ND filter. Is this a standard practice? I'm just curious because I'm still learning but have been told "never ever ever" to do it, but if you guys are doing it it can't be that bad? What are the benefits of stacking the CPL on an ND?

[HDNitehawk]

Hey guys,

I've noticed a few people mentioning adding a CPL in front of an ND filter. Is this a standard practice? I'm just curious because I'm still learning but have been told "never ever ever" to do it, but if you guys are doing it it can't be that bad? What are the benefits of stacking the CPL on an ND?

I suppose one negative is you loose a little IQ with every filter you stack.
I have done it with graduated ND's.
I suppose an advantage would be if you needed to add another stop or so and don't have another ND to stack. I have done this.

Maybe there is an effect I haven't heard of, maybe someone will weigh in with it.

[Jonathan Huyer]

Hey guys,

I've noticed a few people mentioning adding a CPL in front of an ND filter. Is this a standard practice? I'm just curious because I'm still learning but have been told "never ever ever" to do it, but if you guys are doing it it can't be that bad? What are the benefits of stacking the CPL on an ND?

Oh I use a polarizer with a solid ND filter all the time... it works brilliantly, especially when you're trying to shoot a waterfall and there's too much light to get adequate blur. The polarizer takes out the glare in the water and the bright spots on the rocks, so the two filters together are indispensable. Here's an example... it also happens to be a 3-shot HDR, but I used the dual-filter setup.