ND Filter Advice wanted

[Sean Setters]

Forgot to add, but if you're interested in a variable ND, Rick, given your preference for B+W - they now offer one. It's not as convenient as the Genus or similar options, which are standard screw-in types. B+W's is actually a round CPL with a separate 4" square linear polarizer in a rotating holder mounted in front (a bit unwieldy, IMO, unless you're used to using rectangular filters, and it also precludes using a hood).

John, could you provide a link to this? I looked but couldn't find any info on it...

[neuroanatomist]

Apologies for the confusion, Sean. Technically it's not B+W, but rather their parent company, Schneider Optics. They market this set under a different line. Here's the link to the 77mm True Match Vari-ND kit. There's also a 95mm version.


FWIW, Schneider also produces the only Schott glass ND and graduated ND rectangular filters that I know of (vs. Lee, Singh-Ray, Cokin, which are all resin). They're targeted to the cine crowd, thus sold as the MPTV line (motion picture television), but they'll work fine for stills. B&H carries many of them in 4x5.65".

[neuroanatomist]

Graduated filters were mentioned and there is something I was going to try, with all the advances in photoshop and the ease at which you can process a simple HDR, can you get the same effect as the filter by shooting several of the same landscape shots and combine them.

A similar topic came up in a recent dPS article:Comparing Gradient Neutral Density Filters To Lightroom Gradient Tool. The author's conclusion was that, "...using tools in the computer after the fact is not a replacement for making sure data is captured correctly to begin with."


The problem with HDR for landscape shots is movement - wind in trees, waves, etc., all cause ghosting in HDR images.

[Sean Setters]

This morning it was very bright so I took fitted my Genus ND Fader Filter onto my 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5. At 10mm, the cross-hatch pattern does indeed appear when you rotate the filter close to the maximum setting. However, it looked pretty clean at the 3/4 marker (except for a extra vignetting in two corners...it looks like I was just on the fringe of where the cross-hatching would start). If I had backed it off a bit more, I'm pretty sure the 2 corner vignetting would have disappeared. Anyway, at that opacity, I was able to shoot at f/16 for 1/8 second to get the following shot:

[neuroanatomist]

Thanks for the testing, Sean! That's certainly acceptable - and importantly for me, the Genus Vari-ND comes in an 82mm filter (which fits my EF 16-35mm f/2.8<span style="color: #ff0000;"]L II and TS-E 24mm f/3.5<span style="color: #ff0000;"]L II - else, the darkest screw-in ND available is merely 2 stops).


Any idea how many stops (approximately) that 3/4 setting on the vari-ND represents?


--John

[andnowimbroke]

When going that wide, does a step-ring help or hurt? Say you buy a really oversized Vari and use a ring, does that allow you to use more of the adjustment because the lens isn

[ddt0725]

Wow, lots of info here that I wasn't aware of! I wish I would have known some of this before I took my first waterfall photos on Friday using my Genus ND Fader filter! I think I would have done alittle testing with that and my B+W ND filter.


I already posted this in another thread but here seems appropriate also. This shot of a small waterfall was taken midday w/ partial shade and direct bright sun in some spots.




I'm looking forward to seeing some photos when you get back from your trip andgetting some more education!

Denise

[Sean Setters]

Thanks for the testing, Sean! That's certainly acceptable - and importantly for me, the Genus Vari-ND comes in an 82mm filter (which fits my EF 16-35mm f/2.8<span style="color:#ff0000;"]L II and TS-E 24mm f/3.5<span style="color:#ff0000;"]L II - else, the darkest screw-in ND available is merely 2 stops).


Any idea how many stops (approximately) that 3/4 setting on the vari-ND represents?


--John

To be honest, I'm unsure. It's not a linear progression when it comes to the opacity, so I know it's not 6 stops. I'll try to remember to do another test tomorrow to see how many stops it is at the 3/4s marker.


-Sean

[Kayaker72]

Rick. I am at niagara falls. Got in last night so my first shots where this morning. To get good blur of the water I needed longer exposure than with a smaller falls (water has further to fall?). Anyways, I needed ~1-2 sec instead of the 1/4 to 1/2 sec with smaller falls. I ended up at 2 sec f/22 iso 100 with the 106. I may stack the cpl to get down around f/11, but you may also want to consider the B+w 110.


Andnowiambroke. The step up rings neither help nor hurt. The two factors you mention offset each other. At least with my set up of the 72-77 mm step up. Ultimately I get similar vignetting with a 77 mm cpl and step up ring as the 72 mm cpl. Perhaps I

[Sean Setters]

Any idea how many stops (approximately) that 3/4 setting on the vari-ND represents?


--John

I did another quick test today. This time, I used shutter priority so that my shutter speed was constant. With the Genus set to the 3/4s mark, the camera set the aperture to f/5. With the ND filter off, the camera set the aperture to f/16. That's means you can achieve approximately a 3 1/3 stop reduction on a 16mm equivalent focal length without obvious cross hatching. With longer focal length, I imagine you could push more. Keep in mind, the rest of the 3.33 - 8 stop reduction comes in the last fourth of the markers. The change goes from very gradual to very sharp at the end. That said, the filter does a pretty good job of holding to a setting once you've got it fine tuned.