ND filters

So I have learned that ND filters are required to take good fireworks shots, and bright sun. ; I am wondering what is a good "started nd filter. ;

I have read that Hoya and B&W are some of the best out there. ; Is it true, or just a matter of personal taste?

Shoudl I be looking to get a .6 or .3 to start or go higher. ; Do not know a lot about them.

Thanks!

 

ok i'll join in here with some advice, having a few different filters, here are what i consider the basics


1. 77MM, THIS IS VITAL, GET EVERY FILTER YOU PURCHASE IN 77MM, the reason for this is because filters are anywhere from $25-$400 EACH. step up rings are about $6 each, and since if you ever get into fast glass, most of those lenses are 72 or 77mm, you can always make a 77mm filter fit a 58mm lens but you cannot make a small filter larger


2. there are several great makes out there, tiffen, hoya, B&W, singh-ray, etc. i can't see much of a difference in the straight nd, now i have and use both straight nd and a very expensive variable from singh-ray. that singh-ray variable is a great filter, but it takes some practice to get used to, and is a $400 lifetime purchase


3. if you think you might carry and use a variety of different strengths of filter, save up those dollars and get a kit, these usually end up saving a few $ per filter, come in a nice pouch, and allow a nice across the board range. i did not get a kit when i started to get into fireworks, only because i already had the singh-ray. B&H has a couple of nice packages, and don't forget to use the click through link from here, every little bit helps defray the cost of bandwidth.


link below to b&h for a nice ranged tiffen kit, showing this am as temporarily out of stock, but i'm sure they will have it soon, REMEMBER, always come back to the site here, then click through so the sale shows up for tim


CLICK HERE

 

I also need ND filters including grads. ; But very unsure what style to buy. ; I have been looking at Lee filters including their foundation kit, adapter rings and either 4x4 or 4x6 filters. ;

Anyone use this type of system?

 

Thanks Dennis. ; This is the system I am looking into http://www.leefilters.com/index.php/camera/system

 

So I was talking to one of the professionals that I work with about ND filters and they told me that a CPL would replace the need for a ND filter. ; When I asked to explain it he said that the CPL would work in the same way of darkening the bright spots and evening it out. ;

Never heard that.

 

After reading a short article on CPL filters, they could only replace ND in so much at the daytime saturation pop you normally get. ; However, it didn't look like it could replace them for blurred water, fireworks, etc...


Sent from my iPhone...

 

Also don't forget, a CPL, or any polarizer, works to varying degrees depending on your angle to the sunlight. It's definitely not a replacement for a ND filter. I have a Tiffen variable ND filter that I really like. Works just like a CPL, I turn it for varying strength. Of course, for things like darkening only the sky or ground, you'd need a linear filter.



Erich

 

Paul, ; I use the LEE split grad ND filter all the time and bought the holder system last year. ; For landscape work, you can save a bunch of money and hold the filter against the lens with your hand, just make sure to take the sun shade off first or you'll get crazy reflections of what's behind you ghosted into the shot. ; I only bought the holder when I decided that that the split grad would help get some cloud definition into cloudy day shots of trains since its hard to hold the filter while shooting a moving object. ; Good luck finding the holder though... they're constantly back ordered everywhere.

As a side note, the filters are plastic resin which is good because they're hard to break, but they do scratch. ; I had to replace my first one after about 3 years because the scratches were starting to mess up the images when shooting directly into the sun. ; Also, on hot days, the resin can get a little soft, so be careful where you store them... I temporarily caused a slight curl in the first one I bought by putting it in the leg pocket of my cargo shorts on a hot day. ; Fortunately it flattened after storing it flat in my camera cabinet for a couple of weeks.

 

Mike,

Good point regarding use of the filter without the holder for landscape work, that would probably be a good starting point. ; Although that would be tough if I was spending a lot of time shooting or using a ND for fireworks, etc.

Thanks for the heads up on the heat also, that will come in handy this summer.

Did you get a soft grad or a hard grad?

 

3 stop soft. ; I mostly use the split grad to equalize the sky and the ground when they are too far apart to capture in one exposure. ; A soft grad works best for that because it is more forgiving when you don't have a dead straight horizon line.

If you're going to use the system for a straight ND for fireworks, the holder is absolutely essential because hand holding the filter could induce camera shake. ; A split grad is almost never needed for fireworks... This shot is the only time I've ever used the split grad for that:


Frontierland Fireworks - Fireworks Friday by MSummersPhotography, on Flickr