ND Filter for Daytime Long-Exposure

[anne_kerr]

<p>http://www.amazon.com/Hoya-Multi-Coated-Neutral-Density-Filter/dp/B00009R9EB/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1371083712&sr=1-3&keywords=77mm+nd+filter+10+stop</p>

<p>Is that filter okay for long-exposures for somewhere like a beach? I believe that is an 8-stop filter. Does it have to be a 10-stop for daytime? </p>

<p>Can someone recommend a filter that is less than $100?<br>

Thank you!</p>

[alan_olander1664878205]

<p>An ND8 is only 3 stops.</p>

[mrp-images]

<p>I guess you would have to define long exposure, or better yet what effect is trying to be achieved.<br /> You can accomplish long exposures by stopping down, but then the DOF is effected.<br /> ND 8 while stopped down will give longer exposures than without the filter, but will not accomplish the same light reduction as the ND-10 (black glass).<br>

Handy reference - <a href="http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/neutral-density-filters.htm">http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/neutral-density-filters.htm</a></p>

[mrp-images]

<table >

<tbody>

<tr><th colspan="2">Amount of Light Reduction</th><th rowspan="2">Hoya, B+W and Cokin</th><th rowspan="2">Lee, Tiffen</th><th rowspan="2">Leica</th></tr>

<tr><th>f-stops</th><th>Fraction</th></tr>

<tr>

<td>1</td>

<td>1/2</td>

<td>ND2, ND2X</td>

<td>0.3 ND</td>

<td>1X</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>2</td>

<td>1/4</td>

<td>ND4, ND4X</td>

<td>0.6 ND</td>

<td>4X</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>3</td>

<td>1/8</td>

<td>ND8, ND8X</td>

<td>0.9 ND</td>

<td>8X</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>4</td>

<td>1/16</td>

<td>ND16, ND16X</td>

<td>1.2 ND</td>

<td>16X</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>5</td>

<td>1/32</td>

<td>ND32, ND32X</td>

<td>1.5 ND</td>

<td>32X</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>6</td>

<td>1/64</td>

<td>ND64, ND64X</td>

<td>1.8 ND</td>

<td>64X</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

<p>Here's a handy chart I found</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>Another handy chart can be found here - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_density_filter">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_density_filter</a><br>

To really slow the exposure times in broad daylight, you probably want something in the 8 - 10 stop range. I use a 10-stop, sometimes stacked with a 3 stop or a polarizer (worth roughly 1.5 - 2.5 stops, depending).</p>

<p>The ISO used has an influence on exposure times, and so does aperture, but as Mark noted, Depth-of-Field will be affected, and possibly diffraction unsharpness from using higher f/number apertures (tiny aperture openings can cause fuzzy fine detail).</p>

<p>You could try taking an exposure reading as for a 'normal' photo, decide what shutter speed you want to use form the long-exposure effect you're looking for, and calculate how many stops worth of exposure you need the ND filter to get you. If you're not sure of the exposure time you want for the look you want, you'll have to do some experimentation. You can get some exposure time leeway by adjusting the aperture if you're ok with the DoF result.</p>

<p>As for a low-cost quality ND filter in the 8-10 stop range, look for a decent secondhand one in the classifieds here, or on ebay, craigslist, etc. Many lesser ND filters aren't color-neutral, and some of the quality brands have a warm cast when you get into the 10-stop+ range. Good luck...long-exposure photography is fun.</p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>“for long-exposures for somewhere like a beach? I believe that is an 8-stop filter. Does it have to be a 10-stop for daytime?”</p>

</blockquote>

<p>As previously mentioned, an ND 8 is a 3 stop Neutral Density Filter.</p>

<p>You will need to work out what the shutter speed range you want, being congisent of the aperture and ISO you have available: and work backwards from that point to chose the most appropriate filter </p>

<p>For example:<br>

The EV of a typical daylight FULL SUN beach scene is: EV = 16~17<br>

Which means if you have ISO100 available and you want to shoot at about F/8~ F/11, you will be at:<br>

F/8~11 @ 1/800s @ ISO100.<br>

So . . .</p>

<p>IF you want to be at a shutter speed of about 1/25s: you will need a FIVE stop ND Filter.<br>

IF you want to be at a shutter speed of about 1/13s: you will need a SIX stop ND Filter.<br>

IF you want to be at a shutter speed of about 1/6s: you will need a SEVEN stop ND Filter.<br>

IF you want to be at a shutter speed of about ?s: you will need an EIGHT stop ND Filter.<br>

IF you want to be at a shutter speed of about ?: you will need a NINE stop ND Filter.<br>

IF you want to be at a shutter speed of about 1?s: you will need a TEN stop ND Filter. </p>

<p>Obviously, if your lens has F/22 available to use, then you have a shutter speed RANGE of about two stops slower than in the list, indicated - AND - if you have ISO 50 available to use then you have another stop slower of shutter speed you can use.</p>

<p>***</p>

<p>The lens(es) I normally would use in that situation have F/22 available and I also have ISO50 available and <strong>I would not usually be shooting in bright full sunlight</strong>. So for the application you describe, I usually use an Hoya NDX400 (about 8?Stops), as you can see it is very dark: it is best to frame and focus the shot and then apply the filter.</p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/15390933-lg.jpg" alt="" width="1008" height="720" /></p>

<p>WW </p>

 

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Anne, as said above, it matters a lot what you want to achieve. I've got a 6-stop ND filter, which in bright sunlight I tend to use more to be able to still use wide apertures (below f/2.8) rather than achieving long exposures. Else, as WW has calculated, you stay in the ~1/15th sec. zone (with this 6-stop filter), where you do not yet really get that long exposure look, in my view. In short: I do not use it during the day when the weather is fine.</p>

<p>However, in less-than-great weather, you can reach the slow-enough speeds; <a href="/photo/14646093">this shot</a> is 8 sec., with the B+W 6-stop (ND106) filter, at f/22, ISO100; in very stormy cloudy weather (about 4-5 stops below normal sunny weather) - this was as far as I could slow down. The photo I linked to got me (and my camera) wet enough between rain and high waves hitting the coast. So, it actually can become fun to go out in bad weather.... :-) <br />Whether that's worth it to you, and your definition of fun is yet another discussion, though..... If you prefer actually nice weather, you'd need an 8-stop or 10-stop filter at least, in my view.</p>

[thomas_lozinski]

<p>Search ebay for ND32 and your filter size. About 10 bucks. You can easily get shutter speeds of about a second. If you want minutes long exposures your'e going to need something much darker. </p>

[Alan Marcus]

<p>All filters will have a published Filter Factor (FF) or you can look it up.<br /> Filter Factors are neat! You multiply the shutter speed without filter by the FF to calculate the revised shutter speed with filter mounted.<br /> As an example, say your exposure time without filter is 1/25 of a second. You mount ND (neutral density) filter with an FF of 64. The math is 1/25 x 64 = 64/25 = 2.56 thus your revised exposure time is 2 1/2 seconds (OK to round). Not easy if you haven’t worked with fractions since elementary school. <br /> In addition, ND filters are generally labeled via their optical density stated using logarithmic values. Sometimes the decimal point is omitted (for simplicity?)<br /> 0.10 = 1/3 f/stop Filter Factor 1.3<br /> 0.15 = 1/2 f/stop Filter Factor 1.4<br /> 0.20 = 2/3 f/stop Filter Factor 1.6<br /> 0.30 = 1 f/stop Filter Factor 2<br /> 0.60 = 2 f/stops Filter Factor 4<br /> 0.90 =3 f/stops Filter Factor 8<br /> 1.20 = 4 f/stops Filter Factor 16<br /> 1.50 = 5 f/stops Filter Factor 32<br /> 1.80 = 6 f/stops Filter Factor 64<br /> 2.10 = 7 f/stops Filter Factor 128<br /> 2.40 = 8 f/stops Filter Factor 256<br /> 2.70 = 9 f/stops Filter Factor 512<br /> 3.00 = 10 f/stops Filter Factor 1024</p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>"Search ebay for <strong><em>ND32</em></strong> and your filter size. About 10 bucks.<strong><em> You can easily get shutter speeds of about a second.”</em></strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />(In bright sunlight), At the beach, which is what the OP is asking about, using an ND32 (5 Stops) would mean the Digital Camera having ISO50 available and the lens having F/32 available to get to a shutter speed of around 1 second.</p>

<p>That may not be easy, using only one filter, if neither that ISO - AND - that Aperture are available to use.</p>

<p>WW</p>

[joe_willmore]

<p>Anne, you've got a couple of issues here:<br>

1. Yes, a ND filter will allow a longer exposure. How long? Depends upon the light and the shutter speed.<br>

2. The beach is a particularly challenging setting. If you shoot at mid-day on a sunny day, you've got light bouncing off the sand and water, at noon everyone will be squinting and have "raccoon eyes". So depending upon what you're shooting (if it's a person) who may want to look at some kind of scrim to moderate and soften the light. And if you're shooting at sunrise or sunset (when the rays and colors are especially glorious at the beach), then it's no-where near as bright.<br>

3. If you're looking at an extended exposure on the beach, think about a stable platform and how to achieve it. A good tripod in sand may not be that stable if you're shooting for half a second. You may be intending to get blur from the water but you likely don't want the entire picture to be blurry or fuzzy b/c of unstable sand or some wind blowing.</p>

[Jeff Lear]

<p>I took this using a Hoya HMC NDX400, Canon 5D, Canon 24-105. The photo was taken at the beach (California) at 1:04 PM and the shot settings are 10 seconds at f/11 ISO 100. The filter (77mm) was US$120. I've tried several different techniques (telescope solar filter, stacked ND gel film, Baader film, and on and on) but none was without compromises. The only thing that works well is a decent glass ND filter and for that, you'll have to pay. As William W explained [above], I had options available that would have allowed a much longer exposure. Had I used ISO 50 and an aperture of f/22 I could have achieved the same exposure with the shutter open for 1 minute 20 seconds.<br /><br /><img src="http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/IMG_0826_zps8e13875b.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[William Michael]

<p>^ Very nice - the first think I noticed was that you've 'created a mist' - which should be there.<br>

One of the elements which I like about using ND Filters, is the fun of making only one shot, in the camera.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p> </p>