ND filters

[Gennadiy]

Hello
I am hoping you can help me out with selecting a ND filter. I want something that would allow me to shoot at wide apertures (up to 1.2) in bright sunlight. However, it would also be nice to have a filter that I could use for long exposure shots.
I understand that a lot of the time, the more you pay for filters, the more you get out of them, however I cant bring myself to pay more that 200-250 dollars. What I was thinking, is to get a "HOYA 77MM PRO1 DIGITAL NDX8 DMC FILTER" filter that would give me 3 stops. I assume this is well enough for using wide apertures... and may be get a second copy of this filter to stack them for long exposure shots.

I would appreciate any advice on this.
Thanks

 

[Loswr]

I use a 3-stop ND (B+W #103) for shooting with my fast primes (35L, 85L, 135L) in bright sun. If you stop down, 3 stops is usually sufficient to get long exposures for moving water; sometimes I'll stack on a CPL which darkens by another ~1.75 stops.

 

[tron]

I wouldn't stack them (vignetting, quality loss). You can get a 3 stop Hoya ND filter as you mentioned (which is cheap) and a B+W 1000x (~10stop) one!

 

[Gennadiy]

Thanks a lot for your replies. I am now positive I will get a 3-stop hoya filter.
As for long exposures, I was hoping to be able to capture moving clouds, as well as moving water. I do have a circular polarizer... Do you gentlemen think its enough to have a 3-stop + cir pol filter for that?

As for quality loss... I would not mind a little bit of vignetting... or does it really degrade the quality of the image?

 

[Loswr]

Stacking an ND and a CPL is ok, if they're both good quality (B+W, the higher end Hoya but not the lower end lines). You can test for vignetting (I've done so with several lenses). For moving clouds, which are pretty slow compared to water, you'll likely need more than 3-5 stops. I use a 10-stop filter for that - have a B+W in 77mm and a Schneider Optics (B+W's parent company) in 82mm.

 

[Razor2012]

Stacking an ND and a CPL is ok, if they're both good quality (B+W, the higher end Hoya but not the lower end lines). You can test for vignetting (I've done so with several lenses). For moving clouds, which are pretty slow compared to water, you'll likely need more than 3-5 stops. I use a 10-stop filter for that - have a B+W in 77mm and a Schneider Optics (B+W's parent company) in 82mm.

Was just looking at the B+W's, but I'm leaning towards the Lee system, I just have to get different adapter rings. Don't want to duplicate filters for different lenses.

 

[Gennadiy]

So I guess the best approach is to get a 3 stop hoya for sunny days and a B+W 10 stop filter for long exposure.

Lee filters give very nice results... but 1) they are expensive 2) which is even more important for me... I just can't see myself carrying them around. Photography is hobby for me, and I'm afraid that systems like that could take the fun out of taking photos.

 

[Razor2012]

So I guess the best approach is to get a 3 stop hoya for sunny days and a B+W 10 stop filter for long exposure.

Lee filters give very nice results... but 1) they are expensive 2) which is even more important for me... I just can't see myself carrying them around. Photography is hobby for me, and I'm afraid that systems like that could take the fun out of taking photos.

Agreed, they are pricey and a person can aquire alot of gear. But I'm really picky about my filters (just use B+W) and even though it might be a bit more work, I value quality over quantity. I actually don't mind the setup and takedown of various filters/systems, it just seems to add to the overall feel and mechanics of photography.

 

[Gennadiy]

I guess you're right, for long exposure shots you have to set up your equipment anyways. A couple extra minutes may not be a big deal after all.

 

[arcanej]

The Lee system looks really interesting. How do they compare brands like B+W in terms of quality?

 

[Razor2012]

The Lee system looks really interesting. How do they compare brands like B+W in terms of quality?

There are a few guys here that have the B+W's and I would have to guess that the quality would be top notch. Lee does have glass filters also (I think their Pro line), but the main thing for me is flexibility. With Lee I can buy one system and just have different adapters for each lens.