Advice on which ND filters to own

[Boney]

Just got back from a weeks road trip to the north end of Calif. Shot some waterfalls and really wished for some ND filters to get those creamy water flows. Now that I'm home I want to get some NDs for the gadget bag, but not sure what values to get. I assume it's OK to stack them if not on a very wide angle lens.
Any suggestions?

 

[Tee]

I use B+W filters. I have the 0.9 (3 stops) and the 1.8 (6 stops). I found those two values cover a nice range and suit my needs well for the times it's sunnier than I expected.

 

[480sparky]

A VND is a nice addition to the bag.

 

[TheFantasticG]

Just bought a B+W MRC 3.0 (10 stop) ND filter for shooting day time lightning. I use B+W UV filters and haven't seen an effect on IQ so I went with them on the ND filter... That and the Wife would be very not happy if I laid down $300+ for the Singh-Ray.

 

[Bynx]

As Sparky says, a variable ND filter is the way to go. Then you have all of them in one.

 

[rexbobcat]

Get a high quality variable ND though if you go that route. They're kind of notorious for showing a noticeable loss in quality.

 

[480sparky]

As Sparky says, a variable ND filter is the way to go. Then you have all of them in one.

One issue with VNDs is they're thicker than single-stop NDs. This may cause vignetting with wide-angle lenses. Mine does with my 10-24mm, but I'm aware of the issue. I usually 'shoot wide' anyway and crop in post, so it's not a big deal.