Cutting down lights - ND Filer Comparison For Noobs

[MohaimenK]

So I've been struggling too on getting right exposures for outdoor photo shoots at low ISO and working with studio strobes out door. So I had an ND filter laying around which doesn't fit any of my larger lenses so tested it with the 50mm which it was slightly larger as its 58mm filter.

Here are some results I've taken in a quickness to show that incase you're trying to use low f/stops and you don't blow out the backgrounds totally. I didn't have anyone home to use as a subject but still, here are some comparison.

First, I had it at 5.6. Again, I could probably get a better result at f4 but at least you can see the difference here

I also tried af f1.8

Then I figured, I might either use 24-105 or the 70-200 and the lowest it'd go is at 2.8 so gave it another shot. Still bright and should have tried it at f4 but I didn't. Also I think the filtered image will have better luck trying to lower the exposure than the one w/out the filter.

In confclusion, I believe with the filter if you need to play with DOF it's worth the money to pick one up and for a bright outdoor portrait, it should work out really well. This is ND8 filter as you can get ND10 or higher which will work better at lower f stop. I am going to order a few at 77mm size.

Hope this helps someone out. :thumbup:

 

[ajkramer87]

Couldnt you have just increased your shutter speed?

 

[tirediron]

You can, but that might not always be desirable; for instance, let's say you want to a long exposure (>2 seconds) on a bright, sunny day to capture the water flowing in a stream. ND filters are simply another method of controlling the exposure triangle.

 

[MohaimenK]

Couldnt you have just increased your shutter speed?

:thumbup: VERY GOOD QUESTION!

I could have, but in this situation, no, because I wanted to test at the maximum shutter speed my camera would allow me to sync with the strobes. Which is 1/200. Anything above that, the shutter speed would be too quick for the strobes. So in conclusion you'd see top half of the image light up even more and the bottom half much darker. This is the main reason for my test.

Currently, there aren't any studio strobes that will allow you to use HSS like you can on a speedlite. But they're not bright enough to over power sun. So you can either spend over $400 getting pocketwizard or radiopoppers or go this route which is much more cheaper.

 

[ajkramer87]

Yeah for some reason it didn't register in my head that you were using strobes. I woudnt have thought to us a nd filter. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Big Mike]

I could have, but in this situation, no, because I wanted to test at the maximum shutter speed my camera would allow me to sync with the strobes. Which is 1/200. Anything above that, the shutter speed would be too quick for the strobes. So in conclusion you'd see top half of the image light up even more and the bottom half much darker. This is the main reason for my test.

If you don't want to exceed your max sync speed, then why not just use a smaller aperture? A smaller aperture does require more flash power, but so does using an ND filter. Using the filter would allow you to use a slightly shallower DOF, but that doesn't seem to be the purpose here.

Currently, there aren't any studio strobes that will allow you to use HSS like you can on a speedlite. But they're not bright enough to over power sun. So you can either spend over $400 getting pocketwizard or radiopoppers or go this route which is much more cheaper.

Actually, there are ways to get a couple more stops worth of shutter speed while using strobes, without having to use HSS.

I have an ND filter, but the ONLY time I use it, is when I want to get a longer shutter speed...and practically the only time I want to get a longer shutter speed, is when I'm shooting water and want it to get blurrier.

 

[MohaimenK]

If you don't want to exceed your max sync speed, then why not just use a smaller aperture? A smaller aperture does require more flash power, but so does using an ND filter. Using the filter would allow you to use a slightly shallower DOF, but that doesn't seem to be the purpose here.

Yes, Mike that is correct, I would want a shallower DOF. Thats why I was saying that I didn't have anyone else home to test that but it is done for purple of when shooting someone outdoor. Model or portrait. Thats why I didn't want to raise the apature too much. Or else, yes you're right, just close the apature, and also like stated in the first response, change the shutter speed. Sorry for the confusion.

Actually, there are ways to get a couple more stops worth of shutter speed while using strobes, without having to use HSS.

Really? What way? How much more? Vey interested!

 

[Village Idiot]

Couldnt you have just increased your shutter speed?

:thumbup: VERY GOOD QUESTION!

I could have, but in this situation, no, because I wanted to test at the maximum shutter speed my camera would allow me to sync with the strobes. Which is 1/200. Anything above that, the shutter speed would be too quick for the strobes. So in conclusion you'd see top half of the image light up even more and the bottom half much darker. This is the main reason for my test.

Currently, there aren't any studio strobes that will allow you to use HSS like you can on a speedlite. But they're not bright enough to over power sun. So you can either spend over $400 getting pocketwizard or radiopoppers or go this route which is much more cheaper.

A D70 can shoot with flashes and strobes without using a device that offsets the timing all the way up to it's maximum shutter speed. There's also other cameras that can.

 

[ababysean]

Before reading any replies I had to read the title a few times because I thought you were comparing boobs.. :lmao:

 

[MohaimenK]

A D70 can shoot with flashes and strobes without using a device that offsets the timing all the way up to it's maximum shutter speed. There's also other cameras that can.

Still there aren't any studio strobes that that can do HSS. And for those of that don't have a D70 or would buy a D70, that's the cheapest option :thumbup:

Crystal, haha NOOB not BOOB!

 

[Aye-non Oh-non Imus]

An ND8 is a 3-stop filter. Notice any similarities in exposure between pics 1 & 4? The difference in shots is 3-1/3 stops. Coincedence?

Wouldn't the experiment have been more informative if the test shots had been properly exposed under the conditions you are trying to portray? Then with the addition of the ND filter show what adjustments in settings might be necessary to get the end result you are attempting to make. Just curious.

 

[MohaimenK]

Yeah you are correct. I will do that next time I am out out on a photo shoot. I guess it's a bit confusing.

 

[Aye-non Oh-non Imus]

Your effort and intention are noteworthy and appreciated. I would only suggest to think about how to best pass on information. Consider how easily your finds can be consistantly tranfered to others with less knowledge or experience. It is my assumption this was your purpose for the excersize. Small tweaks can make a substantial difference.

 

[DerekMellott]

Couldnt you have just increased your shutter speed?

I use a ND filter when shooting with my 50mm 1.8 at 1.8 when it is bright out. I want to keep the shallow DOF so I need the filter to stop it from being over exposed, even at 1/4000.