Fader ND Filter

[bazooka]

I'm strictly talking about faders in my post above. I'm not referring to ND's. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[ann]

I have a Graduated ND filter that screws on and has an outer ring that turns to place the ND section in the area you wish.

Graduated NDs are not the same as a variable/fader NDs.

I know that, so......

 

[OscarWilde]

Is stacking still a huge issue if you use stepping rings? I see the point about all the extra surfaces for dust and fingerprints.... I'm most likely going to buy the three piece set and even if I don't stack them I will at least have the option of 1-3 and 4 or 5 in a stretch. Thanks for all the feedback; I apologize for the vague-ness of my original post. Essentially I was just hoping for this: a solid discussion about the pros and cons of various ND filter types!

@Joey_Richard
I was looking at the Big Stopper (Lee) and apparently it has quite a blue tint to it. Can you verify at all? Hitech came out with their 10 Stop ND as well, and I remember seeing a review some time ago about it being the equal to the Lee 10. I'm just wondering which is really superior...

Lee always seems to come up in filter talk and seems like a majorly reliable brand...

 

[Joey_Ricard]

Oscar, I actually have both - the lee and the hitech. I had bought the hitech for my brother who has not used it. I have not had a chance to really use it over the Lee but in the few shots I fooled with, it seemed close to the lee in terms of cast I was used to with the lee. I never give it much thought either way, because I shoot raw on auto WB then correct after the fact. (landscapes anyway).

Depending on what you are shooting and metering off of without the filter, the cast could be more magenta then blue and also depending on the ambient light available and the length of the exposure. This is the same with all ND filters I have, so it's not something I even consider correcting with WB before or as I am shooting.

Sorry to say, I would have bought my brother a Lee version if it were available at the time, but they only had the hitech so I got it. I hope to find some time to fool with it now that I own it. Anything Lee or Singh Ray is good stuff. I don't like bashing other brands, but these are what I use.

 

[480sparky]

Is stacking still a huge issue if you use stepping rings? .........

The use of a step ring is not relevant. 3 pieces of glass is 3 pieces of glass. The only thing you may avoid is vignetting.

 

[OscarWilde]

Is stacking still a huge issue if you use stepping rings? .........

The use of a step ring is not relevant. 3 pieces of glass is 3 pieces of glass. The only thing you may avoid is vignetting.

Sorry, Vignetting was the big deal I was referring to; you say "may". As in it doesn't always prevent vignetting?

Depending on what you are shooting and metering off of without the filter, the cast could be more magenta then blue and also depending on the ambient light available and the length of the exposure. This is the same with all ND filters I have, so it's not something I even consider correcting with WB before or as I am shooting.

I also shoot a lot of RAW (depending how many pictures I'm taking, as I'm somewhat limited for memory at the moment...) so that is really good to know, that the white balance due to the filter can be fixed later. I also appreciate the advice about brands. When getting into anything new it always takes a while to find the brands that really fit your needs, but knowing what works for other people is a nice place to start!

 

[table1349]

Fader Filters vs Traditional ND Filters « Vincent Laforet's Blog

 

[480sparky]

Sorry, Vignetting was the big deal I was referring to; you say "may". As in it doesn't always prevent vignetting?

Using larger filters on a step right MAY prevent vignetting. Without any specifics (thickness of filters, step ring sizes, how may you'll stack, and aperture and FOV of the lens you're using) it's impossible to make a blanket statement.

 

[OscarWilde]

Fader Filters vs Traditional ND Filters « Vincent Laforet's Blog

Thanks! That blog confirmed the "less sharp" theory!

@ Sparky:

I see your point, I'm not sure how often I would plan on stacking them anyway, but its good to know it isn't a guarantee! Nothing worse than relying on something to work and finding out it doesn't!

 

[480sparky]

I see your point, I'm not sure how often I would plan on stacking them anyway, but its good to know it isn't a guarantee! Nothing worse than relying on something to work and finding out it doesn't!

Take some test shots, so you'll know where you stand once you get in the field.