ND Filters First Time Use

dmanning11

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Well today I tried to use my new ND filters in full sun...at the beach...at midday...:confused:

To get the shutter speed slow enough to get some motion blur I had ISO100, F32, and stacked an ND8 on an ND4.
So in short way to much glass and lots of dust.

Still here are the results, please comments welcome.

PS I don't know who those ppl are but the girl almost got taken out by a huge wave about 30 sec later. I would have taken a pic but the stupid ND filters were still attached :grumpy:

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Oh and I did manage to get that sensor dust off when I got home, it is not a UFO...:wink:
 
Excellent job. I was using a graduated ND filter last week. It goes from 0 to 8. But I ended up getting a big black cross in it when the pic was done. Dont know what that was about.
 
Variable ND filters are actually two polarizing lenses stacked together, they only have a small functional range before they develop a moire pattern, the big black cross. My 52mm one has max and min markings if you stay in the range they generally work ok.
 
Oh, thanks for that bit of info. I have to check my filter and see if it has any markings. Well what a revelation. It seems there is an area that is marked min -- max with a series of dashes between them. So that is the working area only. I guess the dark cross comes into play if you are using the back half of the lens. I guess the few times Ive used the lens before Ive been lucky and was using the correct half. A million thanks for this. It will sure solve some future problems.
Now as I read the container that holds the filter its says......To avoid cross-banding or colour shifts, do not exceed the 'min/max' markings on the ring. Another example of when all else fails READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. hahahaha
 
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Use them early morning or towards sunset. It wont be as bright and you'll get better results. Midday lighting usually doesn't look as good.
 
I see where you're going with the smoothing of the water, but you're only down to 1/3 sec. If that's the shutter speed you were aiming for, reduce your ISO to 100. That will allow you to open the aperture up to f/16 and get lower digital noise and less diffraction.



Excellent job. I was using a graduated ND filter last week. It goes from 0 to 8. But I ended up getting a big black cross in it when the pic was done. Dont know what that was about.


Variable ND filters are actually two polarizing lenses stacked together, they only have a small functional range before they develop a moire pattern, the big black cross. My 52mm one has max and min markings if you stay in the range they generally work ok.


Two different critters.
 
Yeah I knew graduated and variable are different I just figured from his description of the issue it was one of those variable filters.
On that note I do have one of those Graduated filters and for the life of me can't work out where or when to use it. Unless I was to take pictures for a car show like Top Gear I just can't see how the help, to have a dark sky in a scene.
 
One example is using the grads for sunsets or sunrises where the sky is brighter than the foreground. Take a meter reading off the sky and one of the foreground. Find the grad that has the correct number of stops difference for the two readings.
 
Wouldn't you just do HDR and get it in post processing in that situation?
 
dmanning11 said:
Wouldn't you just do HDR and get it in post processing in that situation?

In certain situations it's easier to get it out in the irks instead of trying to mask it in PS
 
You could do HDR, but sometimes there's movement in the pictures like shooting waves on a beach during sunset. Not sure HDR works well in that case.
 

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