Neutral density filter

[Emma0911]

Does anyone know the difference between 0.9, 0.6, 0.3 in a neutral density filter? I'm looking to buy a filter as I do a ton of shooting in the sun and need help diffusing it. Thanks

 

[tirediron]

3 stops of density, 2 stops and 1 stop respectively. Note however that these block light, not diffuse it.

 

[Emma0911]

3 stops of density, 2 stops and 1 stop respectively. Note however that these block light, not diffuse it.

Are there different types of diffusers I should be looking at then? I really need something to help diffuse not block. Thanks

 

[tirediron]

I think you may be confusing terms. If you can describe more accurately what you want to do, perhaps we can recommend something.

 

[cgipson1]

A diffuser would be something you put in between the subject and the sun... like this > Amazon.com: Lastolite LL LR3707 48-Inch TriGrip 2 Stop Diffuser: Camera & Photo to "diffuse" the sunlight and make it less harsh!

A ND filter is something you put on your lens to block really bright light... to either allow slower shutter speeds or wider apertures! Like this > Amazon.com: B+W 65-073102 77mm Neutral Density 0.9-8x Filter #103: Electronics ! They come in various "strengths" so that you can control how much light you want to block!

 

[Emma0911]

This is exactly what I was looking for, very helpful. Thanks

 

[cgipson1]

This is exactly what I was looking for, very helpful. Thanks

Sure.. glad I could help! lol!

 

[TCampbell]

ND filters sometimes use three different ways to describe the same thing.

Some filters indicate the number of "stops" of light that they block.

Some filters indicate the "percentage" of light which is allowed to pass through.

Some filters indicate the "density" of the filter where each "0.1" worth of density is equal to 1/3rd of a stop in exposure.

An ND 0.9 means it blocks 3 full stops of light (9 "third" stops). But you might find this called an ND-3. You could also find it sold as an ND 13 (meaning 13% of the light may pass through (really 12.5% but they round up)).

An ND filter doesn't "diffuse" sun per se. It just blocks a percentage of it and, in doing so, it changes your shooting circumstances. The most common use of an ND filter is to make it possible for you to slow the shutter speed to something slow enough to show motion blur (e.g. waterfalls). You might use it to increase the aperture size and reduce the depth of field. While you could just increase the shutter to decrease the DoF, that might not be practical if you also need to use fill-flash (so you need to keep the shutter speed down below flash-sync speeds AND still get to increase the aperture size.)

 

[Helen B]

ND filters sometimes use three different ways to describe the same thing...

Don't forget the 'x' way: the amount by which the exposure needs to be modified: 2x being one stop, 4x being two stops, 8x being three stops etc.