Which ND you recommend for portrait outdoor?

[MH_91]

hey guys,

i wanna buy a ND filters, and i use lot of flashes outdoor, so i wanted to know, which ND you guys recommend?? its for portrait and weddings uses only.

2x = ND.3 (exposure adjustment = 1 stop, reduces ISO 1/2)
4x = ND.6 (exposure adjustment = 2 stops, reduces ISO 1/4)
8x = ND.9 (exposure adjustment = 3 stops, reduces ISO 1/8)


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Thanks in advance!

 

[Buckster]

It doesn't make sense to me to use any of them for portrait or wedding work, so I really don't know.

What is your goal in using them for that sort of work?

 

[MH_91]

It doesn't make sense to me to use any of them for portrait or wedding work, so I really don't know.

What is your goal in using them for that sort of work?

i honestly new in this filter thing, i have seen couple of videos which shows the use of a ND filter while you wanna use your flashes. What it dose?? it will basically decrees the background exposure and shows more of the flash light on the object. i dont know if that make sense to you or not

i have attached a video, skip till 5:00 which basically shows what i mean behind the reason of using an ND filter for outdoor sessions.

Also, what i meant for weddings, i meant for the formal pictures while we are doing some outdoor pictures.

 

[Buckster]

Ahh, that was well explained. I've never actually used them in that way, but it's perfectly valid if want or need to do that sort of thing.

Back to your question, it's going to depend on how much ambient light you need to fight against, and how much aperture control you need to get. I would say get a full set of ND's or maybe a variable density ND.

Do you have the flash power to compensate?

 

[MH_91]

Ahh, that was well explained. I've never actually used them in that way, but it's perfectly valid if want or need to do that sort of thing.

Back to your question, it's going to depend on how much ambient light you need to fight against, and how much aperture control you need to get. I would say get a full set of ND's or maybe a variable density ND.

Do you have the flash power to compensate?

For now, i was thinking to use it with my 580 Ex attached to a softbox or without it. In the future, i was thinking to do that with the Elinchrom Ranger.

 

[Rockadile]

The ND filter will also decrease flash exposure so you would probably need a stronger strobe. Are you trying to shoot with a wide aperture for shallow DoF during bright sunlight or overpowering the sun to decrease ambient exposure?

 

[MH_91]

The ND filter will also decrease flash exposure so you would probably need a stronger strobe. Are you trying to shoot with a wide aperture for shallow DoF during bright sunlight or overpowering the sun to decrease ambient exposure?

yeah, most likely i will shoot with a wide Aperture 2.8, 4 maybe? So maybe i need more then one layer of ND ? is that even possible? Once again, am a nooooooooooob about filter lol!

 

[macpro88]

This is relevant to my interests, thanks for bringing this up!

Per the video, you can stack them on top of each other, which is handy for sure.

I guess if you can afford it buy a set (the ones you listed in your OP) and just practice shooting and see what happens. granted you can't predict the sun light that day of the shoot but you can at least get a general feel for what's going to happen.

and based on the video, having a light meter would be very handy as well

 

[MH_91]

This is relevant to my interests, thanks for bringing this up!

Per the video, you can stack them on top of each other, which is handy for sure.

I guess if you can afford it buy a set (the ones you listed in your OP) and just practice shooting and see what happens. granted you can't predict the sun light that day of the shoot but you can at least get a general feel for what's going to happen.

and based on the video, having a light meter would be very handy as well

i didnt watch the full video, i was just fast forwarding hoping to see a picture prove of what am talking about lol..

i will get some ND tomorrow, and i have a session to do this upcoming weekend, hopefully it becomes handy. I will update you guys!

cheers,

 

[macpro88]

This is relevant to my interests, thanks for bringing this up!

Per the video, you can stack them on top of each other, which is handy for sure.

I guess if you can afford it buy a set (the ones you listed in your OP) and just practice shooting and see what happens. granted you can't predict the sun light that day of the shoot but you can at least get a general feel for what's going to happen.

and based on the video, having a light meter would be very handy as well

i didnt watch the full video, i was just fast forwarding hoping to see a picture prove of what am talking about lol..

i will get some ND tomorrow, and i have a session to do this upcoming weekend, hopefully it becomes handy. I will update you guys!

cheers,

take the time to watch it all lol, great video actually haha

and keep us posted! would love to see how it turns out

 

[Village Idiot]

I have two of the three you mention, but I'm not sure which. I believe it's a 3 stop and a 9 stop. A speedlight will barely over power daylight unless you're shotting bare and extremely close, so anything over a 3 stop is most likely out of the equation. IIRC, it's the 9 stop I used with an 800w/s and 900w/s pack. The additional issue is that with the stronger NDs, it becomes increasingly difficult to see through the view finder and for the camera to focus.

 

[ghache]

i usually use a 3 stops or a 4 stops.

 

[ghache]

It doesn't make sense to me to use any of them for portrait or wedding work, so I really don't know.

What is your goal in using them for that sort of work?

it doesnt make sense? good lord.

 

[Buckster]

It doesn't make sense to me to use any of them for portrait or wedding work, so I really don't know.

What is your goal in using them for that sort of work?

it doesnt make sense? good lord.

Keep reading the thread...

 

[jaomul]

Before you buy them you can still try similar techniques without them. A normal sunny day is approx F11 @ 1/250th sec at iso 100. More often its a little duller than this. Meter for the ambient and drop your aperture 2 stops. This should be enough to darken up the sky. Use off camera flash for your subject. A bit of experimenting with this will tell you quickly what nd filters you will need for your goals