What Neutral Density Filter To Buy
The 6-stop ND the ideal ND filter for shooting waterfalls, sunsets in the mountains, on the coast or in the desert, and even in urban environments where you want to reduce human subjects from a composition.
what neutral density filter to buy
One often overlooked technique with a 3-stop ND filter is using ISO 50 to double exposure time close to what a 6-stop would be, which further increases the versatility of the 3-stop.
The 10-stop ND filter excels for pushing exposure times out very far for abstract and urban subjects, especially in harsh, direct light.
The 3-stop is the preferred ND filter for 90% of wedding and portrait photographers. This will allow you to control shutter speed below the cameras maximum 1/4000 or 1/8000 and lower your shutter speed to control flash sync more effectively.
In this article, I look at the common problem of which Neutral Density filters to buy for landscape photography. Two questions crop up with regularity when it comes to choosing Neutral Density filters, or ND filters to use the common abbreviation:
ND filters or Neutral Density filters have one purpose; they slow the shutter speed of the cameras. They are very popular with Landscape Photographers as they allow us to blur moving subjects whilst keeping stationary subjects perfectly sharp. You can see an example of this in the sunrise scene below.
The option preferred by most landscape photographers is the square slot in filter design. Here a filter holder attaches to the end of the lens using an adapter ring. The filters then slot into the holder. Most filter holders are much wider than the lens which avoids vignetting, even when you combine multiple filters on a wide-angle lens.
We measure the strength of a Neutral Density filter by the light reduction they produce, which we measure in stops. Take the example of the weakest ND filter which will remove 1 stop of light. This causes the shutter speed of the camera to double, assuming nothing else changes. We then rate this filter as an ND2 filter because it doubles the shutter speed, the 2 indicating how much longer the shutter speed is.
If you only have the budget to purchase 1 filter, the ND64 (6 stop) is probably the best compromise. Also, consider pairing this ND filter with a polarising filter if you have one. The polarizer will typically reduce the light by around another 2 stops, giving an 8 stop reduction overall.
Keep in mind that there are big differences between brands both when it comes to the quality of filters and holders, and their design. For example, in the NiSi V6 Pro system, you can place a Circular Polarizer inside the filter holder but for other brands, you might need an additional adapter.
That being said, filters from most manufacturers fit into the different filter holders so it is possible to choose a budget filter holder and higher quality filter (though I do recommend sticking to the same brand for both the holder and filters).
My first Neutral Density filter was a cheap screw-on filter found at a local electronic shop. The price was around $20. As a beginner photographer these where the perfect filters to begin with; they allowed me to use a slightly longer shutter speed but perhaps more importantly they helped me understand the relation between the essential camera settings.
I used these filters for a while before understanding that I needed a darker filter that could make it possible to achieve an even slower shutter speed. This was before square filters had become as popular as today so I ended up purchasing B+W screw-in filters.
In addition to the terms 6 Stop or 10 Stop, you might also see a classification such as ND1.8 or ND3.0. This is another method of explaining the darkness of the filter but, for now, stick with understanding the stops. This can quickly get confusing!
Capturing images with such a slow shutter speed requires some more planning and a few more steps than normal. For example, I highly recommend taking one or two test shots before mounting the filter so you know roughly what shutter speed you need to get a good exposure.
If you love shooting landscapes, you probably thought about using neutral density. Perhaps you already own a set of nice filters, but do you know which filter you need to use? This beginners guide can help you choosing the right neutral density filter.
I use the Haida M10 system with red diamond filters. I really enjoy focus stacking so I haven't bothered with anything more than a 6 stop. I really enjoy photographing waterfalls and streams. I suppose if I move into bigger bodies of water I'll purchase a 3 or 4 stop and stack them.
Indeed, the cloud motion looks nice.I was calculating the ND400 into stops... it's 8.6 stop. I never heared about a filter that blocks that amount of light.Is it a variable filter perhaps?
Thankfully, with an ND filter, we can cut down on the light and shoot for longer shutter speeds without having to resort to crazy-high apertures. Shooting at apertures above f/16 is generally not recommended as an effect called diffraction can reduce the quality, notably the sharpness, of our images.
In addition, individual filters are generally less expensive than individual screw-in filters, after the initial investment in the mounting system. The initial attachment of the mount can take longer than with a screw-in filter, but once set up, filters are quite easy to drop in.
An ND calculator app lets you enter in values for your shutter speed, aperture and ISO, and then choose an ND filter strength. It will then show you the appropriate new values for your shutter speed based on that strength, taking the guesswork out of your exposure calculation.
These days I primarily use Kolari vision neutral density filters, and I also use their UV filters. The reason for this is that they are designed to be tough, using gorilla glass, meaning they are less susceptible to damage from drops or scratches.
Kase are a well known brand in the ND filter world, and they produce a range of filters. This kit has all the filters you should need. Screw-in filters make for easy changes and you can even stack a number of them to increase the effect.
Thanks Lawrence on your above article,Would it please be possible to email a data sheet detailing your article, I am an intermediate photographer and never used any type of filters but I am interested in purchasing the Lee 100 filter system.Please noteI cannot receive emails on my phone but would appreciate your response via email which I can read on my laptop.Thanks and happy new year to you.Paul Todd
This is fantastic. Very helpful. Thank you. As someone who is still at an amateur level but investing in good/very good quality equipment for the future, I try to do a lot of research to educate myself before making my purchases. Your review is incredibly helpful and opened my eyes not only to the need for an ND filter but also the different systems available. Keep it up.
ND filters are separated based on their blocking strength, which means that there are ND filters with less blocking strength that allow more light to pass, while others with more blocking strength allow minimal levels of light to pass.
The most common situation when an ND filter is very useful is when the shutter speed needs to be extended during daytime; for example, to create a beautiful long exposure of running waters or those nice passing clouds over the mountain peak.
Another situation when an ND filter is useful is when a wide-open aperture (f/1.4, f/2) must be used under daylight but the shutter speed must remain constant; for example, for video shooting or when the light meter warns us of overexposure even if we reached the fastest shutter speed (i.e. 1/8000). Again, based on the ND blocking strength we can achieve those beautiful shallow depth of field shots as the filter lowers the overall amount of light.
No matter how good and capable your camera sensor might be in retaining all details and having high resolution, you must keep in mind that light enters the camera through the lens as well as the filter, which is most often attached to its front.
Depending on the filter optical elements quality, the final image might have lower sharpness or other optical aberrations, for example flaring or even color shift (or color cast) that many times is rather difficult to fix in post.
Of course, this is something that applies to all filters and not only ND, but in the case of ND filters especially, color shift is a common issue. To avoid negatively impacting your image quality with your ND filter, you may want to purchase the highest-quality ND filter you can afford.
As we mentioned earlier, ND filters are available in both circular and square versions and in all sizes, so it is easy to find one for your lens. However, they are also separated based on their light-blocking strength, which is the most important factor when you are searching for an ND filter to buy.
So for example, if our initial base exposure test (without a filter) was aperture: f/8, shutter speed: 1/400, and ISO: 64 and we selected a 10-stop ND, then the exposure settings should be aperture: f/8, shutter speed: 2.5sec, and ISO: 64 so to have the same amount of light as the initial shot.
This is an ND filter that has adjustable variable density strength, such as ND3-400, which means that the blocking strength is not constant, but it can be adjusted by the user depending on the shooting needs by turning the front of the filter.
These filters have a clear bottom part which is designed to allow foreground light to pass unimpeded, while the ND part is located on the upper portion to block some of the light from the brighter sky.
If you are into urban photography (travel, portrait, architectural) then a 5-stop ND is probably more suitable for your needs. Or you may want to consider a combination of 3-stop and 6-stop ND filters that can also be stacked. 041b061a72