To Filter.... or Not To Filter. That is the question.

R

RON_RIP

Senior Member
You should Michael. All my lens wear cpl's or they wear nothing at all. Seriously, they just seem to help and I use them outside all the time except at night and many times I do not even take them off when I am shooting indoors.
have even considered buying the warming version but cannot get any technical info on it with which to make a decision.
 
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Michael J.

Michael J.

Senior Member
I am lucky - I can use my old Hoya CPL for the 35m . Now the new is on the 16-85 again.

cpl-filter.jpg
 
R

RON_RIP

Senior Member
I use Hoya's too Michael. Try a series of shots with them on and then duplicate them without the filters and I think you will be able to see the difference.
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
I went out with the dogs today and took the cam to try some shots. It was raining but for what I had in mind, it wasn't much of a problem.

I had the wide on and got very close taking my shots. After a couple I discovered the youngest dog is faster than me and he licked the lens. Not having my cleaning kit with me, I had to look for a dry and not too rough/dirty part of my sweater and remove the worst. It was either that or bag the cam and go home.

Sh*t happens. An UV wouldn't have saved me with that particular lens.

But speed would.

It happened somewhere here ;)

_DSC1621.jpg
 
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Michael J.

Michael J.

Senior Member
Let me put a question in here. I wanna buy, I think tomorrow, an ND Filter for my Nikon 16-85mm. Any suggestion? Why an ND, i wanna go a bit different now.
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
I have a ten-stop B+W ND for my 77mm and it's a good filter but I only use it when needed for a specific shot since limiting incoming light is only a good thing when it serves a purpose.
 
R

RON_RIP

Senior Member
They are, I think primarily a landscape filter meant to slow down exposures. I have 9stop, which i have never had reason to use but hope to use someday. Do you have a specific use in mind for this lens? that would dictate wether or not you need one.
 
Michael J.

Michael J.

Senior Member
I would like to do beach and landscape

As far as I found in Thailand is a Hoya ND8 Pro1D that I think is great. But, yes I am a newbie, I don't know how to use it right.

I am just searching the Internet
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Michael, 9- and 10-stop filters will increase your exposure time much more than a 3-stop ND filter. I believe the Hoya you listed is a 3-stop. If you are looking to create the really smooth water and glassy water effects, I'm not sure 3-stops will be enough. What it does is to slow down your shutter speed by the number of stops the filter is designed to be.
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
Also keep in mind not all neutral density filters are necessarily that neutral. Especially in cheaper versions colors can shift.
 
cwgrizz

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Nice chart Siamthai1. It really shows what the actual effect on shutter speed time that each filter will give. Thanks for sharing.
 
Michael J.

Michael J.

Senior Member
hark said:
Michael, 9- and 10-stop filters will increase your exposure time much more than a 3-stop ND filter. I believe the Hoya you listed is a 3-stop. .
Click to expand...

Why does it say: Hoya ND8 Pro1D? What does ND8 mean. Soon I am going on a very nice beach for a short vacation and I wanna have a ND to take photos smoothed out.
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
siamthai1 said:
Why does it say: Hoya ND8 Pro1D? What does ND8 mean. Soon I am going on a very nice beach for a short vacation and I wanna have a ND to take photos smoothed out.
Click to expand...

Michael, sorry I've been away from the forum for a few weeks. Here is a chart I found online which comes from this web site: Choosing the best ND filter: remember these 4 tips (and save this cheat sheet!) | Digital Camera World

Best_ND_Filter_conversion_chart.jpg


Look at the very left-hand column under where it says, FILTER. The ND8 is listed closer to the top. Now go over to the 3rd column from the left under where is says, Light Reduction in Stops. The ND8 is listed as a 3-stop ND filter.

Probably the most common ND filters will be a 3-stop (ND8), 6-stop (ND64), and either a 9-stop (ND500) or 10-stop (ND1000). A 3-stop won't slow your shutter down by a huge amount. If you are looking to create some glassy water shots, I'd suggest going with a 9-stop or a 10-stop. Of course, you'd need a tripod to handle the longer shutter speeds.
 
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