ND filters for long exposures

[David B]

Hi

I was thinking about getting an ND filter or two (as oposed to grads where I have the Lee 125mm x 100mm 0.3, 0.6 ad 0.9 soft grads) to give me longer exposures for seascapes. I like to shoot around dawn / dusk, and quite often have exposures of 1second or more using Velvia 50.

These filters (especially if you buy them from Lee!) seem very expensive, so I was thinking about buying just 1 for now. If I got a 3 stop ND, that would give 8seconds for a meter reading of 1 second, 1 minute for a meter reading of 8 seconds etc. It doesn't seem to me to be worth getting anything 'denser' than at 3 stop at least to start with? I'm guessing, beacuse I haven't done a lot of blurred water photography, that 30 seconds or more would give all the blurring you could want, or am I not right here? There is also the extent to which Velvia will perform in low exposures.

Any advice from people with experience of getting very motion blurred seascapes, using Velvia 50, would be appreciated. Am I along the right lines?

Thanks!

David.

[Charles Twist]

There is also the extent to which Velvia will perform in low exposures.

I was going to say. 8 sec is nearer 12, 15 nearer 25 and 30 nearer 1min with RVP50.
There are different amounts of blur from moving wave to the sea looking like a mist. What are you after?
I have ND0.9 and ND1.2 from hitech - not sure what they are like these days for quality? I have used them a fair bit with my unshuttered lenses, but very little with colour. Just to say, you never know where they might come in handy.
Regards,
Charles

[David B]

Thanks Charles. I had reciprosity failure in mind, and this will add (which is what I want) to longish exposures. I want to try and capture some flat calm seas, not necessarlity go for the total mist effect, but at the same time, much more than the blurred wave effect.

[dave_whatever]

If you've already got a polariser then you could also use that as an impromtu 1.5-2 stop ND.

[David B]

If you've already got a polariser then you could also use that as an impromtu 1.5-2 stop ND.

Actually Dave, that's a very good idea - I've got a good quality Heliopan polariser, that has a 2 stop filter factor. Perhaps I should try that first as a no additional cost fix. Thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't thinking along those lines at all. Cheers!

[Joanna Carter]

Don't forget, at the moment, Lee are quoting around six months lead time for new orders of filters. Oh, and that I can do 15% discount if you want to order through me

[Paul Dunning]

Don't forget, at the moment, Lee are quoting around six months lead time for new orders of filters. Oh, and that I can do 15% discount if you want to order through me

This is definitely true of the grads and the 10 stop ND but many of their other ND filters seem to be easily available from the 0.9 ProGlass filter to their cheaper ND sets.

Paul.

[IanG]

After recent images posted here in this forum I'd think twice of buying a Lee filter if I wanted an ND filter, they seem to suffer worse than uncoated glass filters in terms of causing internal lens/filter reflections.

That aside I think only a good MC coated MC glass screw in filter will give the most consistent results.

Ian

[Joanna Carter]

After recent images posted here in this forum I'd think twice of buying a Lee filter if I wanted an ND filter, they seem to suffer worse than uncoated glass filters in terms of causing internal lens/filter reflections.

I'm sorry Ian but you really shouldn't jump to such conclusions, especially when you are wrong in your assumptions. The filters I used were Formatt Hitech resin.

All uncoated filters are likely to cause reflections in adverse conditions but there are not many of us who could afford the full set of CC filters that I have if they had to spend out on coated, especially since I have too many different filter thread sizes to even contemplate anything other than 100mm square system filters. Even then it is a struggle to cover a 72mm Super Angulon XL unless you use 130mm filters.

[IanG]

After recent images posted here in this forum I'd think twice of buying a Lee filter if I wanted an ND filter, they seem to suffer worse than uncoated glass filters in terms of causing internal lens/filter reflections.

I'm sorry Ian but you really shouldn't jump to such conclusions, especially when you are wrong in your assumptions. The filters I used were Formatt Hitech resin.

All uncoated filters are likely to cause reflections in adverse conditions but there are not many of us who could afford the full set of CC filters that I have if they had to spend out on coated, especially since I have too many different filter thread sizes to even contemplate anything other than 100mm square system filters. Even then it is a struggle to cover a 72mm Super Angulon XL unless you use 130mm filters.

Fair enough Joanne.

However when you are an agent for Lee filters you are a defacto representative so we nexpect your images to be shot with Lee filters

I don't disagreee about practicalties and budget being an issue and it's about compromise. For 30+ years I've had no issues with my Cokin P filters, but try fitting any of these to very large lenses like a 165mm Sper Angulon

Best approach is good glass screw in ND filters for your most common lenses via adaptors if needed and then whatever you can afford for larger. Or as dave_whatever suggests use something like a polariser, the Cokin P version is made by Hoya and fits tight in the Cokin holder.

Ian

[Nigels]

I've been shooting LF since 2002 now and have settled on just 5 filters;
1-3 is a set of LEE hard grads. Initially I did try using these stacked.
4 is a cheap screw-on polariser. And I mean cheap - 50p from a bring and buy sale.
5 is a B+W 6 stop ( 1.8 ) screw-on ND which gets very rare use but I think is more practical than a 10-stopper. Bought from Warehouseexpress for £64 in 2009.

[Joanna Carter]

However when you are an agent for Lee filters you are a defacto representative so we nexpect your images to be shot with Lee filters

I bought a whole load of Formatt filters long before I became a dealer for Lee; I see no point in throwing them away.

However, the ND filters I got from Formatt were manufactured at a time when their colour neutrality was excellent. I gather that, now, they are not always as neutral and, thus, were I to need new NDs, I wouldn't hesitate in buying Lee.

Best approach is good glass screw in ND filters for your most common lenses via adaptors if needed and then whatever you can afford for larger. Or as dave_whatever suggests use something like a polariser, the Cokin P version is made by Hoya and fits tight in the Cokin holder.

My personal experience of Cokin is that their NDs are not necessarily colour neutral but I do have a Cokin polariser for the Z-series holder (130mm) that I bought for the 72mm SA and find it to be fine.

[jennym]

If you have a Lee hard grad you can always use that as a ND filter by pulling it right down over the lens. I have done this before and it has worked fine, but it wouldn't work with soft grads. So you could look for a hard grad that would also double up as an ND filter.

[dave_whatever]

I did have some cokin grads in P size years ago, they had pretty dubious colour. 2-stop was borderline usable, 3-stops was bloody awful. Not only was it not neutral, it was a kind of weird purple colour that you don't see in nature. Had they just been warm or redsish it might have been manageable. In comparison, hitech grds were a hundred times better for the same money.

I think I also had a Kood straight ND in p-size which was ok, might be worth a look for a cheap ND since they do make 100mm versions.

[Julian Elliott]

Speed Graphic have a 2 stop in stock right now:

http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/lee_cokin ... 342_p.html