Post your 9 or 10 stop ND photos

njstacker22 wrote in post #17510544
I have been wanting a good ND setup for a while now but have been holding off due to price. Now, I'm considering buying something cheap just to play with. Did you buy the XCSource straight from their site? I mean, for $11 bucks, how can you go wrong?

http://www.xcsource.co​m/p_detail.php?id=3183

Exactly. It's just a piece of glass. The big names grossly inflate their prices.

I bought mine about two months ago and can't recall how I did it. I will have to check. (Old-folks amnesia.)

Archibald wrote in post #17510577
Exactly. It's just a piece of glass. The big names grossly inflate their prices.

Half true. BRAND is a thing of vanity, sure... but the expensive systems tend to use better materials as well. Buy the best you can afford.

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17510583
Half true. BRAND is a thing of vanity, sure... but the expensive systems tend to use better materials as well. Buy the best you can afford.

I always agree with this. It's not that I can't afford it there are just other things I need to buy before I spend money on a ND setup (flash, light tables, etc.). I'll try the $11 piece just for sh*ts and giggles.

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17510583
Half true. BRAND is a thing of vanity, sure... but the expensive systems tend to use better materials as well. Buy the best you can afford.

It is not wise to buy blindly. The prestige brands will take advantage of you! What's that saying about a fool and his money?

Archibald wrote in post #17510650
It is not wise to buy blindly. The prestige brands will take advantage of you! What's that saying about a fool and his money?

Who said anything about buying blindly? Do you research and purchase accordingly. As simple as that really.

Personally I buy the best I can afford AFTER doing research. I don't like budget items and I don't want to hassle with junk. I prefer brands that outperform others, have excellent customer service, are made domestically (if possible) and require little maintenance. Buy once, cry once. That's me, that may not be you. Everyone has different budgets. YMMV

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17510720
Who said anything about buying blindly? Do you research and purchase accordingly. As simple as that really.

Personally I buy the best I can afford AFTER doing research. I don't like budget items and I don't want to hassle with junk. I prefer brands that outperform others, have excellent customer service, are made domestically (if possible) and require little maintenance. Buy once, cry once. That's me, that may not be you. Everyone has different budgets. YMMV

This! When I was considering my polarizer, I saw cheap no-name brand ones at Best Buy for 11 bucks. Then I did the research and ended up settling with a 200 dollar Hoya HD polarizer. Don't regret the decision whatsoever. Different filters work for different people's needs.

Haida 10 stop

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17510720
Who said anything about buying blindly? Do you research and purchase accordingly. As simple as that really.

Personally I buy the best I can afford AFTER doing research. I don't like budget items and I don't want to hassle with junk. I prefer brands that outperform others, have excellent customer service, are made domestically (if possible) and require little maintenance. Buy once, cry once. That's me, that may not be you. Everyone has different budgets. YMMV

How does one judge an ND filter? Do you have an opinion on the XCSource example I posted?

njstacker22 wrote in post #17510544
I have been wanting a good ND setup for a while now but have been holding off due to price. Now, I'm considering buying something cheap just to play with. Did you buy the XCSource straight from their site? I mean, for $11 bucks, how can you go wrong?

http://www.xcsource.co​m/p_detail.php?id=3183

OK, I checked and yes, I purchased from the source.

As I admitted, I'm new to these ND filters, but from what I can see, the XCSource filter is fine. The pic I posted looks sharp and there is only a slight color shift. Is there anything else I should be aware of? Does anyone see any slight problem with the XCsource ND?

Archibald wrote in post #17511491
How does one judge an ND filter? Do you have an opinion on the XCSource example I posted?

Your shot does not demonstrate any of the qualities I'm interested in coming from a filter of this type... and that is not being critical of your shot.

Take some outdoors in bright light with water and clouds then we can have a conversation.

I suppose to seriously judge a ND you'd need a photographer with 98% more experience using them then me. I just bought mine at the end of last year and have probably only taken a few dozen shots with it... with about 5 keepers. I finally just picked up a 105mm CPL today so I cannot wait to get back out there and shoot.

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17511503
Your shot does not demonstrate any of the qualities I'm interested in coming from a filter of this type... and that is not being critical of your shot.

The shot was only intended to test sharpness, contrast and color of the new filter. What other qualities should I pay attention to?

Yes, of course. Based on my simple test, I think the cheap XCSource filter looks satisfactory and therefore I'm ready to go out and do long exposure shooting.

Excellent, please do. I'm excited to see the results. I need to get out myself.

Archibald wrote in post #17511515
The shot was only intended to test sharpness, contrast and color of the new filter. What other qualities should I pay attention to?

Yes, of course. Based on my simple test, I think the cheap XCSource filter looks satisfactory and therefore I'm ready to go out and do long exposure shooting.

If it's good enough for you, then go out and use it!

Well, just for fun I picked one up off Amazon for $10 so hopefully I should get it by next week and will have some example pieces up. Very interested to see how it performs.

Using a B+W 10 stop...

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/s22b​Qr