Question on ND 10 stop filter

For simply blurring water in streams and falls is a ten stop overkill? Would 6 stop be a better choice?

Thanks.
-Sam

Depends on how light it is and how fast the water flows. Most of the waterfalls I've shot lay in the shade and on f11 I have 1/40 or 1/60 speed without filter. Usually I start of with a 6 stop.

ND110 I usually only use with architectural photography where I want to blend out people.....

Yea, I say start with a 3 and 6 stop.

It wasn't included but consider acquiring a high quality variable density filter and choose how much blurring of water you wish.

you wll find that you will want from 2 or 3 stops up to 10 stops.

I haven't bought a good ND filter yet myself but I went through the same questions when I started shopping around for one and I started to realize that the 10-stop filters I was looking at were probably too much.

Here's a test: Check out shots you already have taken for purpose of example, and calculate what your shutter speed would have been with a 6 stop and then what it would have been with a 10. For the full daylight shots the 10-stop will probably work better, but the shutter speed on some of the less lit shots is crazy long... you can easily get to a 10 minute plus shutter speed. That takes a lot of patience if your main goal is just to blur water

I wanted to do the water blurr too and decided to get:
NEEWER® 77mm ND Fader Neutral Density Adjustable Variable Filter (ND2 to ND400)

It is $16 at amazon and variable from 2 to 7 stops.

I just wanted to try out long exposure shots before getting a higher quality filter.

I think the filter works pretty well. I am somewhat color blind so I cannot tell you if it adds wierd colors to the photos or not. My wife took a look and did not see any issues but she probably does not look for the stuff that the photographers here look for.

Yes, 6 stops would be a better choice. In the middle of a bright day, I might use my 6 stop for a 20 second exposure and my 10 stop for a 2 minute exposure. You can always get those times up or down by adjusting aperture and ISO, but the 10 stop will always be considerably more.

Also keep in mind that you will have to focus and compose before putting a 10-stop filter on your camera or use live view, because you won't be able to see through the viewfinder with it on.

If I were only going to have one ND filter, I would probably choose a 6 stop. I think Hoya makes a 4 stop which also may be good depending on your needs.