Lee 'Big stopper' equivalent?

I've been going through flickr photos that are showing what is capable of the lee 10 stop filter and they look amazing! I really want to have a go at long exposure photography with a filter like this but i don't want to fork out $200+ on something that i'm not certain i will always use.

What are your experience's on low end ND filters? Are they worth it? Can anyone recommend a good ND in the sub $100 range?

I saw this one but I'm skeptical of vivtar/ebay products http://www.ebay.ca …m1e6b34f210#ht_​3110wt_724

Damien

I've only ever used B+W & find them fine, no issues at all.

with a cheap filter you will probably have some megenta color cast in it and maybe reduced IQ. ive heard good things about b&w if your looking for screw in filters.

Yeah after looking around online it looks like B&W is my best bet. Thanks for the input

The BW 10 stop is great and is $110 I believe, a little pricey but not break the bank like the Lee

I have the hitech 10 stop pro filter and love it. Had the lee system but didn't use it enough to have 500+ sitting in filters. I think I paid 80 or 90 for it, but make sure you get the pro version. It has the foam gasket to help with light. I got it from 2 filter.

There is the Hitech pro stop series (6-10 stop), but when I had mine (10 stop), it produced a horrible red cast over some parts of the image which proved impossible to correct, so I returned it and won't buy another one. A friend of mine had the same problem. We both bought ours quite early on, so maybe they have fixed it by now, but I will not chance it again (I had to pay for return international shipping, which is expensive). Now I would only go for the big stopper, stack several weaker NDs, or go for screw in.

I like the Schneider vari ND, I got it for a lot less, but it is pricey.. http://www.schneiderop​tics.com …il.aspx?CID=183​8&IID=9137

Digitally_Altered wrote in post #14833074
I like the Schneider vari ND, I got it for a lot less, but it is pricey.. http://www.schneiderop​tics.com …il.aspx?CID=183​8&IID=9137

That's only a few hundred shy of what my camera cost!! I'l defiantly go for the screw in type and most likely the B&W as they fall into my budget and have pretty good reviews.

I was in a similar position you are in before travelling to Yellowstone. I wanted a 9 or 10 stop ND filter, but they were so expensive. I did some looking and found some relatively affordable ones on Ebay. They're Hoya brand. Here's a link: http://www.ebay.com …2315eaa770#ht_3​739wt_1186. I don't know how many people on here would recommend this filter, but it worked well for me and I didn't notice any tint or discoloration in my photos. Plus, it was less than $50. Don't know if that helps or not.

dbricks that is what i was looking for! Something cheap that I can use just to see if I like using a 10 stop before forking out $$$

Do you have any pictures with it in use?

I'm satisfied with my B+W 1000x ND filter.

If you're looking to just test the waters without a big investment, you could give welding glass a go. HERE's an article about it.

Sirrith wrote in post #14832976
There is the Hitech pro stop series (6-10 stop), but when I had mine (10 stop), it produced a horrible red cast over some parts of the image which proved impossible to correct, so I returned it and won't buy another one. A friend of mine had the same problem.

I bought normal Hitech (not pro stop series) 8 stop ND filter it had also quite(/very) strong purple cast specially when I used it for sunset photos. Partly this comes from IR that ND filter doesn't filter and camera sensors will record IR also. Camera sensor's IR filter will not block all IR away.

B+W 486 filter would kill IR, but I haven't bought it yet. Anyway I was not happy with Hitech color cast problem.

B+W 10 stop ND will add some warm cast to image. Here is info from B+W webpage:

With a light intensity reduction of ten f-stops, this B+W Neutral Density Filter has a slightly stronger warm tone than the ND 106. Its principal field of application is the observation and documentation of industrial processes with extreme brightness, such as steel furnaces, incinerators, glowing filaments in halogen- and other bulbs. The filter factor is 1000x.

That is not normally a problem but it's good to know that it would not cause unexpected effects when filter is used.

I'm going to go against the grain here with my recommendation(s), which are based on budget priority.

I also wanted to try out the NDxxx for the long exposures, but no way in hell was I going to shell out $100 or more to try it out. I found a used Hoya ND8 on ebay for $12, and I like it, but want darker still.

Last week I stopped my a welding shop, picked up a 10 Shade welding lens ($3.60), and made a filter. Came out ok, and it does give you crazy long exposures. I only took a couple of shots with it so far, and mostly just tests. With the welding glass, you do have to correct the WB, as they give a really dark green tint to everything. (See pics)

My next pruchase will be one of those really cheap variable ND flters you see on ebay for about $10. Yeah, yeah, they're cheap, and most of these guys will tell you they're garbage, and that's what I thought. But another forum member bought one, and posted a thread about them with pics, and while they aren't perfect, they are perfectly acceptable for a hobbyist/enthusiast. I can't find the thread, but it's less then a month old.

So, depending on where you are budget-wise, and whether you consider yourself a pro, amateur, enthusiast, hobbyist, or a guy with a cam, you have choices that run the full spectrum (so to speak). Once my cheap-o variND arrives, I'll take some shots and post them.

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