Review: Lee Big Stopper (10 stop slide-in ND)

Well, I finally had a little time to try my filter but I have not yet grabbed one I am proud of. Nonetheless, when the day comes that I do get things right...here is my question: How are you guys correcting your images temperature?? What I have noticed so far is that how much you have to warm things up depends on the ambient conditions therefore, you can't just warm it up X amount. I figured that this might be an issue so on the image below I took a non-Big Stopper shot first so that once I got home I had an image to remind me of what the color was.

This is SOOC except for a slight crop and a conversion to jpeg.

Congrats on the filter Eric. I'm on a work monitor so it's hard to judge your WB. The first two look a bit on the cool side but, the third looks about right. If you had to adjust your WB that high in post, I would suggest trying a custom WB in camera toward the warm side. That should do the trick.

^Upping the exposure in your example image doesn't work, IMO - you've blown out (or at least distracted the viewer with the lightness/brightness of) the top RH corner of your image.

Did you try other combos for color/temp correction without boosting exposure?

jdizzle wrote in post #10622608
Congrats on the filter Eric. I'm on a work monitor so it's hard to judge your WB. The first two look a bit on the cool side but, the third looks about right. If you had to adjust your WB that high in post, I would suggest trying a custom WB in camera toward the warm side. That should do the trick.

I think the color on the first was as accurate as I can recall. I am not sure why PhotoBucket changed the EXIF to show a time of 13:33:17. The shot was taken at 6:37am under a clear blue sky so there was a blue cast. Now whether to adjust away from reality is a different topic all together but I agree that doing a custom WB might not be a bad idea...always something to try...

avwh wrote in post #10622620
^Upping the exposure in your example image doesn't work, IMO - you've blown out (or at least distracted the viewer with the lightness/brightness of) the top RH corner of your image.

Did you try other combos for color/temp correction without boosting exposure?

Yeah looking at it again, upping the exposure is not helping things only creating other issues. I really don't like this shot at all but it was the only one I had that I took a test shot first without the Big Stopper so I thought it was a good example for the need to correct WB

Eric2007 wrote in post #10622772
I really don't like this shot at all but it was the only one I had that I took a test shot first without the Big Stopper so I thought it was a good example for the need to correct WB

It's also a good (and sparse) example of what this filter can do, because of the before and after pictures.

I wonder if that highlight in the top right portion of the frame could have been dulled down if you had used a polarizer as well. I know that it was just a test, but I still can't help but wondering.

rvdw98 wrote in post #10626314
It's also a good (and sparse) example of what this filter can do, because of the before and after pictures.

I wonder if that highlight in the top right portion of the frame could have been dulled down if you had used a polarizer as well. I know that it was just a test, but I still can't help but wondering.

Yep...most likely the polarizer would have killed the glare...

argyle wrote in post #10626343
Yep...most likely the polarizer would have killed the glare...

Thanks for confirming that.

Unfortunately, my neck of the woods is disappointingly short on interesting water features to test this on... or perhaps I'm just being too picky.

rvdw98 wrote in post #10626363
Thanks for confirming that.

Unfortunately, my neck of the woods is disappointingly short on interesting water features to test this on... or perhaps I'm just being too picky.

We're pretty sparse on interesting water holes here outside Dallas as well...

argyle wrote in post #10626422
We're pretty sparse on interesting water holes here outside Dallas as well...

Growing up in a small country makes everything seem far away. Realistically though, I may not have to drive half as far as most people in the US to find that rocky coast line or idyllic stream or waterfall to shoot.

Nothing here in San Diego. Well except the ocean. But not many streams, rivers or waterfalls.

Just read this short review online. Thought some may be interested

http://mattlauder.word​press.com …top-nd-filter-review-pt1/

I just got my 77mm adapter ring and .9GND which was only part of my order. Im having to resist calling and adding the Big Stopper to whats left of my order.
The addiction is beginning

^I read that article already.

jdizzle wrote in post #10634408
^I read that article already.

I put part of the blame for wanting all these filters on you Julian. Just a fyi haha

Anyone gotten out and taken some more shots with their filter yet?

F-117HWK wrote in post #10639125
I put part of the blame for wanting all these filters on you Julian. Just a fyi haha

he's been a menace to my wallet, for sure...

btw, i have to officially stop griping at lee filter for their sluggish production of the 77 mm wide angle adapter ring, since mine came in the mail yesterday...yay...it only took about 11 weeks to arrive, if you can believe it...now to stand in line for a big stopper and cpl...

F-117HWK wrote in post #10639125
I put part of the blame for wanting all these filters on you Julian. Just a fyi haha

Anyone gotten out and taken some more shots with their filter yet?

wintermutant wrote in post #10639448
he's been a menace to my wallet, for sure...

btw, i have to officially stop griping at lee filter for their sluggish production of the 77 mm wide angle adapter ring, since mine came in the mail yesterday...yay...it only took about 11 weeks to arrive, if you can believe it...now to stand in line for a big stopper and cpl...

Haha! My suggestion is to keep your credit cards in a vault! :p