What is the best ND filter for

photographing waterfalls and the ocean? Specifically, how many stops?

bettyn wrote in post #10578383
photographing waterfalls and the ocean? Specifically, how many stops?

How bright is the ambient light?

A better question would be "what shutter speeds should I aim for to blur the water's motion?"

Once you know that and the ambient light level, you'll know how many stops you'll need to slow the shutter by.

For example, if the slowest you could get your shutter without the filter was 1/8 sec and you wanted 1 sec, you'd need 3 stops of light reduction.

Why not just get a Genus Fader ND... then you've got pretty much as many stops as you'd want, for various uses.

aaron.dunlap wrote in post #10578884
Why not just get a Genus Fader ND... then you've got pretty much as many stops as you'd want, for various uses.

Sounds like a good idea. Thanks.

aaron.dunlap wrote in post #10578884
Why not just get a Genus Fader ND... then you've got pretty much as many stops as you'd want, for various uses.

Very pricey, wow $135 for a 77mm thread.

Daedalus34r wrote in post #10579098
Very pricey, wow $135 for a 77mm thread.

But very cheap compared to a filter holder, adapter ring, and a stack of filters of various densities.

bettyn wrote in post #10578383
photographing waterfalls and the ocean? Specifically, how many stops?

You may only need your CPL. With it attached, set your camera to TV (time value) and set a shutter speed around 1/30 to start with.

Depending on the time of day and the amount of light, you may find you can get 1/30th or slower at an acceptable aperture of say f/11 (to avoid diffraction on a crop body). If you find that the aperture is smaller at that shutter speed, you'll need more than your CPL.

You'll then have to decide if you want screw-in NDs or a holder system. Yes, the holder system is expensive but it also gives you the ability to blur water and control the exposure between a very bright sky and the foreground with a graduated ND. You can get a screw in GND but the line is hard and right across the middle of the filter. Much too limiting IMO.

May have to try to get by with a CPL. Would love to have a Genus Fader, but right now, I can't afford it . $135: WOW!

$135 for ND filter is fairly cheap for variable-density ND filter. A single 3-Stop ND filter from B&W cost $100 retail. Singh-Ray's Vari-N-Duo (http://singh-ray.com/varinduo.html) cost about $400. I was sticker shocked a few years ago too when I was in the market for ND filters.

I use the Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo, also have the B+W 10-stop and now the Lee Big Stopper 10-stop. The Singh-Ray may seem expensive (and it is), but when you factor in the cost of having to buy multiple high-quality filters (CPL + several ND), the cost pretty much comes out to a wash. There is no one-answer for the "what ND filter should I get" question...you really do need multiple filters to get you through various shooting conditions.

Variable filters do present some issues, however. First, there's image quality issues with the cheaper variables. There is also focal length/ND strength issues to consider...real wide and high ND will usually yield strange patterns. Variables have their place, you just need to be aware of some of the limitations.

If you are shocked at a $135 filter then you better hold onto your wallet tightly with this hobby, and especially coming to this place. We can recommend you into the poor house very quickly. Between all of my filters (CPL, ND, GND, etc...) I have close to $1000 invested.

rklepper wrote in post #10582307
If you are shocked at a $135 filter then you better hold onto your wallet tightly with this hobby, and especially coming to this place. We can recommend you into the poor house very quickly. Between all of my filters (CPL, ND, GND, etc...) I have close to $1000 invested.

Ain't that the truth!

rklepper wrote in post #10582307
If you are shocked at a $135 filter then you better hold onto your wallet tightly with this hobby, and especially coming to this place. We can recommend you into the poor house very quickly. Between all of my filters (CPL, ND, GND, etc...) I have close to $1000 invested.

That is impressive. I have about $300 invested in B+W only mrc polarizeres and haze filters.

Personally I don't do much shooting that requires these expensive vari-nd filters, so it seems so overpriced for what your getting. But if that's your livelihood, that's another story.

I am quite confident you can put me in the poor house, i best tread lightly ...

aaron.dunlap wrote in post #10578884
Why not just get a Genus Fader ND... then you've got pretty much as many stops as you'd want, for various uses.

Can you stack filters with this?

Daedalus34r wrote in post #10583833
That is impressive. I have about $300 invested in B+W only mrc polarizeres and haze filters.

Personally I don't do much shooting that requires these expensive vari-nd filters, so it seems so overpriced for what your getting. But if that's your livelihood, that's another story.

I am quite confident you can put me in the poor house, i best tread lightly ...

If you know what I own in filters, it would make you broke. I've already invested more than 2k in filters. That includes Lee and Singh Ray together!