6 Stop or 10 Stop ND filters?

TheAndyA

TheAndyA

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Andy
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Hi all,

My Lee Big Stopper along with Lee filter holder fell off my lens recently and as a result, the Big Stopper is now in several pieces.

I'll need to replace the filter, but I'm wondering if there's any advantage in opting for a 6 stop ND filter, as opposed to 10 stop? Do you folks have any preference? I just shoot the regular coast shots and sometimes cloud movement too.

I want to stay with the square filter design, but I see that there's another contender on the market, the Formatt-Hitech Firecrest range. They seem to be getting positive reviews.
 
The effect you get with a dark ND like the 6 or 10 stop is, to a certain extent, a matter of personal preference.

Did the 10 stop give you the results you were after, or were the exposures too long?

This is what will determine which you want to go for.

I've also heard good things about the Hitech's, but I've not used one personally, so can't directly comment.
 
I found I used my 6 stop far more than my 10. A 6 gives a nice amount of movement in water (generally), without being over the top. At the other end of the spectrum though I like a 16 stop that totally smooths water and gives great cloud effects when wanted. Just my opinion of course.

I had a set of 67mm Hitech Firecrest's that were brilliant on my little Canon M3. Now I have bigger lenses again I will definitely be buying the 100mm versions.

No colour-cast with the Firecrest's. Even with a 16 stop.
 
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I have both 6 and 10 stop filters that way i have the best of both milky water but also minimal movement.
I usually shoot around sunset time so the camera never gives me the right exposure length on its own even when stopped down so the 10 stop is good for 60 second plus exposures whilst the 6 stop lets me have just a few seconds, i just choose which one i want for the desired effect i am after.
My 6 stop is a Hitech IRND, good quality for the cash i paid for it.
 
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Andy


Not good news - I had a similar mishap but luckily it was only the corner (phew!)

I now have a Firecrest 16 stop filter (they also do 6 and 10 stops) and they are better IMO than the Already very good Lee filters

In terms of which is best? I think it all depends on the specific circumstances but a 6 stop can be too light if shooting during the day - I have stacked my 10 stop and 3 stop together before as even the 10 was a touch too bright still!

I am looking to add to this with a 6 and 10 stop to give me the versatility as you can then stack to get 6 / 10 / 16 / 22 / 26 using two of the filters.
 
I have both. I sometimes combine them together. I'm now on screw ins. I used to have the Lee system and a Hi tech 10 stopper. (Happy to sell - hint!!!)
The Hi tech can give a blueish tinge at times but it's easy to correct; or set a custom white balance at the outset.

I think which you want is personal preference. Horses for courses and all that.
 
I'm not sure if you've pulled the trigger yet or not, but I've the Haida filters (which are Lee compatible) to be fantastic, with less colour cast than the Lee filters and they cost a whole lot less too (around £60 or so on eBay/Amazon).

Here are some comparisons: http://www.amireltahan.com/nd-filters-haida-nd-3-0-vs-lee-big-stopper/ and http://www.achim-sieger.de/en/nd-filter-review-lee-big-stopper-formatt-hitech-prostop-irnd-haida/

In terms of how much stoppage you need, I find that the 10-stop is useful only in near broad daylight whereas a 6-stop is more useful. I find the 10-stop to blur out water and clouds a little bit too much. You should just get both if you can though, and if you chose to go for Haida filters, you can get both for the cost of a single big or little stopper.
 
I much prefer screw in for added security of the filters. Too many of us have killed their Lee kit, myself included. I've only lost a cheap filter in holder but it was still costly.

10 vs 6 stop will depend if you want the slowest exposure and also on the time of the day. After sunset 10 stop becomes a time killer eating as much as 10 min and beyond. This can give nice effect but may be very unpractical considering fast changing conditions. 10 stop in daytime is a must for even 30s exposure.
 
The thing I don't like with using screw in's, is it's not as easy using a polariser as well.

With slide in's a polariser can be set easily first, then a big ND slid in afterwards.
 
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