Cheap Ranger ND filters from Amazon

gremlin16

gremlin16

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I tried these out, I thought it was worth a punt. What a load of rubbish. Not only are they dust magnets, but also, look at the beautiful IQ. Off to the bin me thinks! Unless someone can see a blindingly obvious mistake on my part (other than purchasing them in the first place lolz) 8 second exposure at f10 on D7200 with 18-105mmND-4.jpg
 
Is any of that visible with the naked eye? Seems attrocious , but I should have expected at least some of that to be evident either when looking straight at the filter, or through the viewfinder. (use stop down button?).
 
Get some anti static screen clear, see if it will solve the dust. As for the viewfinder anything you put on a lens will affect it, how strong was the ND filter.
 
i tried three in total, one at a time then stacked. ND4, then ND8, then ND16 all together. Completely ruined the colours.

I completely expected that the results would be carp. My thought process was, I'll get these cheap ones, see if i can get the effect i am after, ignoring the colour casts, distortion etc and see if i can get the milky water/ creamy skies etc.

Despite using a mixture of exposures, an app for the shutter speed, one filter at a time, then two, then three, they were complete rubbish.

The problem is, its put me off buying a decent set as i don't seem to be able to execute the technique. How long (ball park) would i need to have the shutter open for some nice milky wave action?

Im also very aware that to get some nice wave smoothing i need to be considerably closer to the water :)
 
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Looking at the shot above it looks more like dried water spots on the filter than an inherent colour cast. There also seems to be a central halo which could be caused by stray light reflecting between the filters (assuming they were stacked).

With regards to the 'best' shutter speed for milky water, that will depend on how much movement there is. Generally, a couple of seconds will smooth a steady flow of water but looking at your shot there doesn't seem to be much activity in the water at all. As you say, being closer to moving water is a requirement.
 
Some evidence of user error here ;)

Just get one decent quality glass filter, preferably coated or multi-coated, screw-in, say something between 6-10 stops (the ones you have are 2, 3 and 4 stops each). Keep it clean and avoid shooting into the sun if possible. Never stack filters unless it's unavoidable. Always cover the viewfinder. Use a solid tripod.
 
Mickledore showed me something a long time ago about very heavy filters and colour distortion. That was to take a long shot then use the results for a custom white balance. It was amazing how well the colours came back.
 
gremlin16 said:
Perhaps I'll fish them out of the bin and have another go then with the splendid advice above. Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...

Your strongest filter is only 4 stops (16x) and may not be dark enough for the effects you're after in bright sun, so shoot when the light is lower. Adding the other filters is a major cause of the problems you've had, along with not covering the viewfinder. And use a lens hood ;)
 
This thread is exactly what makes this forum great.
Sound advice to help a fellow tog out. :clap:
 
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