Long exposure, which nd filter?

ikeeling

ikeeling

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I've love looking at long exposure photography and this weekend I'm off to lake Windermere to give if a go. However which nd filter should I use? I've read various articles and they seem to vary on opinion. I will bd shooting using my 600d on a 60 mm 1.4 probable in the morning in daylight. Thanks in advance
 
Without being facetious... the one that allows you to create the settings you want to create in the light conditions you're experiencing at that moment...
 
Yes I see your point but on a limited budget I can't go out and purchase every nd filter. However I can increase/ decrease my shutter speed to allow for alterations in the conditions.
 
ikeeling said:
I've love looking at long exposure photography and this weekend I'm off to lake Windermere to give if a go. However which nd filter should I use? I've read various articles and they seem to vary on opinion. I will bd shooting using my 600d on a 60 mm 1.4 probable in the morning in daylight. Thanks in advance
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I think you really need to expand on what you are wanting to shoot and the effect you are looking for.
 
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It really does depend what you are trying to achieve. I personally like taking pictures of flowing water, or the sea where the water has a very milky, misty look. The only way I can do this is with really long exposures, hence I use a 10 stop filter to get into the region of minutes rather than seconds for the exposure. Not necessarily right for you though.
 
As in the original post I will be taking pictures of the lake . I've never done long exposure before so I'm not exactly sure myself of what I want to achieve. But I've got the time to have a mess around and try I few different things. What I don't want to do is spend say £150 on a ten stop filter if it's not what I need. Sorry to be vague but I'm still very much experimenting with my photography
 
There are some pointers in the link you provided however there are so many variables depending on conditions and what you want from a given shot.

How much movement do you want to capture in a particular scene ?
What light is available in a particular scene ?
What aperture / depth of focus are you wanting in a particular scene ?

Different combinations of the above preferences will require different strengthed NDs to get the same exposure

Sometimes something as extreme as a 10 stop fits the bill, other times, low light may enable you to achieve the shutter speed you want with just low ISO and small aperture.

If you weren't after full on 10 stop shots ? - you could go with something in the range of ND4 - ND8 - ND16 which will buy you 2 - 3 - 4 stops. You can always stack them too.

Don't rule out ND Grads either - you can still slow things down quite a bit without loosing your sky.
 
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ikeeling said:
What I don't want to do is spend say £150 on a ten stop filter if it's not what I need.
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You don't need to spend £150. The one I got was one of the cheaper ones. Think its a Haida and its great. Yes a Lee big stopper might be better (if you can get one) but you can achieve great results with cheaper equipment.
 
ikeeling said:
Yes I see your point but on a limited budget I can't go out and purchase every nd filter. However I can increase/ decrease my shutter speed to allow for alterations in the conditions.
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If the question had been 'which one should I buy? you could have shortcut some answers, but it'd still help to know what you're planning on shooting.
 
People aren't trying to be off with you. It is a difficult question to answer.
You may be better off finding photos you like the look of & then asking what shutter speeds/filters/etc were used. I'd happily help you with any of my Flickr images with regard to settings etc
 
ikeeling said:
As in the original post I will be taking pictures of the lake . I've never done long exposure before so I'm not exactly sure myself of what I want to achieve. But I've got the time to have a mess around and try I few different things. What I don't want to do is spend say £150 on a ten stop filter if it's not what I need. Sorry to be vague but I'm still very much experimenting with my photography
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To be fair, you weren't, and still aren't, specific about what you will be shooting.

I think there is probably info in the thread to help you make a decision now though. Good luck.
 
Gone for a Hoya nd 16 and a tiffen 10 stop. Il see how I go on. Hopefully il have something decent to post.
 
Ive not yet tried long exposure with filters but I cant imagine a lake being the best of subjects what with it being stillwater. Coastlines, rivers, waterfalls Im guessing is what you need for a blurry water effect. Just sayin' like.
 
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