| Joined: | Thu Apr 19th, 2012 |
| Location: | United Kingdom |
| Posts: | 4428 |
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Interested in thoughts on ND filters for making the long exposure water flow effects for waterfalls and waves/water current patterns.
When I was on Skye I visited the Glen Brittle waterfalls briefly. I tried to make some photo's of the classic flowing water which are made with long exposures. It was a bright day and despite turning the ISO to LO and closing the aperture to minimum, the shutter speed was still way too fast to get the creamy classic water flow effect you so often see.
I am assuming the only way, apart from waiting for the light to diminish is to use an ND filter to allow a much slower shutter speed.
How many stops are needed to get a reasonable effect?
I have looked on eBayand there are variable filters available very cheaply and also cheap sets of various densities. The adage of never putting cheap glas in front of expensive glass comes to mind. I look at various 'proper' camera shop websites and find the prices of these ND filters are nearly as much as the lens... Certainly a set of two or three filters would come close to the price of a lens and there don't seem to be any variable filters. I understand the variable filters use two polarising filters stacked and work in tandem by rotating one filter a quarter turn to go from brightest to darkest.
In a sense two polarisers would be better value because you not only get a variable ND filter but also a polariser (or two!) into the bargain.
Thoughts and or suggestions please. This is for the D3 btw, 77mm filter size, which would allow use on almost all my lenses, via adaptors.
I would try polarisers first. ND don't deal with reflections, which can be detracting when shooting water in the sun.
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Eric