B&W 10stop advice FAST :)

D

Donki

Messages
1,178
Name
Ian
Edit My Images
No
Ok guys got my 10 stopper today and am about to head out. I have tried a few sample shots in garden and most ar well underexsposed. camera picking stupid shutter speeds. I thought the camera would metter allowing for the filter? :(. Is it just a case of manual settings and adjusting for the 10 stop allowance?

Please let me now ASAP
 
Camera should meter for the scene. Ensure you're in Aperture Priority mode, open up to widest, and see what it says without the filter, then place the 10 stop on and see what the meter reading is then. Should be as it says on the tin, i.e. 10 stops longer exposure.

On mine I can still see the scene through the live-view with live view boost turned on, so I don't have to compose prior to placing the filter on.
 
Camera should still meter correctly though - with or without filter.
 
theMusicMan said:
Camera should still meter correctly though - with or without filter.
Click to expand...
With a 10stop filter on the front of the lens the camera will barely be able to see any light so it won't be able to meter correctly. Best way is to do it manually.

Just remember we are photographers not just shutter pushers. Working out the correct exposure manually shouldn't really be a hardship.
 
You probably have your camera set to spot meter?? as you move the camera the shutter speed will jump around all over the place..
 
It's going to be a lot easier to meter manually as the if it's anything like mine you'll get much more accurate results than asking a camera to meter through such a dark piece of glass. Same with focussing too - autofocus on the scene, turn to manual focus and then screw in filter...


DB
 
Well... I am very suprised at some of the responses here.

With my B+W ND110 10 stopper on my camera, I can still get the camera to meter correctly for the scene using Aperture Priority or Manual modes. I can also still 'see' the scene through the viewfinder quite clearly using the live-view boost function turned on.

Seems as though there may be a deficiency here... it meters perfectly on my camera though, not sure why it doesn't on whatever model you are using.
 
Yes, the normal meter is way off on both of mine with the filter. It is not unexpected though as the light levels are too low to even see anything through clearly enough.

There are 2 ways to deal with it: a) manual calculation / guess; b) use Live View.
Live view gets it right and allows to compose and focus accurately (MF).
 
Are you looking through the viewfinder ? If not, are you covering it up ? The viewfinder will let light through and it will affect the image, but if I've understood comments on here before, light entering via the viewfinder will also muck up the metering.

I've not had a chance to use my 10 stopper yet...
 
theMusicMan said:
Well... I am very suprised at some of the responses here.

With my B+W ND110 10 stopper on my camera, I can still get the camera to meter correctly for the scene using Aperture Priority or Manual modes. I can also still 'see' the scene through the viewfinder quite clearly using the live-view boost function turned on.

Seems as though there may be a deficiency here... it meters perfectly on my camera though, not sure why it doesn't on whatever model you are using.
Click to expand...

What camera do you have? After some fiddling it meters alot better in live view. I think I will take people advice and meter and focus without the filter on AV then swith to manual add the filter, add 10 stops to the shutter speed and away we go ).

Its bloody raining now!!
 
Donki said:
What camera do you have? After some fiddling it meters alot better in live view. I think I will take people advice and meter and focus without the filter on AV then swith to manual add the filter, add 10 stops to the shutter speed and away we go ).

Its bloody raining now!!
Click to expand...
Hiya

I have an Oly E-3.

Here's a shot taken with the crappy camera in my iPhone that shows the display on the live-view screen with the ND110 attached. Thouhg not detailed, you can still clearly see the mess of my garden outside the conservatory, as well as some of the insides of the conservatory. I positioned the E3 composition such that you can see it is in Aperture Priority mode, and has exposure of 50 seconds with an aperture of f10, ISO400.

p81940325-4.jpg
 
I haven't got the B&W but have the Lee 10 stop 'Big Stopper'.

I think it depends on the length of the exposure but I am sure that manual is the better way to go. Meter and focus with the camera - when the filter is off. Set focus to and exposure to manual then chuck the filter on, calculate the exposure by doubling the exposure 10 times. With long exposures greater than 30s there is an element of luck and guesswork also. At sunset / sunrise adjust the exposure accordingly to allow for darkening / lightening conditions. Great fun shooting like this.
 
What I don't understand though guys, is that even in Manual mode... (I don't mean manually working the shutter speed out for a given Aperture), the camera will still meter the scene correctly with the filter on. You just have to set the exposure and aperture manually, that's all... the cameras metering should be spot on.

If the filter is a good quality 10 stop filter... then the automatic exposure as calculated by the cameras metering system should double the exposure 10 times as much as it would if the filter wasn't there.

Why is there a need to manually work out the exposure for the ND110 based on the cameras correct exposure... the camera should do it for you...!! it will simply add 10 stops to the exposure without the filter...!
 
I've just done a very quick test with my 450d, and I agree with what John says. 1/200 without the 10 stop, and 5 seconds with the 10 stop. No fluctuations in the reported shutter speed at all.. Checking my 10 stop chart, that is indeed the correct adjustment to the shutter speed. I was holding the camera up to my eye and looking through the viewfinder, so no light could get into the viewfinder.
 
theMusicMan said:
What I don't understand though guys, is that even in Manual mode... (I don't mean manually working the shutter speed out for a given Aperture), the camera will still meter the scene correctly with the filter on. You just have to set the exposure and aperture manually, that's all... the cameras metering should be spot on.

If the filter is a good quality 10 stop filter... then the automatic exposure as calculated by the cameras metering system should double the exposure 10 times as much as it would if the filter wasn't there.

Why is there a need to manually work out the exposure for the ND110 based on the cameras correct exposure... the camera should do it for you...!! it will simply add 10 stops to the exposure without the filter...!
Click to expand...

What do u mean by manual mode then? Im a bit lost now lol My filter is B&W an from my research its one of the best 10 stoppers tere is?
 
I too have the B&W 10 stop. For my little test I had the camera in M mode, so adjusted the shutter speed and the aperture manually.
 
Will the Canon meter after 30 secs except on manual? I have found in bright sunlight you can expect the meter to give a fairly accurate result, but have found it not that reliable in lower light on AV (certainly over 30 secs). Manual works a lot better, but have to admit the best results have been set the camera to manual. Expose & focus (manual focus is again better) the add the filter & use the card supplied by Lee.

I have cheated a bit though added a file on my IPhone which I put in the time & it calculates it for 10 stops less & I can see it in lower light.
 
jgs001 said:
I too have the B&W 10 stop. For my little test I had the camera in M mode, so adjusted the shutter speed and the aperture manually.
Click to expand...

Ha I see!!!!! lol :bonk::bonk:

I am a complete tit! When looking through the veiwfinder the lens reads the correct shutterspeed. Light was indeed getting in when I pulled my head away and confusing my little 40d, just have to remember to lock the exposure while looking through. My reading mach the chart also.

I will slap myself in due course dont worry :).
 
I think this is the main reason for calculations. Any exposure that needs a bulb exposure. Don't think cameras will meter above the longest non-bulb shutter speed?
 
Just make sure your viewfinder is covered properly and it shhould meter fine. If you're still getting a little light leak through it you may need a stop of so of +ve exposure compensation.

If you don't have anything to cover it with, blue tack works wonders
 
The Matt said:
Just make sure your viewfinder is covered properly and it shhould meter fine. If you're still getting a little light leak through it you may need a stop of so of +ve exposure compensation.

If you don't have anything to cover it with, blue tack works wonders
Click to expand...

Well its absolutely thumping it down here so I can go nowhere!!!! How would ligh leak reveal itsself? What should i look out for?
 
the 450d came with a rubber thing that fits on the strap. remove the viewfinder eyepiece and it just clips in place to cover it completely. I'd be surprised if a 40d didn't. And mine won't meter beyond 30s, that's why I went for something prior to fitting the 10 stop that would give me a reading shorter than 30s.
 
Donki said:
Well its absolutely thumping it down here so I can go nowhere!!!! How would ligh leak reveal itsself? What should i look out for?
Click to expand...
When you look through the viewfinder of an SLR you are looking through the lens via a mirror that's infront of the sensor. When you press the shutter the mirror lifts up and the sensor is revealed to the light. With long exposures it's possible for the light that comes through the viewfinder to creep round the mirror and in to the area where the sensor is. It may only be a miniscule amount of light but over a 30 second exposure it will affect your image.
 
jgs001 said:
the 450d came with a rubber thing that fits on the strap. remove the viewfinder eyepiece and it just clips in place to cover it completely. I'd be surprised if a 40d didn't. And mine won't meter beyond 30s, that's why I went for something prior to fitting the 10 stop that would give me a reading shorter than 30s.
Click to expand...

I have ben wondering for ages what that is for!!! Thanks for that, if I had read my manual I would probably have known that lol :)
 
I've only used it for taking 10 minute darks so far... I've not found I've needed to for any of my astro shots with 10 or 20 minute exposures. I will whenever I find something or rather get an opportunity to go and find something that will allow me to use the 10 stop.
 
I think you've found the answer by using the little rubber eyepiece cover. With my 40D I got a lovely sunset effect from light getting in through there! And it completely wrecks the meter reading - you need to fit it for both metering and the exposure and check the settings from the display on the top plate.

The camera will meter and AF with the filter on, but only in good light. Ten stops is a 1000x reduction in light and the thing can't work in darkness. If you're working out the exposure reduction by using all your fingers, bear in mind that the B+W tends not to be exactly ten stops - mine is about 10.5 stops, yours might be slightly more or less.

If you're shooting with a wide-angle whic I guess is quite likely, the exposure is further affected by optical vignetting because the lens is looking through the filter at an angle towards the edges of the frame, ie it's quite a lot darker. In other words, be prepared to tweak the exposure a fair bit.

The B+W isn't quite neutral either, it's a liitle orange. So a custom white balance is a good idea unless you're going to optimise that in post processing. I have a white balance image that I keep on the memory card, so I can reference it any time without bothering to take a new one.
 
My addition:

Some cameras will only meter up to a 30 second exposure so your shots may well be underexposed if you should be using a 200 second exposure for example. Hence bulb mode.

Nick
 
does the meter on a digital camera have good low light correlation?

as advised its probably better to get non filtered ev and then cut it down for your manual settings accordingly

10 stops is a long way

1000/500/250/125/60/30/15/8/4/2/1

if your daylight speed on Aperture priority even wide at say 250 then your camera should be showing

250/125/60/30/15/8/4/2/1/.5/.25...1/4??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top