Got my B+W 10 stop ND - any tips ??

simonkit

simonkit

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Taken me a while but I've now received my B+W 10 stop ND filter (great price from Fotosense).

As I've never really tried any long exposure shot's I'd appreciate any useful tips, especially for the 10stop specifically

thanks

Simon
 
Compose your shot first, in focus, and then switch to manual. Otherwise the camera will try (and fail) to lock onto something through an almost black filter.
Then screw the filter on and use bulb (doing a ten stop calculation, or guessing the exposure time).

Works best with flowing water and/or moving clouds ;)

Its a bit fiddly having to unscrew the filter to compose each time but its worth it. Enjoy!
 
canon_togger said:
Compose your shot first, in focus, and then switch to manual. Otherwise the camera will try (and fail) to lock onto something through an almost black filter.
Then screw the filter on and use bulb (doing a ten stop calculation, or guessing the exposure time).

Works best with flowing water and/or moving clouds ;)

Its a bit fiddly having to unscrew the filter to compose each time but its worth it. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

:agree: - that nicely sums it up Simon

I use only a 7-stop myself (I'm too impatient ;)) but I can only add that in-camera NR usually doubles the effective exposure time, so don't do it in-camera as you may well miss the next great shot

Now get out & play :)

DD
 
Thanks for the info...I intend trying it out for a few daytime coastal shots too, intrigued to see if it gives me a few more options when the lighting conditions aren't exactly ideal

simon
 
Don't forget to cover the viewfinder eyepiece during long exposures. Light gets in and leaks around the mirror during very long exposures, ruining the photo. Most cameras come with something specifically for this.

Do a seach on neutral density and ND - there have been a few long threads on this recently.
 
Agree with canon togger regarding the tech side.

What I found more challenging (but an enjoyable learning curve) was being able to 'see' a 10 stop exposure image, i.e. how, where and when it would work.
 
Or, you can use long exposure in day time in a crowded area where people are moving about. The image would come out spooky, as there wouldn't be much of the people in the picture! Nice effect.
 
Check your histogram and be prepared to dial in some +ve exposure compensation. If I let my camera meter with it on, it can come out a tad underexposed. Also either shoot in raw and adjust afterwards or meddle with your white balance before shooting. Things come out a bit on the orange side.
 
^ I find this too Matt. I take a reading without the filter then add around 12 stops with the filter on.
 
Any tips? ... Buy a camping stove, bring a kettle and a few tea bags.

Set up the shot.
Attached new filter
Release shutter
Put on the kettle
Have a nice cup of tea
Close shutter.
Check histogram
 
Mohain said:
^ I find this too Matt. I take a reading without the filter then add around 12 stops with the filter on.
Click to expand...

Why do you add 12 stops, if you don't mind me asking?!


B_M said:
Any tips? ... Buy a camping stove, bring a kettle and a few tea bags.

Set up the shot.
Attached new filter
Release shutter
Put on the kettle
Have a nice cup of tea
Close shutter.
Check histogram
Click to expand...

The kettle bit may be one of the best tips :thumbs:
 
It's good filter to use, but it can sometimes be a pain. I'm using a Tokina 12-24, and when I switch to manual, which is done by pushing the focus part of the lens into manual position (there isn't a switch/button), I always end up moving the focus slightly and worry that it's brought the image out of focus. So I have to switch it back to auto again, refocus, and then try again. It can't be making that much of a change in focus as it's only a slighy movement most of the time.
I also find it very awkward using a Cokin holder and filters with it. They're meant to work together but its extremely difficult to get the holder on and off the filter (which has a ring built in).
 
Do you think that's a case with your filter only? I ask, as mine come out just about perfectly exposed when I adjust for the 10 stops exactly; and I do an additional adjustment of 1/2 a stop as I like my shots slightly over exposed. But 2 stops is a big deviation :shrug:?!
 
Couldn't find any of these filters online, none in shops either. Apparently B+W have been slack with the restock process from Germany and nobody has any in stock. Luckily I found one on Ebay HKDirect for 54 quid. Happy days.
 
Give RW or WHE a call. When I ordered mine neither had them in stock. Gave them a call, and ironically, both had them but their online system wasn't up to date!
 
Wail said:
Do you think that's a case with your filter only? I ask, as mine come out just about perfectly exposed when I adjust for the 10 stops exactly; and I do an additional adjustment of 1/2 a stop as I like my shots slightly over exposed. But 2 stops is a big deviation :shrug:?!
Click to expand...

I really don't know Wail :shrug:. [user]The Matt[/user] said he gets under exposure too but I don't know how much. I've tried metering with the filter on and on the rare occasion I can get a reading it's hopelessly out. Perhaps it's my camera (30D) or metering method (evaluative) or user errors (quite likely ;)). I use a B+W 10 stop.

Thinking about it now I tend to do most of my long exposure shots at sunset so I guess it's quite possible that by the time I've focuses, metered, put the filter on (without moving the lens), dailed in 10 stops and taken a shot the the light has changed enough to need a couple of extra stops exposure :lol:
 
I suspect that the viewfilnder cover on my camera isn't 100% lightproof so this might account for any underexposure, but I'm purely guessing
 
I think the best way to manage these really dark ND filters is to try them and calculate your own exposure adjustment. The B+W is just dyed acrylic I think and a little variation between samples seems quite likely to me, but not two stops - half a stop seems quite possible though. Colour could shift a bit too, and none of the strong NDs is truly neutral, so test that too.

If you take an exposure reading in bright daylight, so that the shutter speed is no longer than one second, it should be accurate enough. However, you must cover the viewfinder completely when you do this, and take the reading off the control panel. Any light entering the viewfinder will be much brighter than that going through the lens with a heavy ND and this will completely throw the meter.

Do a custom white balance while you're at it, and either keep the reference image on the memory card so that you can go back to it at any time, or save it as one of the user custom functions if your camera can do that.

I always take a test pic to check exposure. If you have a really long shutter speed, like a few minutes, this gets very tedius but you can shorten it dramatically by shooting the test at highest ISO, lowest f/number, and turning off Long Exposure Noise Reduction which will otherwise double the length of time the camera is busy. Don't forget to turn it back on again for the real exposure - it makes a big difference.

The other quite likely reason for exposure variations is the possibility of the light changing while you set up. At dawn/dusk, it will change a lot in a few minutes.
 
The Matt said:
I suspect that the viewfilnder cover on my camera isn't 100% lightproof so this might account for any underexposure, but I'm purely guessing
Click to expand...

If you don't cover the viewfinder, you get all sorts of strange things happen - I get rainbow stripes on my 40D - looks like a rather nice sunset - over half the frame, very obvious. But on my 350D I get a general grey fog all over which would be hard to pinpoint in an actual photo.

To see what your camera does, just set lowest f/number on aperture priority, highest ISO, dial in a bit of plus exposure compensation for luck, point the viewinder at the light source and take a picture with the lens cap on.
 
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