I've had an idea!

Messiah Khan

Messiah Khan

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Alasdair Fowler
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You know you can get IR converted cameras. Well how about a 10 Stop ND converted camera?

I love my long exposures, but I get sick of having to compose the shot, focus, switch to manual focus, screw on the filter, take the shots, unscrew the filter and repeat. And slot in filters don't work very well for extreme ND filter, so I've had the idea of adding a 10 Stop ND filter just in front of the sensor. This would allow me to AF, and compose the shot without having to add or remove and filters. Another option would be to somehow hack the firmware of a camera and add very low ISO settings. Am i barking mad or does it sound like a good idea?
 
SOUNDS a good idea

reality might be different to the dream.....
 
Wouldn't your money be better invested in a mechanism that allows quick addition/removal of the filter that doesn't stop your camera being used normally? The slidey filter mechanism as used on microscopes could easily be upscaled.
 
If you do enough long exposure photography to justify having a camera dedicated to doing just that then it sounds like a very good idea because it'll make it a lot easier for you.

Wouldn't it be great to have the kind of camera where you can quite easily swap the filter over the sensor so you can swap between intrared and ND filter at will.
 
Sounds like a good idea to me, its impossible to see anything through the viewfinder with a 10-stop ND on (same as with an IR filter)

I have a funny feeling though that this could probably cause stray light to bounce around from the rear element onto the filter surface and it might not works as well as you'd hope.
 
If it could be done it would be a bezzie idea :) Even better if it were removable. On those days you wanted to do long exposures, fit up your ND and off you go :)

Yeah I know, I don't ask for much :)
 
Do you use primes or zooms?
If primes, how about using a screw-in filter, and then bodge up an extra 'viewfinder' which can be used for composition?
Ok, so you loose the SLR goodness, but it would be cheaper and less permanent.
 
Mud said:
Wouldn't your money be better invested in a mechanism that allows quick addition/removal of the filter that doesn't stop your camera being used normally? The slidey filter mechanism as used on microscopes could easily be upscaled.
Click to expand...

Yea I'm thinking of making ones of those first. Going to probably use a spare lens hood, a step down ring and some glue which would allow me to use the bayonet fitting of the lens hood to add and remove the filter.

pearce_jj said:
The video enabled SLRs could do this firmware presumably.
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People have been doing some great work on hacking Canon point and shoot firmware over at http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK I'm hoping it is just time before someone manages to hack DSLR firmware, or even manufacturers make it open source. I think the community have some great ideas that would custom mods very exiting.

-Rob- said:
If you do enough long exposure photography to justify having a camera dedicated to doing just that then it sounds like a very good idea because it'll make it a lot easier for you.

Wouldn't it be great to have the kind of camera where you can quite easily swap the filter over the sensor so you can swap between intrared and ND filter at will.
Click to expand...

That would be even better. Not sure how I would so that though. I have always thought that modern cameras aren't modular enough. Older film SLRs had removable viewfinders, prisms etc. It would be great if you could mix and match parts on a modern DSLR.

puddleduck said:
Sounds like a good idea to me, its impossible to see anything through the viewfinder with a 10-stop ND on (same as with an IR filter)

I have a funny feeling though that this could probably cause stray light to bounce around from the rear element onto the filter surface and it might not works as well as you'd hope.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there could be that problem as well. Hopefully if a coated ND filter was used it would minimise stray reflections.

coldpenguin said:
Do you use primes or zooms?
If primes, how about using a screw-in filter, and then bodge up an extra 'viewfinder' which can be used for composition?
Ok, so you loose the SLR goodness, but it would be cheaper and less permanent.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't work as you would still need to remove the filter to focus. I also use both zooms and primes (usually the 10-20mm and 30mm).

grumpybadger said:
You'd need an external light meter too I guess as the internal ones don't have 10 stops of latitude
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Or just use the metered reading and add 10 stops. On a related note, came across this useful little chart yesterday;

chart2j.jpg


Might be of use to people.
 
Cut hole in lens cap?
 
Messiah Khan said:
People have been doing some great work on hacking Canon point and shoot firmware...I'm hoping it is just time before someone manages to hack DSLR firmware, or even manufacturers make it open source. I think the community have some great ideas that would custom mods very exiting.
Click to expand...

Agree - I think many companies in general are really struggling with the concept that product innovation can come from users DIRECTLY through software - I'm sure this will ultimately become "the norm", and those that won't adapt will simply become insignificant.
 
I saw web page a while ago detailing the changes someone made to a film camera to shoot infra red film. He had put a sheet of IR filter just in front of the focal plane shutter so the filter filtered the light to the film but not to the viewfinder via the mirror.

I can't see any reason why your idea of doing the same thing but with a simple ND filter wouldn't work.

If you could use an ND filter which was the same as the maximum your camera's metering could compensate for then it would work very well.

e.g. if your camera's metering can only compensate +6 stops then use a -6 stop filter.


Steve.
 
pearce_jj said:
Agree - I think many companies in general are really struggling with the concept that product innovation can come from users DIRECTLY through software - I'm sure this will ultimately become "the norm", and those that won't adapt will simply become insignificant.
Click to expand...

This is a brilliant idea :thumbs:
 
Did you sort this MK ?

Im sure i read lately that one of the new DSLR's (i think it might be sony) has two sensors, one dedicated just for the viewfinder, and one that actually records the light to take the picture. This way you could focus even with the filter in place on the end of the normal lens...
 
Messiah Khan said:
You know you can get IR converted cameras. Well how about a 10 Stop ND converted camera?
Click to expand...

Brilliant idea.

Of course, you can't just add an extra pane of glass into the light path and expect the focus to still work, so you will probably want to replace the low-pass filter with a 10-stop low-pass filter

I want one.

Which Canon cameras perform best on long exposures?

Andrew
 
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