Slot in ND filters (not graduated)

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Hi there,

A quick one,

How many of you use solid ND filters when out and about or in the studio? I've always struggled on bright days or when I want to use a more shallow depth of field with studio lights for portraiture, do any event or wedding togs use them at all?

I was looking at the square Lee filters as I already have the foundation set or should I consider alternatives? that is if I should consider them at all.

Thanks
 
I've used them to increase exposure time... not for silk water shots, don't like those, just for shooting ghostly people shots.
 
Thanks, I know people use them for the really long exposure stuff but I was more thinking as a part of general use. Can't say I've seen anyone use them outside of landscape photography though.
 
Main uses:
1) Very dark ones for substantially increasing exposure time in bright daylight, eg silky water look, 6-10 stops.
2) Shallow depth-of-field effects in bright light when you run out of shutter speed and ISO options. 2-3 stops - any darker and the viewfinder gets hard to see, but that's usually enough.
3) With studio flash at low f/numbers for shallow DoF, when the flash won't turn down low enough. You can also use just the modelling lights for that quite successfully, as James says, though you might have to push the ISO a bit and the studio has to be quite dark to avoid other ambient lights causing issues. 2-3 stops.

Edit: the main benefit of Lee and other slot-in filter systems is the ability to slide the filter up and down to moderate the grad line position in landscapes. Otherwise, screw-ins are much more convenient.
 
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HoppyUK said:
2) Shallow depth-of-field effects in bright light when you run out of shutter speed and ISO options. 2-3 stops - any darker and the viewfinder gets hard to see, but that's usually enough.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, I forgot about that as I was thinking more of slot in filter systems. This is actually the main thing I use ND's for and when I do it's screw on ones and I use them with one of my MFT cameras as the max shutter speed is 1/4000. On a bright day that could mean being limited to f2.8 at best unless ND's are used.
 
Jayst84 said:
If you're using very dark filters, then the slot-in type can be less of a faff to take on and off between shots for focussing, composing, etc. compared to screw-in. I've heard of more people suffering with unwanted reflections from the slot-in type though, I guess with the filter extending past the lens, that's always a risk.
Click to expand...

Slot-ins can sometimes be easier with very dark NDs, but not always. The Lee system is very good, with a spring-loaded clip that releases the filter and holder together very easily. But others can be much trickier when you need a little force to slide the filter out of the way, often moving the tripod in the process. Dark slot-in NDs must be 100% sealed around the edges against light leaks, with a foam gasket.

The trick with screw-ins is to set everything up before fitting the filter, ie knowing what your shutter speed is going be etc. Then fit once.
 
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