Beginner What ND filter should I use?

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Sam
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Hi all.

I've been looking at some Hoya ND filters recently on Amazon, although I've never used one before. I am unsure on what one to get and how many stops I should be going down.
Could someone please help/explain?

Many thanks,
Sam
 
If you want to really blur water and clouds in bright light then try a 10 stop.

If you want just a little blur (not milky effect) then a 4 and a 6 would my choice.

I use a 4 stop Hitech and really like the effect. I also have a Hoya ND1000 (10 stop) and it gives no colour cast.

If you bought both a 4 & a 6 then you could stack them to create a 10 stop if you couldn't afford a 10 stop too.
 
Too slow, I was talking about landscape.

The only reason to use ND filters in portraits outdoors is to slow the shutter speed whilst using a large aperture for bokeh.
 
ThatGuySam said:
Oh. I'm such a numpty! :LOL:
Sorry, outdoor portraits. I'm trying to use the natural light rather than a flash.

I've been shooting portraits near trees and inside forests.
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Are you shooting wide open (f1.8)? Are you exceeding the D3300's 1/4000th shutter speed?

If the answer is Yes/No then you don't need an ND for that.
If the answer is No/No then you don't need an ND for that.
If the answer is Yes/yes then you need an ND to reign the shutter speed back in.
 
ThatGuySam said:
Ah ok.
No, I'm not shooting all the way open. I was shooting at f/2.8, with it being incredibly hard to get the shutter speed right.
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What kind of shutter speeds are you getting?
Do you feel they are too fast or too slow?
 
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I'd have thought you'd want as fast a shutter speed as possible for a portrait to get a nice sharp image. Which means unless you are exceeding the max then you probably don't need an ND.

However, it sounds like you're going for a very specific effect meaning you might be better off with a variable ND for use in changeable light conditions (depending on your reason for slowing the shutter as stupar said).
 
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ThatGuySam said:
I was getting anything from around 1/200 - 1/640.
My reason is, a lot of the images are too bright and some are too dark with really bright areas.
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Ok - are you you shooting full manual or in auto/semi auto mode?
 
To be honest with those example shutter speeds you have plenty latitude at both ends to control the amount of light without the need for an ND filter especially if shooting in manual.
 
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ThatGuySam said:
I was getting anything from around 1/200 - 1/640.
My reason is, a lot of the images are too bright and some are too dark with really bright areas.
Click to expand...
No need for an ND here at all... you are shooting in dappled light, no filter will compensate for that, you need to use a location where the light is more even or accept that with bight sunshine through gaps in the tree cover will result in the sort of lighting and perhaps make the best of it.
 
The other thing to consider is that if your desire is to have to subject well light but the natural environment around about to be slightly less exposed then no amount of varying shutter speeds will give you the result you are after.

Reflectors may help solve that slightly but you could also be looking at using flash but in a fashion that looks natural rather than artificial.
 
ThatGuySam said:
I see. I'll have a look at flashes and reflectors, but I'll also try shooting on a cloudy day.
Thank you, everyone.
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Get yourself a 5 in 1 diffuser/reflector, cheap ones off Am@zon are fine... you will have the advantage that you will be able to see what effect you are getting, plus you get a bit of control over the quality of the light... plenty of good guidance n using diffusers/reflectors on the web/youtube, plus you will save yourself some money (always a good thing :))
 
ThatGuySam said:
I was getting anything from around 1/200 - 1/640.
My reason is, a lot of the images are too bright and some are too dark with really bright areas.
Click to expand...
An ND filter isn’t the answer, but understanding the meter and learning to use exp comp is your answer.

I can’t give more specific advice as there’s many ways to crack this.

For metering you can change the metering mode, meter from a grey card, use an incident meter etc

For how to change your camera:
Shoot M based on the new reading
Use exp lock
Use exp compensation

There’s no right or wrong way, use whatever feels right to you.
 
ThatGuySam said:
Full manual.
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You appear to have fallen into the mistaken belief that full manual has given you control of the camera.
You really have to understand what you’re metering. It’s not complicated, but using P mode and using exp comp is more ‘in control’ than using ‘full manual’ and just centering the meter.

Most pro portrait photographers would use Aperture Priority, it’s a faster way of working allows complete control without constant fiddling with settings.
 
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