31
votes
Does using long exposure together with ND filter make the scene look more evenly lit?
No, changing the exposure or using an ND filter will not help you with this, since both will only brighten or darken everything by a certain factor.
Your problem is the large relative difference ...
- 4,644
30
votes
Accepted
Why did my ND filter produce washed out exposures?
You've got the sun almost in the frame. This is causing huge amounts of veiling flare — light bouncing all around, reducing contrast. You'll get better results from a different angle, or at a ...
- 144k
20
votes
Accepted
Can I stack ND Filter and Polarizer together?
Absolutely you can. Many square filter holders are specifically designed for this:
The Lee Filters systems (Sev5n, 100mm) have optional front threaded rings designed to hold a polarizer in front of ...
- 33.3k
16
votes
Accepted
What is a good example for artistic ND filter applications?
Aside from moving water, what other motion blur applications can one achieve with an ND filter?
Pretty much anything that moves in relation to the camera.
One can make people moving through a scene ...
- 176k
16
votes
Accepted
Why are ND filters used in moon photography?
Summary
In my opinion there is absolutely no point in using an ND filter with moon photography. The tutorial you mention uses the ND filter to reduce the glare on a human eye. By darkening the image, ...
- 5,422
15
votes
Why did my ND filter produce washed out exposures?
Why did my ND filter produce washed out exposures?
You're shooting straight into the sun with a dirty, unshaded, and flat surface on the front of your lens.
The image demonstrates all three classic ...
- 176k
14
votes
Accepted
What ND filter strength should I use when visiting Iceland?
That is a really tough question because it is so situation dependent. It depends on the look you want to achieve and also the light that you are facing. You almost always have the wrong filter with ...
- 1,633
10
votes
Does using long exposure together with ND filter make the scene look more evenly lit?
I have to disagree (to a limited degree) with most the answers you've gotten. For a picture like this, a longer exposure will probably do a little to reduce contrast a bit. Not much, but a bit.
This ...
- 19.3k
9
votes
Accepted
Why is my 2 second long exposure shot overexposed?
We have no idea of the brightness of the scene you are photographing. Are you on a Mediterranean beach? In a forest at night? Put the camera on automatic, take a photo, and see what iso, aperture and ...
- 12.6k
9
votes
Does using long exposure together with ND filter make the scene look more evenly lit?
Is this combination of ND filter and long exposure responsible for having such even lighting on the scene in the former image?
No. The reason for the ND filter is to allow the long exposure, but the ...
- 1,497
8
votes
Accepted
Choosing between 9-stop and 10-stop ND filter for flowing water long exposures
It doesn't matter much which filter you get. If you get the "wrong" one, you will have gained invaluable XP that will contribute to your continued advancement in photography.
Options to consider:
...
- 27.1k
8
votes
Choosing between 9-stop and 10-stop ND filter for flowing water long exposures
TL;DR: Get the best 10-stop filter you are willing to afford. There are several to choose from, compared to shopping for a 9-stop filter.
In no particular order, some considerations:
This is very ...
- 33.3k
8
votes
Why are ND filters used in moon photography?
With DSLR cameras, there is no need to use any ND filter when photographing the moon.
The article you linked to was talking about viewing the moon with a telescope. Viewing telescopes don't have ...
- 33.3k
7
votes
Why is my 2 second long exposure shot overexposed?
Without knowing what strength of ND filter you were using, or under what lighting conditions, I can't give a specific answer. However, a little bit of back-of-the-envelope math can help give you an ...
- 33.3k
7
votes
What is a good example for artistic ND filter applications?
Most moving things becomes blurry and unrecognizable at slow shutter speeds. Other uses of an ND filter I have seen:
Moving clouds
Cities (moving bits (cars, people) disappear)
- 22k
7
votes
Does a large scratch in an ND filter affect image quality?
It is impossible to say without trying the filter on the lens you intend to use it on and under the conditions you are going to use the combination. It is IMHO impossible just by a visual inspection ...
- 3,388
7
votes
How does using an ND filter compare to using HSS for freezing subject motion in daylight?
Just to get the full understanding: Only to freeze fast moving subjects which need shorter shutter speeds than the flash's burning speed HSS is really required?
Sort of. That is a common reason to ...
- 176k
6
votes
What ND Grad to buy first?
You haven't given enough information to produce a definitive answer, but here's how I suggest you can help determine the information yourself. I own and use 2 sets of ND grads from 1–3 stops, both ...
- 33.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Is my ND4 filter really ND4?
The filter is almost certainly an ND0.4 (or ND.4) filter.
Filters specified as ND .4 have a transmissivity of 10^(1/0.4) which is .398. Looking at the 4 measurements the OP made, the reflectance at ...
- 1,217
5
votes
Can I use a 10 stop + 8 stop ND filter to photograph a solar eclipse?
In theory, the 10-stop and 8-stop filter could do the job (with about 1 1/3 stop disadvantage to a solar filter). 2^(10+8) is a light reduction factor of 262,144 and solar filters usually have a ...
- 919
5
votes
Why are my long-exposure photos (with ND filter) overexposed?
The short answer is that your ND filter is not strong enough.
As Alan Marcus's answer points out, according to the Sunny 16 rule, in bright daylight at ƒ/16, you will get a nominally-correct exposure ...
- 33.3k
5
votes
Can I photograph a solar eclipse using a 10-stop Big Stopper (+ extra ND?)
Solar filters limit not only visible light but also ultraviolet and infrared light from the sun.
The primary concern with using ND filters instead of solar filters is not the difference in the amount ...
- 176k
5
votes
Why are my long-exposure photos (with ND filter) overexposed?
The approximate manual camera setting is likely achieved using the tried and true “sunny 16 rule”.
Shutter speed is 1/ISO with the aperture set to f/16. Since you have chosen ISO 100, the exposure, ...
- 39.7k
5
votes
Does using long exposure together with ND filter make the scene look more evenly lit?
Most of what you seem to think was accomplished by using the ND filter was actually accomplished using one of several raw conversion/post-processing techniques to reduce the contrast of the final form ...
- 176k
5
votes
What is the difference between IR and ND filters?
ND stands for "neutral density" - it is a filter type that (in theory) absorbs all wavelengths of the visible light by the same amount.
Effect of a ND-filter. CC-BY-SA 2.0: Robert Emperley
IR ...
- 6,478
5
votes
How to determine strength of ND filter needed?
You've discovered the wonderful, yet complex, world of mixed lighting - congrats!
Quick example using Sunny 16 rule...
Starting Parameters (proper ambient exposure): ISO100, f/16, 1/125
Adjusting to ...
- 20.5k
5
votes
What is a good example for artistic ND filter applications?
My list of ND applications. Yeap, some already mentioned in the other answers :o)
Lower the shutter speed to capture motion on moving subjects. e.g. A river flowing.
Removing people from a crowded ...
- 25.4k
5
votes
Does a large scratch in an ND filter affect image quality?
The job of the lens is to project an image of the outside world on the surface of the digital image sensor (or film). Our desire is a faithful image. To date, camera optics do a good job but residual ...
- 39.7k
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