ND filter users - Need help and opinion

[PrincessInOz]

Folks,

I really respect your views on this forum and have found myself in a position where I need to canvas some views on what to do regarding the Hoya HMC filter, 2x.

I've been lurking on some of the threads and conversations regarding Neutral Density filters and have almost decided that my next equipment purchase was going to be the Hoya ND-400X, 9 stop filter.

Problem is...my lovely DH has been listening to me talking about 'the ND filter' and unbeknowst to me, he went out to one of the camera shops here and purchased me an ND filter for Christmas. He knew I had mentioned Hoya...so he got me the Hoya HMC filter, 2x.

Have any of you used this filter?
I'm thinking that I should go return it and get the filter that I want....but if there is a practical and useful application for this filter over and above what I can use the 400X filter for, I will keep it.

Thanks in advance.



(ps. I currently only have UV filters in my bag. This is the first ND filter I have ever gotten.)

 

[photo_chick]

In my opinion the ND filter is a lot more useful than those UV filters you have in your bag. And I think a 1 stop filter can be as useful as a 9 stop filter. You use which one the situation calls for. You're going to find that sometimes the 9 stops is going be way overkill because it will end up with shutter speeds lasting several minutes. But it really depends on what you want to do.

 

[wbeem]

What's your purpose for the ND filter? A two-stop ND could be very useful in some portrait situations. For example, there are times when I want to use a shallow depth of field from a wide aperture, but my studio lights are just too bright - even at their lowest setting.

I could move the lights farther away from the subject, but then you start to lose the softest quality of light as the distance increases from flash to subject. Ideally, you want the light as close as possible to the subject in order to get the softest light.

Changing my shutter speed won't have any impact, since the flash duration is shorter than the shutter speed. The only option I have left is to use a ND filter to cut out a few stops of light.

On the other hand, I also have a B+W 10 stop filter. You can't even see through that thing. Gotta focus first, switch to manual focus (so the camera won't try to auto-focus again), put on the ND, and then wait for the exposure. It's great if you want to turn flowing water into glass, or eliminate moving subjects from a scene.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks for your responses.

I should have explained that my DH didn't get me 1 ND filter...he got me 2. Both of them 2x. One for 58 mm and the other for 77 mm. He didn't know which lens I had planned to use it for; so he got me both. You gotta give it to him for making sure that I would be happy.

Sorry for the omission and my only excuse is that I was in a food coma last night.

My issue is that both are a one-stop filter and I'm wondering if that is sufficient for the everyday uses of the ND. I have the choice of going back to change both and getting a single 2 or 3-stop filter or putting more money in and getting the 9 stop filter.

The 400x, 9 stop filter would have been used for fireworks settings so that I can get longer exposures without blowing out the bursts and/or keeping the colour integrity.
There are only about 6 or 7 occassions in the year where there are fireworks in Melbourne; which is one reason why I haven't rushed out to add a multi-stop ND filter to my bag. But Melbourne city is starting to light up buildings at night and I realised that there would be other opportunities for using the 9 stop filter other than just for fireworks...and if I'm out in the countryside this year, I want to try taking longer exposures of the stars around the South Celestial pole.
I'm heading to Hong Kong (and HKDL) in April and had thought about picking one up then. Plus there is a nightime sound and light show along Kowloon waterfront, which I think might warrant having a ND filter to play with. I'll be there for 11 nights (2 at Disney; and the rest in Kowloon) and think I should have at least 2 or 3 opportunities to go shooting the show.
For all of the above applications, I would probably be able to go early and set up the camera beforehand, focus and then put the ND lens on.

Back to the 2x. Aside from cutting down on the light intensity (which is important in Australia), I wasn't sure if there was any benefit in keeping one of the 1-stop filters or if I would be better off getting a 2 or 3 stop one instead; and then picking up the 9 stop filter closer towards the Hong Kong trip (which will probably be cheaper).

I was also interested in Danielle's view that the ND filter was more useful than the UV filter. When/if you use a filter on your lens, do you reach for the ND in preference to the UV first? Do you have a 1-stop or a 2/3 stop HD filter?

 

[photo_chick]

I'd keep the larger filter, take the smaller back and get step rings so you can use the larger filter on the smaller lens. Then if I had the cash I'd get a 9 stop filter if you really want it.

1 stop is great for certain types of shooting. It's cutting the amount of light coming into the lens in half. Very handy on bright days when you want to open up the aperture for a shallower depth of field. And a 1 stop filter could be very useful for fireworks depending on how you want to approach the shot. I'm in Texas and I find a 1 stop ND filter very useful in the summer here with the bright sun.

Also keep in mind how adding a stop works wen you're thinking about that 9 stop filter. You're halving the light for each stop so the shutter speed is not just 9 times longer, it doubles at each stop. You can end up with shutter speeds of 30 minutes really easily. And that's not a bad thing, but it doesn't make it an every day use type of filter to me. You have to choose the tool appropriate to what you want to do, which is why ideally you'd have a set of ND filters and not just one.

On the UV filters... I have no UV filters in my bag right now. When it comes to digital (and some film stock) all they are good for is protection, and I opt for a lens hood to cover that.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks Danielle and wbeem.

I think I might have to visit the shop and swap the 58 mm for something else. Will keep the 77 mm and still ponder the 9 stop for April.

 

[boBQuincy]

I don't see much use for a 2X ND filter, a polarizer would cut down on light by about the same amount while adding the benefits of polarization (increased saturation, less reflections, reducing atmospheric haze). Even when oriented for minimum polarization it would still act as a ND filter but have much more versatility.

A 3 stop ND (8X) would be more useful, allowing a full 3 stops or as little as one stop of aperture or shutter speed (by adjusting aperture, ISO, or shutter speed for more light over the base exposure).

I do not use UV filters, they serve almost no purpose with digital and cheap ones can degrade image quality. I rely on lens hoods to protect the front element.