UKC

I just picked up a 10 stop ND filter, as I was hitting the limits of my 6 stop one when I was up in scotland the other week shooting the likes of this: http://www.spectral3d.co.uk/Personal/pics/2012/jubilee_june_2012/jubilee/ds...


So now I seem to have the ability to stack them and increase my exposure times by a factor of 65536.

Any ideas for shots that would let me abuse my new power, beyond the obvious sunsets over sea etc?

In reply to davidbeynon:

nice picture, what kind of kit were you using?

In reply to thekendo:

That was a nikon d7000 with a nikkor 35mm f1.8 dx lens, a pocket tripod and a b+w 6 stop ND filter.

The problem was I had to stop down to f/22 to get the long exposure, which starts bringing in diffraction problems. The reason I wanted a stronger ND was so I can take that sort of thing with the lens a bit more open.

In reply to davidbeynon: Which filter did you get? I've got exactly the same setup with a D7000 and 35mm 1.8 and pondering what to get. Would really like the Big Stopper, but there doesn't seem to be any stock at Lee and some of the ebay prices are ridiculous! I have a 4 stop already, but its nowhere near enough for day time shots. Would really like to get a 10 stop so I can get shallow depth of field long exposure during the day.

In reply to chrisprescott:

I went for the B+W ten stop filter. This one in fact: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Single-Coated-Neutral-Density-Filter/dp/B004Q3Q9OS/

I reckon if I put the 10 stop in front of the 6 I won't have too much trouble with reflections. A 16 stop equivalent as a single piece of glass would be too special purpose for me to carry I think.

In reply to davidbeynon:

OK. Stacking the filters just got me an exposure time of upwards of 4 minutes in daylight (remote control + stopwatch).

It's a bit noisy, but it definately works.

I sould upload the picture, but it is crushingly dull.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Here is an image I took with it on sunday: http://www.spectral3d.co.uk/misc/DSC_2878.JPG

In reply to davidbeynon:


Love the top pic, very nice

I just got the LCW screw in ND9, and so far looking good. Hoping to get out and use it a little more this weekend in Wales. Seen some great results from others

In reply to davidbeynon:

I'm about to build my own cheap version from welding glass (hardly "neutral" as it will put a horrible green cast on, so everything will get converted to mono anyway). Got a suitable filter ring to stick it onto, just waiting for a glass cutter to arrive so I can trim it. Ostensibly to allow daylight IR photography within the constraints of the "night mode" on the Sony Cybershot F717 but if I get myself a 52-58 or 55-58 step-up ring I can whack it onto a range of other lenses

Might be fun. Might be crap. Total cost less than a fiver though

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I was thinking about welding glass as well, but then saw the LCW was a 'mere' £60 and thought Id risk it. Seen some very nice pics done with welding glass, the green cast looks to be fixable with PS

In reply to davidbeynon: Top shot! Congratulations.

In reply to Anni:

Hah that is more than I paid for the Cybershot F717

In reply to Anni:

Just glued it. Will test tomorrow. Hope it doesn't all fall apart. Materials costs:
£1.69 for glass
Call it £1 for filter adaptor that I glue the glass to (bought a few bits and bobs together including a 62mm Hoya circular polariser, for £4!)
£2.28 for glass cutter
nicked some Araldite from work; if I'd had to buy some glue especially, we'll call it £2

£7 all in, with bonus leftover glass cutter, polariser and a 58-62 step-up ring

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Any results yet?

Hijacking my own thread I have been working on an exposure stacker with ghost removal. It can do HDR merges, but I'm planning to use it for night sky type stuff.

The idea is to shoot a bunch of frames, line up the skies & let the anti ghosting magically clean up the foreground for me.

A set of tests, blended from a set of 8 exposures. Unfortunately the ugly sod in the pictures is me:

http://www.spectral3d.co.uk/Vapourware/deghost/

In reply to davidbeynon:

Hi David - nothing yet apart from a very quick test I did just to try to estimate the stops (think it's 14 stops). I was a tad limited by the constraints of my Cybershot F717. I've just taken delivery of a 52-58mm step up ring so I could fire up the D70 and have a play, but I am crazy busy tonight.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Made the FB gallery public so you can see my amazing (cough) craftsmanship

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151089715888383.490393.78907838...

You'll note that after all that, it won't serve the primary purpose I had in mind (to allow IR photography in brighter daylight) as it seems to transmit NO infra-red light (I think I might have just heard a penny drop somewhere, actually....)

No worries though, I'll just join the general "milky waterfall" crowd :-P

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Don't forget misty beaches!

In reply to davidbeynon:

And "ghosts" in Piccadilly Circus!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

You could shoot hand held with it for the "really bad photographer" look.