How many stops of light?

B

Baddgsx

Well-known member
Hi friends,

the other day I shot with on a 7d , ef-s 17-55mm f2.8 and CPL. 1080 24p , 50 shutter. I was only able to get good exposure at around 5.6 . if i wanted to shoot at 2.8 , how many stops of light ND should i get to add on? .9ND?

Thanks,
Chris
 
From each f-stop to the next is one stop"

f: 1.0 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22 32 45 64 90 128 180 256

ND .3 = 1 stop
ND .6 = 2 stops
ND .9 = 3 stops

Also if you're in a jam you can use a polarizer to gain a stop and a bit depending on the polarizer and brand.

Using ND filters is a great way to change your Depth of Field without changing your lighting between wide and close up shots - I frequently shoot my wides at f5.6 and close-ups at f2.8 (2 stops of light) so if you follow this technique just make sure you are lighting for f5.6 ;)
 
starcentral said:
From each f-stop to the next is one stop"

f: 1.0 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22 32 45 64 90 128 180 256

ND .3 = 1 stop
ND .6 = 2 stops
ND .9 = 3 stops

Also if you're in a jam you can use a polarizer to gain a stop and a bit depending on the polarizer and brand.

Using ND filters is a great way to change your Depth of Field without changing your lighting between wide and close up shots - I frequently shoot my wides at f5.6 and close-ups at f2.8 (2 stops of light) so if you follow this technique just make sure you are lighting for f5.6 ;)
Click to expand...


Thanks :)
 
You might consider getting a variable ND filter, which lets you dial in the exact amount of ND filtering you might need for a given shot as many DSLR lens prove to be way too fast for shooting outdoors in sunlight at more open apertures- where you want that shallow DOF look.
 
Baddgsx said:
Hi friends,

the other day I shot with on a 7d , ef-s 17-55mm f2.8 and CPL. 1080 24p , 50 shutter. I was only able to get good exposure at around 5.6 . if i wanted to shoot at 2.8 , how many stops of light ND should i get to add on? .9ND?

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...


if you are at iso 400 or over than the answer can be none
 
Side-discussion; I'm beginning to notice it's more worthwhile to sacrifice DOF continuity between wide/close-up shots in favor of prettier shots. I'm noticing more and more that the average audience never notices lighting/DOF continuity but they're wowed by beauty shots... even if they make no sense in the established lighting set-up.

So for example, I might establish a scene with wide, relatively flat lighting and high DOF to show what's going on and maybe some dialogue... then when we punch in for the big dramatic line, I can switch to more contrast, add backlight and really shallow DOF and it will look great... and no one will have a problem with it.

Thoughts?
 
sonofaresiii said:
So for example, I might establish a scene with wide, relatively flat lighting and high DOF to show what's going on and maybe some dialogue... then when we punch in for the big dramatic line, I can switch to more contrast, add backlight and really shallow DOF and it will look great... and no one will have a problem with it.
Click to expand...

Mmm... I've seen this before, and I noticed it. Then again, I'm not the average audience...
 
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