ND filter for T2i.

S

semajha

Well-known member
Getting ready to purchase a B+W ND 3.0 filter for my camera but I was concerned that this might be a little too much for video? I know I could just stack filters but I'd rather just have one fixed nd filter for now.

Which nd filter is good for broad daylight? I plan on keeping my shutter at 1/50.
 
You might want to look into a variable ND fader, either from LightCraft Workshop or from Singh-Ray.

ND 3.0 is a lot of ND. This will force you to a much shallower DOF, and that's not something of which you want to lose control when you're shooting. The FaderND or VariHD will give you some control over how much light you lose, generally from 3 to 8 stops (ND 0.9 to ND 2.4).
 
I have the .3, .6, and .9 ND filters from Tiffen. I have absolutely no complaints. Stacking isn't a issue with me. They are inexpensive and they work great.
 
Yeah after reading a little about the fader nds, I've decided to stay away from that. Thanks for the input though.

Bwwd, thanks for sharing the article. That was a very interesting read and I had no idea Tiffen was considered a reputable brand. I was just looking at B+W and Hoya(SingRays were out because of price!) when looking for nds. So it seems that the common NDs to use are 6, 9, and 1.2 based on one of the comments. I might just get a 1.2 and see what I need from there.

Anymore suggestions?
 
cap10krk, have you ever felt the need to get a stronger ND? I would like to have some nice shallow DOF.... Perhaps I need to get at least two filters.
 
semajha said:
Yeah after reading a little about the fader nds, I've decided to stay away from that. Thanks for the input though.
Click to expand...

I've used them and have never had any issues with my image because of them. I'm not saying this to mean "if they're good enough for him," but Philip Bloom had a great write-up on the LCW FaderND and the Singh-Ray VariND. It's also kind of an added benefit to soften the image anyway, since aliasing is such a huge problem with DSLR video. Maybe that's why I never had any complaints.

FWIW, my go-to nowadays is a rail system with matte box. I keep a selection of 4x4 filters, Tiffen ND and Formatt Circular Polarizer. The strongest ND I have in the filter wallet is ND1.2.
 
yeh i agree with bwwd...faders are CRAP in my experience. totally unacceptable softeness and colour shift. I'm glad i got it and didnt have to buy it. Singh Ray i believe are better from the test from the guys here. I have no personal experience with them though. Personally though i'm going to invest in Tiffen Water Whites...pricey but seems to be worth it.
 
I use a B+W circular polarizer on a B+W linear polarizer. It's a "DIY" fader ND. Great image but no convenient markings. I just Chubby Checker it until the exposure is where I want it. Cost was between LCW and Singh Ray.
 
semajha said:
cap10krk, have you ever felt the need to get a stronger ND? I would like to have some nice shallow DOF.... Perhaps I need to get at least two filters.
Click to expand...
I would get the .6 and .9. Combined, that's 5 stops. You go from F22 to F4, or F16 to F2.8. That works for me. Now I don't have a lot of experience with different brands of ND filters, but I am very satisfied with mine.
 
three weeks ago, I had both a LCW fader ND and a set of cheap-ish tiffen ND screw-in filters (0.3, 0.6 and 0.9)

I did this test, then sold the fader on ebay
http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsn.html

the fader is much, much more confortable to use, but if you can manage to get the time to play with the screw-in filters, image quality is way better

I've never actually stacked the three tiffens one on top of the other: the most I've had to use was 0.9+0.6, and that was a sunny day in southern Spain (it was winter, though, so I expect to occasionally have them all on at the same time during the summer)
 
What do you mean exposure ? This is not like exposure in video handycams that is on auto all the time and its closing lens automatically(and closing lens will make more things in focus so there is no shallow DOF anymore),its like in film cameras,exposure is up to ISO and lens aperture,you cant get lower ISO than 100 and this with shutter speed 50 is too bright to film outdoors in the sunny day.You need ND filters for that ,like when shooting on film.
I think nikon has lower ISO200 and RED has ISO50.
 
NormanBates said:
three weeks ago, I had both a LCW fader ND and a set of cheap-ish tiffen ND screw-in filters (0.3, 0.6 and 0.9)

I did this test, then sold the fader on ebay
http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsn.html

the fader is much, much more confortable to use, but if you can manage to get the time to play with the screw-in filters, image quality is way better

I've never actually stacked the three tiffens one on top of the other: the most I've had to use was 0.9+0.6, and that was a sunny day in southern Spain (it was winter, though, so I expect to occasionally have them all on at the same time during the summer)
Click to expand...
While this is true with still, that require the absolute best filter, with HD (which is less the 2K) it is MUCH less of a problem
 
AriG said:
While this is true with still, that require the absolute best filter, with HD (which is less the 2K) it is MUCH less of a problem
Click to expand...

that's like saying that focusing precisely on your subject is not that important on HD: sharpness is also important in video!

any footage you shoot with that ND fader on a 135mm or longer will look horribly soft (at least to me)
 
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