What's better aperture or ND filters down?

M

myCharlie

Well-known member
When shooting outside in a bright area especially in the winter where lots of snow, do I turn the aperture down or increase the ND filter? Which will produce a better picture?
 
depends - they do different things

closing the aperture will increase your DOF - ND filters will leave DOF unchanged.

Also - if shooting with HVX it is advisable to stay 5.6 or more open because of the optics of the camera
 
In the situation you described, the optimal situation would be to have enough ND to get a proper exposure, while still shooting around an f/4. This will give you a moderately shallow DOF, while maintaining a controlled exposure.
 
Thanks! Over the weekend I was doing some test shooting with my Sony EX1 and the snow was quite bright all around a spec of water where lots of ducks were swiming. I wasn't sure if I should increase the ND or the aperture to compensate for the brightness. Next time I will try with the ND and see what the results are.


One more thing, so in any situations where there are bright lights, it's best to use ND filters rather than increasing the aperture to compensate for the over expose if I don't' want to change the DOF, correct?


Thanks!
 
to your last question, that is correct. upping your ND's instead of exposure will keep your DOF the same if that is what you are wanting.
 
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