Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

10 stop B+W ND changed my life!

H

HBOC

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 14, 2008
2,499
234
SLC
So I got so super lucky. I just picked up a 3 stop Galen Rowell soft edge grad, and happen to check craigslist on Sunday night. Well, 2 minutes before i checked, someone posted a B+W 10 stop 77mm for $75! I thought someone would have already chimed in, as CL is popular, and I have had a Sigma 10-20mm sell in 10 minutes of me listing it.

So I pick it up yesterday, and it is practically brand new! He used it twice (I don't think he even used it, by the looks of it). So I listed my 3 stop B+W ND on fredmiranda, and it sold in a few hours.

Anyways, I went out this morning down to the river front, and the first time looking through the viewfinder, I thought my lens cap was on. It was about 5:15am (it is light here at 4am now, i love it), so plenty of light. It is so super dark. It is a guessing game on where you are focusing at, lol. Here is test shot. 200 second exposure, f/9 ISO 100.

I am heading to the Oregon Coast this weekend to shoot some sunsets and maybe some sunrises (we get that sweet alpenglow, as the sunrises to the East)

This was shot on manual focus on accident. I hit the switch, and didn't catch this until after the shot.
 

Attachments

  • marina.jpg
    marina.jpg
    170.4 KB · Views: 359
Oh yea, 10 stops can create VERY cool effects.. also EXTREMELY handy during very bright days ;)
I only have an 8 stop but its invaluable.. brings creativity to the next level... :)
 
I've been hankering for one of these for a while now...1 to 8 stops of adjustable ND filter goodness.

One of my favourite uses of ND filters is for flash photography in broad daylight; high-speed sync is great, but being able to get more power out of my flashes AND use my lenses wide open is terrific.
 
Edge100 said:
I've been hankering for one of these for a while now...1 to 8 stops of adjustable ND filter goodness.

One of my favourite uses of ND filters is for flash photography in broad daylight; high-speed sync is great, but being able to get more power out of my flashes AND use my lenses wide open is terrific.
Click to expand...

I understand the fader performs just as well as Singh-Ray's Vari-Ripoff, but it seems kind of weird to only be able to buy this from an ebay store.
 
ManhattanPrjct said:
I understand the fader performs just as well as Singh-Ray's Vari-Ripoff, but it seems kind of weird to only be able to buy this from an ebay store.
Click to expand...

True. But I've heard very good reviews from lots of people at fredmiranda.com, and I trust those sources.

The only thing is these filters look massive; I imagine the vignetting is enormous.
 
Edge100 said:
True. But I've heard very good reviews from lots of people at fredmiranda.com, and I trust those sources.

The only thing is these filters look massive; I imagine the vignetting is enormous.
Click to expand...

Actually, there's a post somewhere on dpreview that shows the Vari and the Fader side by side, and the Vari looks ENORMOUS in comparison. I also think (and could be wrong) that the fader has 82mm threads on it.
 
Just came across this - making a variable ND filter from 2 circular polarisers. I haven't tried it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work...
 
here is one from last week.. we have had crappy weather for the last 2 months..
 

Attachments

  • Cannon Pastel.jpg
    Cannon Pastel.jpg
    223.1 KB · Views: 189
HBOC said:
here is one from last week.. we have had crappy weather for the last 2 months..
Click to expand...

That's pretty hot. Says here exposure time was 171 seconds - is that right? I wonder how this filter would perform in Southern California - not too many clouds here these days.
 
yeah it is a long shutter. I have done some that are 14 minutes. Eats through batteries though.
 
ManhattanPrjct said:
That's pretty hot. Says here exposure time was 171 seconds - is that right? I wonder how this filter would perform in Southern California - not too many clouds here these days.
Click to expand...

How do you know it was 171? is there a program for that or are you just THAT good?
 
ND's are great, except as you say it can get impossibly dark to see..
I generally just switch to manual focus and focus just before infinite (for landscapes at wide angle anyway).
Btw, what's there to love about it getting bright at 4am? jks :p If it got brighter later I know I'd be taking a lot more pics ;)

bdgdoom said:
How do you know it was 171? is there a program for that or are you just THAT good?
Click to expand...

Yes, there is :)
 
joemod said:
Pardon for asking.How do you take so long shutter shots with EOS40D?According to specs it can take up to 30 seconds.
Click to expand...

You can put the camera in bulb mode, whereby the exposure is for the duration the shutter is held down.
You'd want to get a cable switch with a lock to do this, otherwise you'll need to have your finger down the whole time.
 
Usually what I do when shooting with the 10 stop, I will compose the shot with the filter off, close the shutter (with the cable release and MLU enabled of course), screw the filter on, and then open the shutter. It is cheating perhaps (yeah right) but it works amazing!
 
I've used the Firefox extensions Exif Viewer and FxIF - both work great, and you don't have to copy the image into an external application to view the data. Exif Viewer gives you more info, but I prefer FxIF's simpler window since it generally shows me everything I'm interested in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back