Rediscovering ND filters

[WoodWorks]

Selling my old A7RII meant I also lost Sony's Smooth Reflection app. So I had to go back to using ND filters if I wanted a long exposure.

ILCE-7RM4    FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS    27mm    f/8.0    3.2s    ISO 50

ILCE-7RM4    14-24mm F2.8 DG DN | Art 019    16mm    f/8.0    3.2s    ISO 50

It seemed to go fine. Like riding a bicycle. And I guess I'll be racking up a lot fewer shutter activations from now on.

 

[bdbits]

It's really a shame they did away with the apps. I only had a few but they were very useful at times, and I think if it had been opened up more it could have added so much.

Oh well.

 

[dbmiller]

You could also shoot a burst of photos and layer them in Photoshop to do the same thing as the Smooth Reflection app. I do this when I have forgotten my ND filter. It means extra processing time since you have to do it all in post, but beats nothing.

https://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-simulate-a-long-exposure-in-photoshop/

 

[Ad Dieleman]

Selling my old A7RII meant I also lost Sony's Smooth Reflection app. So I had to go back to using ND filters if I wanted a long exposure.

It seemed to go fine. Like riding a bicycle. And I guess I'll be racking up a lot fewer shutter activations from now on.

I hear you. I habitually carry 3 screw-in ND filters (3 stops, 6 stops, 10 stops) for my Loxias.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I've never owned an ND filter. Does anyone use them for stuff other than water? ISTR hearing that you can eliminate moving people from a photo with them.

 

[Ad Dieleman]

I've never owned an ND filter. Does anyone use them for stuff other than water? ISTR hearing that you can eliminate moving people from a photo with them.

I use them in bright sunlight when I want to see movement in people and/or when I want to use large apertures, sometimes also in combination with motion blur. Here's an example where I used 1/30 s at f/8 in glaring sunlight; I used a 3-stops ND filter, otherwise I would have had to use at least 1/250 s at f/8.

ILCE-7RM4    E 35mm F2    35mm    f/8.0    1/30s    ISO 100

 

[WoodWorks]

I've never owned an ND filter.

Here’s a tip I wish I had known before I started buying ND filters: Buy one high-quality filter that fits the lens you own (or expect to own) with the largest diameter of all of your lenses. Then just buy step-up rings to use it with all of your other lenses.

Of course, that trick is of no use with my Sigma 14-24mm because of its bulbous front element. For it I had to spring for this nifty set of rear-mount ND filters:

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[Tipton]

I used several of the apps, and was disappointed when they dropped support. Could have been the foundation for something great. Apps are more important on phones than talking now.

 

[SpecFoto]

I've never owned an ND filter. Does anyone use them for stuff other than water? ISTR hearing that you can eliminate moving people from a photo with them.

Many times when using flash I use a ND filter to allow me to use my portrait lenses wide open, which range from f1.2 to f1.8, and knock down the ambient to get to my flash sync speed. This may be as much as 7 stops in bright sun with a f1.2 or 1.4 lens.

And yes you can put strong ND filter aim at a crowded square, take a long exposure on a tripod and moving people will vanish. But not the ones standing still.