For example, shooting by the sea at midday using long exposures can give the water a really silky, smooth effect, particularly compared to later on in the day. A gloomy, cloudy day may require a different f-stop light reduction compared to a bright sunny day at noon or under snowy conditions. How many f-stops you reduce light by on your variable ND lens filter largely depends on how much daylight you are exposed to at any given time. Shot with the ND2-400 filter from the Urth Explorer Kit.īy turning the filter and adjusting the stops of light exposure you can slow down shutter speeds to introduce motion or blur to your images, or widen your aperture to produce a shallow depth of field between objects in the forefront and background of your scene. We’d recommend starting with the Variable ND2-400, as it gives you the greatest range of light reduction levels. If you’d like to experiment with ND filters but you’re not sure which one to pick, variable NDs are a great option because they give you lots of light reduction levels to try. Variable ND filters are especially useful when shooting outdoors, because they allow you to adapt to changing light when the sun moves behind the clouds, or when you want to transition from shooting underneath a shaded tree canopy, to shooting in a brightly lit scene like the beach. Variable ND64-1000 (blocks between 6 and 10 f-stops of light) Variable ND8-128 (blocks between 3 and 7 f-stops of light)Ĥ. Variable ND2-400 (blocks between 1 and 8.65 f-stops of light)ģ. Variable ND2-32 (blocks between 1 and 5 f-stops of light)Ģ. For example, Urth variable ND lens filters come in the following ranges:ġ. The f-stop ranges on a variable ND lens filter vary slightly, depending on which brand of filter you buy. However, a variable ND lens filter covers a range of f-stop reductions in one single filter, and you can rotate the filter to adjust the number of f-stops it blocks. As we’ve seen, a standard ND filter reduces light by a specific f-stop. Variable ND lens filters differ from fixed ND lens filters in that you have greater control over the amount of light they block out. F STOP COMPARISON ISOTo balance the shot now that the ND filter has been applied, you would need to widen the lens aperture to allow more light to pass, increase the ISO to make the sensor more sensitive and/or slow the shutter speed down to allow for more light. If an ND4 filter is applied, this will now show a 2 stop underexposure for the same shot. F STOP COMPARISON MANUALImagine your camera is set up in manual mode with ISO 100, f/2.8 and a shutter speed of 1/250s. Doing so opens up a world of creative possibilities, like shooting beautifully shallow depth of field with wide apertures, or shooting soft, magical motion blur with slow shutter speeds. It’s important to know how many f-stops of light an ND filter is blocking out, so you can adjust your camera settings accordingly. Each time you double the number in the ND filter name, this equates to a 1 f-stop reduction in light hitting your camera’s sensor. An ND4 filter lets in just 25% of the amount of light equal to 2 f-stops of light reduction. If you choose an ND2 filter, this equates to a 50% light reduction, or a 1 f-stop reduction. When deciding which ND filter you need, knowing its f-stop reduction, optical density or lens opening percentage is helpful. For example, an ND2 blocks out 1 f-stop of light, an ND4 blocks out 2 f-stops, an ND8 blocks out 3 f-stops and so on. Each time you double the number in the ND name, this equates to a 1 f-stop reduction in light hitting your camera’s sensor. This includes ND4, ND8, ND64 filters, and even as far as ND1000. You get a wide choice of options when choosing ND lens filters. Keep reading to understand how many f-stops of light each ND filter blocks out. This is where ND filters come in to reduce the amount of light that enters your lens. But doing so means you’re letting a lot of light into your lens, and if you’re shooting on a sunny day there’s a good chance your photo will be overexposed. If you want to shoot with a wide aperture to capture a shallow depth of field, you’ll need to set your f-stop to a low number like F2 or F4. ND lens filters vary according to how much light they let in, and this is determined by a filter’s f-stop reduction.Įssentially, an f-stop relates to the aperture size, ie, how open or closed the aperture of your lens is, for any given photo. An ND filter, or neutral density lens filter, reduces the amount of light entering your camera.
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