ND filter Chart


ghost7

New Member
Dec 11, 2011
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Singapore
Hi,


I would like to check if you guys hav a chart that you use to check the shutter speed when using ND filter??
I try to google for those chart but it gave me a different shutter speed thus I do not know which is the "correct" shutter speed. I currently do not have ND filter thus could not trial and error those shutter speed in the chart. The purpose I am looking at those chart is to determine which ND filter I should get.


Thank you for reading:)
 

You look for something that does not exists.
ND filters reduce the incoming light by defined stops. (Please read the newbie thread what 'stop' means in terms of aperture, shutter speed and ISO.) There are filters with 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 10 stops (and maybe some more in between) But, obviously, if the ND reduces light compared to not using a filter - then the exposure settings without filter are the reference. So prey, tell us how to compile a chart with all possible exposure settings?
What filter to use will also depend on what you want to achieve under the given light conditions. Do you want to open up the aperture to get shallow DoF? Do you want to slow shutter speed to to achieve effects of silky water surfaces or even eliminating moving objects? You decide, then do your maths according the situation. Broad daylight will need different settings than dawn or midnight.
 

Hi,


I would like to check if you guys hav a chart that you use to check the shutter speed when using ND filter??
I try to google for those chart but it gave me a different shutter speed thus I do not know which is the "correct" shutter speed. I currently do not have ND filter thus could not trial and error those shutter speed in the chart. The purpose I am looking at those chart is to determine which ND filter I should get.


Thank you for reading:)

You have a camera?

Put it to manual mode and you can spin the dial to find out how many stops it adds.

Btw, 1 stop = double timing, i.e. 1 stop ND filter on a 1/250 second exposure will give 1/125 seconds..

2 stops = 2^2 = 4 times as long
3 stops = 2^3 = 3 times as long

So on so forth. Surely you can do the maths... X-stop ND filter extends exposure timing of Y seconds to be Y*2^X...
 

Hi.

Sorry if I asked for something that does not exist. I was watching a david norton video on photography the other day and he used a chart to determine the shutter speed that was why I asked for it. Some example I found in google is
5555594302_9b6a751a71.jpg
 

Hi.

Sorry if I asked for something that does not exist. I was watching a david norton video on photography the other day and he used a chart to determine the shutter speed that was why I asked for it.


The thing is, you don't need a chart, your camera has a built-in chart...?

I can understand having a chart for hyperfocal distance... But not stops.
 

Thank you edutilos. After reading ur comment I understood the concept. Thank you for ur explaination.


Thank you Octarine.
 

You only need to start calculating when exposure exceeded 30s. Otherwise can still rely on the camera metering.
 

I don't understand the need for these ND charts. Can't you just calculate inside your head? Multiple and divide by 2 can't be that difficult!
:think:
 

You can't see the chart to know what ND filters to buy, but to know which ND filters to use for a situation

You can draft a chart for all the filters you have,
or
You can search an App to download for your smart phone


If you have only 1 ND filter, all you need is to use the camera dial for a simple calculation. that is what edutilos- telling you.
 

sinned79 said:
if not trial and error.

So in maths equations will be

Y x 2^n

Where Y is the shutter speed and n is the number of stop for the Nd filter...

Great thanks.... Now can finally ditch the chart..
 

You only need to start calculating when exposure exceeded 30s. Otherwise can still rely on the camera metering.

From there on it's quite simple, there is no failure of reciprocity for digital, so it's just 1 minute, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, etc... Can make it easy by using a F-stop that gives you nice numbers instead of 40 seconds, 80 seconds, etc. :bsmilie:
 

Some NDs come with a number behind... like the ND400 which is an 8 2/3 stop filter...

If you are quick with mental sums, juz multiply your metered shutterspeed by 400... eg: metered shutterspeed = 1/200 ... with ND400 filter on, shutter speed = 1/200 X 400 = 2s :)
 

Thanks!!! Did not know there is so many method to calculate the shutter speed. Would prefer nyxes method as it is just multiplication.

Thanks all for the help.
 

Thanks!!! Did not know there is so many method to calculate the shutter speed. Would prefer nyxes method as it is just multiplication.

Thanks all for the help.

Then you can do up your own Excel table for 1 through 10 stop ND filters
1 stop x2
2 stopx4
3 stopx8
4 stopx16
5 stopx32
6 stopx64
10 stopx1024
 

Then you can do up your own Excel table for 1 through 10 stop ND filters
1 stop x2
2 stopx4
3 stopx8
4 stopx16
5 stopx32
6 stopx64
10 stopx1024

juz to add on, from 5 stop onwards, you can round off to the nearest tens or hundreds for easier calculation as the small variation in exposure is less drastic in your photo compared to a 2 stop filter...

like i mentioned, the ND400 is an 8 2/3 filter... you do the maths, 2^8.67 = 407... thats where the "400" comes about as the value is rounded down to the nearest hundreds (400) for easier calculation compared to multiplying by 407... :)

so a 6 stop = x60, 10 stop = x1000 etc

for watever ND you are getting, juz find out the multiplication factor using fellow CSers methods above and memorise that magical number LOL!!!
 

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I want to purchase one camera!But I have no idea which is the best one!Can you give some advice?
No we cannot help you. You are unable to read sticky threads, you are unable to observe where you are posting (or better: dumping?) your questions. Did you notice that you dropped your question into an existing thread with a completely different topic?
Spend some time reading the forum. We also don't know what is the best camera .. but maybe a Point and Shoot camera would be suitable? Matches your posting style, at least..
 

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