Thanks much! I appreciate your candid admission of being too lazy to re-expose for the time difference in taking your baseline and eventually making the shot. 40'? Makes sense to me!
Here are my notes I’ll keep in my iPhone for field reference: DSLR ND FILTER EXPOSURES 1. ACQUIRE a high quality 10-Stop ND filter 2. COMPOSE your shot for view, and to exploit object with motion/movement (clouds, water, cars, people, etc.) 3. SET A BASELINE EXPOSURE with no filter to (1) get metrics that allow you to calculate the ND filter exposure time, (2) record a reference shot of the scene 4. USE A LOW ISO (100 is good) 5. In AV mode, set your preferred small aperture (f/8, 11, 16, etc.) and allow the camera’s meter to give you your exposure TIME metric 6. RECORD THE EXPOSURE METRICS 7. If your focus is set to where you want it, DEACTIVATE AUTO FOCUS as-once you put it on-the ND filter darkness may throw off the camera’s autofocus 8. CALCULATE your delayed exposure time metric as follows: 9. BASELINE (no filter) EXPOSURE: 1/30th @ f/8 10. 1/30 second = .033 seconds 11. 10 f/stops = factor of 1000 12. 1000 x .033 = 33 seconds 13. ATTACH ND FILTER 14. BLOCK-OUT camera’s eye-port (to prevent light leak) 15. Set ‘BULB MODE’ on camera 16. Use REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE, or Intervalometer (for obvious reasons) 17. TAKE your ND exposure 18. CHECK your image 19. TWEAK your time metric to refine your exposure to your preferences 20. ENJOY!!!!!!
Well done mate. When you’re shooting long exposure, try and get your tripod legs all on a solid surface. I think you had one on sand, which can have the tiniest bit of movement and result in a loss of image sharpness. A couple of old cds spread the load over a greater area, or another option is to pop a rock under the tripod leg/s and spread the load......the closer to the waters edge the more you’ll need support for those legs 😀
Just as a note, I would switch off AF on the lens itself, not the switch on the body like you did. That switch is really for the AF motor in the body (it will also turn off AF in the lens but is really mean to switch off AF on lenses that utilize the AF motor in the body, like the older AF-D lenses). By turning off AF on the lens itself, you know that it won't try to re-focus the lens. Second, there's a point of diminishing return, meaning your exposure times may not pay off or have a negligible impact. For example, shooting waterfalls or streams, after about 30 seconds of exposure, the return on your time spent gneerally diminishes and you won't see much of a change in the composition in terms of smoothness so be sure to play around so you know when enough is enough so you're not wasting your time with a 2-5 minute exposure when a 30 second or 1 minute would have been enough. This just takes practice and learning what duration is needed with a certain filter (3-stop, 10-stop, etc) to get a certain effect. Third, BUY A GOOD QUALITY FILTER. Don't buy cheap plastic ones and if possible, get good quality multi-coated ones. It will cost more up front, but if you take care of it, you should get lots of life out of it and it will pay off over time versus cheap filters you may have to replace or you find leaves strange artifacts in your images (such as with some variable NDs, which is why I don't recommend them ever). You have to ask yourself is your image worth trying to save a few bucks? 99.99% of the time, it's priceless and you should get the best filter you can afford, and don't skimp out. If you have to skimp on something, skimp on something small like a remote wireless cable release. But I wouldn't skimp on something that goes in front of your lens because you will see the difference in the quality of your images. Or maybe what you don't see (ie. ghosting, flare, etc). Generally speaking, the more expensive filters are going to do a better job and create less problems. And I'm not saying to get a $300 filter, but instead of spending $100 on a filter kit, good filters start around $100 each. So estimate that as a starting point, a good filter will run you about $100+ EACH so for a set of 3 good quality ND filters (3-stop, 6-stop, and 10-stop, whic hI recommend everyone have in their bag if they do landscapes or nature) count on spending about $300-$500 for a good set, but that set will last you a long time if you take care of it so it does pay to buy the good stuff, and keep it in good condition because you could get 5-10+ years of use out of it.
Nicely and simply explained thanks. If it's windy it might be useful to remove the camera strap to minimise vibrations, especially for 40 sec exposures.
Hey Josh...Jerry here...i just watched your video on Long Exposure with ND filter. I think my error was to not switch to MF instead of AF. I took the shot....then put the filter on but was in manual mode but af. I did a 8.5 sec exposure but was in AF...So I will try tomorrow or thursday and will try to remember the steps..so let me review and please get back to me..first take photo to see settings. place in MF and multiply x 1000 the shutter speed ex 1/30 x 1000= 13 second exposure. with a ten stop exposure...how do i add a copy of the photo to show u the results for Critque?
New sub thanks 🙏 I liked your detailed, methodical explanations all along the way. I’m going to create a bullet point checklist of your setup actions. Thank you, again...Rich
Timescale might be 33 seconds but what if we push like 2 stops for light compensation? Most filter producers come with the app which can be used as a guideline for how many seconds in complaince with the setting on M. For instance, if my setting goes like ND1000 + ISO 100 + 1/25 + 2 stops compensation the NISI filter app suggests 2:43 minutes for shooting time. However, it might not be appropriate while the lights are very changeable possibly if we shoot on the beach or on the top of the mountains.
For 2 stop of light compensation you would just subtract 2 stops from the shutter speed and that would give you a rough equivalent. A stop is a measurement between values, not whole numbers. For example, 2 stops of light compensation is .6 or -.6 I have learned shooting over 30 second shutter speeds a few seconds longer won’t ruin a shot. And the light does change so rapidly If you are doing a few minute exposure your settings will change in just those few minutes requiring a longer shutter speed. If I do an exposure longer than a few minutes I always add on several long seconds to what my exposure should be. Hope this clears it up.
These are great suggestions but every scene is different, light is different, cameras and lenses too. You have to experiment. And that’s what the art is all about….
@@garyCauseryes, it's more of a suggested exposure time. When you do the math, you realize they're approximates because sometimes 1/2 values are used for certain things while 1/3 values are used for others at the same time
Once you get your baseline exposure with auto focus and without the filter on, then you say to change to manual focus and put the filter on. My question: How do you dial in manual focus once the filter is on? You can't see anything.
I just switch it to manual focus so I don’t accidentally hit the focus button (on back of the camera or touch screen) to cause the auto focus to refocus. It kind of “locks” it in focus. So once my focus is set I switch it to manual just for a fail safe, I don’t actually focus manually.
Thank for this video, very very useful the procedure to calculate with the calculator without downloading anoter app. I use to do the math in my mind like 1/1000 sec = 1 sec or 1/250 sec = 1 sec + 2 stops but like this is a little faster.
05:24......you have set the AF correctly, screw in the filter. And the focus changes :)) There are always slight shifts of the front element of the lens. This is not a good method.
You have to multiply by 1024 not by 1000 (2^10 = 1024). Not much of a difference though (0.8s over 33), but can be a bit bad on longer exposures, like 4min.
Your explanation for using the external release was confused. If using a camera that can't take exposures longer than 30 seconds you need one (in Bulb mode), but you said it was to reduce the chances of introducing vibration when clicking the release. Yes, that would do that, but that is not why you'd need one. You can set up a release delay in camera (2 seconds say), then no need for an external release system (if shooting under 30 seconds). Also, why leave your camera strap attached? You literally never used it & it catches the wind so making vibrations.
Sorry for the confusion, you are correct. I have always left the camera strap on and I have never had any issues with it causing vibrations. Sometimes I wrap it around the camera body if its really windy.
I’m glad you enjoyed the lesson! In order to achieve such a long shutter speed I needed to add the filter to get a more dramatic effect by having the shutter open longer.
@@JoshProstejovsky ugh! I was hoping you wouldn’t answer. LOL! I thought about it afterwards and your absolutely right. I didn’t think that far ahead. I’ll be using this trick soon in Yosemite. Thank you!
Actually, in my experience... 10 stops for your tutorial is too much. Having about a maximum of 8 seconds exposure for waves seems perfect, as there is little, but some water structure remaining. Anything beyond 8 seconds seems to go glassy, and that gets old really quickly
I agree, but I think it is still valuable to learn how to use a 10stop filter as I like the way it looks for the clouds sometimes. I’ll usually use it for the clouds and blend in a shorter exposure for the water.
I disagree. It is a matter of taste and not everyone has the same. I personally love glassy. I find it perfect and never gets old. On the other hand, depending on the subject, project, concept etc it might be desired to have some water structure, so I don't think there is one way or one filter for all.
I agree, but sometimes you need 10-stops. I find though that I use a 6-stop far more than either of the other two filters I have (a 10-stop and a 3-stop). But this will obviously depend on the situation. I'd recommend people pick up a 3, 6 and 10-stop so you're ready for anything (I' do not recommend variable NDs though).
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Thanks much! I appreciate your candid admission of being too lazy to re-expose for the time difference in taking your baseline and eventually making the shot. 40'? Makes sense to me!
Here are my notes I’ll keep in my iPhone for field reference:
DSLR ND FILTER EXPOSURES
1. ACQUIRE a high quality 10-Stop ND filter
2. COMPOSE your shot for view, and to exploit object with motion/movement (clouds, water, cars, people, etc.)
3. SET A BASELINE EXPOSURE with no filter to (1) get metrics that allow you to calculate the ND filter exposure time, (2) record a reference shot of the scene
4. USE A LOW ISO (100 is good)
5. In AV mode, set your preferred small aperture (f/8, 11, 16, etc.) and allow the camera’s meter to give you your exposure TIME metric
6. RECORD THE EXPOSURE METRICS
7. If your focus is set to where you want it, DEACTIVATE AUTO FOCUS as-once you put it on-the ND filter darkness may throw off the camera’s autofocus
8. CALCULATE your delayed exposure time metric as follows:
9. BASELINE (no filter) EXPOSURE: 1/30th @ f/8
10. 1/30 second = .033 seconds
11. 10 f/stops = factor of 1000
12. 1000 x .033 = 33 seconds
13. ATTACH ND FILTER
14. BLOCK-OUT camera’s eye-port (to prevent light leak)
15. Set ‘BULB MODE’ on camera
16. Use REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE, or Intervalometer (for obvious reasons)
17. TAKE your ND exposure
18. CHECK your image
19. TWEAK your time metric to refine your exposure to your preferences
20. ENJOY!!!!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the video Rich, thanks for making the bullet points for the video, great work much appreciated!
Josh
How about variable filter?
Well done mate. When you’re shooting long exposure, try and get your tripod legs all on a solid surface. I think you had one on sand, which can have the tiniest bit of movement and result in a loss of image sharpness. A couple of old cds spread the load over a greater area, or another option is to pop a rock under the tripod leg/s and spread the load......the closer to the waters edge the more you’ll need support for those legs 😀
Thanks for the tip mate!
Thanks Josh, just what I've been looking for
Just as a note, I would switch off AF on the lens itself, not the switch on the body like you did. That switch is really for the AF motor in the body (it will also turn off AF in the lens but is really mean to switch off AF on lenses that utilize the AF motor in the body, like the older AF-D lenses). By turning off AF on the lens itself, you know that it won't try to re-focus the lens.
Second, there's a point of diminishing return, meaning your exposure times may not pay off or have a negligible impact. For example, shooting waterfalls or streams, after about 30 seconds of exposure, the return on your time spent gneerally diminishes and you won't see much of a change in the composition in terms of smoothness so be sure to play around so you know when enough is enough so you're not wasting your time with a 2-5 minute exposure when a 30 second or 1 minute would have been enough. This just takes practice and learning what duration is needed with a certain filter (3-stop, 10-stop, etc) to get a certain effect.
Third, BUY A GOOD QUALITY FILTER. Don't buy cheap plastic ones and if possible, get good quality multi-coated ones. It will cost more up front, but if you take care of it, you should get lots of life out of it and it will pay off over time versus cheap filters you may have to replace or you find leaves strange artifacts in your images (such as with some variable NDs, which is why I don't recommend them ever). You have to ask yourself is your image worth trying to save a few bucks? 99.99% of the time, it's priceless and you should get the best filter you can afford, and don't skimp out. If you have to skimp on something, skimp on something small like a remote wireless cable release. But I wouldn't skimp on something that goes in front of your lens because you will see the difference in the quality of your images. Or maybe what you don't see (ie. ghosting, flare, etc). Generally speaking, the more expensive filters are going to do a better job and create less problems. And I'm not saying to get a $300 filter, but instead of spending $100 on a filter kit, good filters start around $100 each. So estimate that as a starting point, a good filter will run you about $100+ EACH so for a set of 3 good quality ND filters (3-stop, 6-stop, and 10-stop, whic hI recommend everyone have in their bag if they do landscapes or nature) count on spending about $300-$500 for a good set, but that set will last you a long time if you take care of it so it does pay to buy the good stuff, and keep it in good condition because you could get 5-10+ years of use out of it.
Very nice tips. Thanks Josh.
Great video sir, perhaps adding another filter on top of the 10-stop might really produce something very nice. All the best.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks Josh.Hopefully I can now figure out the exposure. Many thanks
I’m glad you found the video helpful. Cheers!
Nicely and simply explained thanks. If it's windy it might be useful to remove the camera strap to minimise vibrations, especially for 40 sec exposures.
Thank you! Removing the strap would definitely help reduce camera shake to help produce a sharper image.
Hi Josh, wonderful tutorial! I learnt a lot from that, your explain so fluent and in details, God bless you!
I’m glad you found the tutorial helpful. Thank you!
Great video. Thank you.
Hey Josh...Jerry here...i just watched your video on Long Exposure with ND filter. I think my error was to not switch to MF instead of AF. I took the shot....then put the filter on but was in manual mode but af. I did a 8.5 sec exposure but was in AF...So I will try tomorrow or thursday and will try to remember the steps..so let me review and please get back to me..first take photo to see settings. place in MF and multiply x 1000 the shutter speed ex 1/30 x 1000= 13 second exposure. with a ten stop exposure...how do i add a copy of the photo to show u the results for Critque?
New sub thanks 🙏
I liked your detailed, methodical explanations all along the way. I’m going to create a bullet point checklist of your setup actions. Thank you, again...Rich
Nice video Josh!
Amazing
Great Teaching...
Its help me a lot that How to use ND filter....
Good Explaining.....
Thank You
👍
You are welcome. I’m glad you found the content helpful!
Thank for the informative video
Timescale might be 33 seconds but what if we push like 2 stops for light compensation? Most filter producers come with the app which can be used as a guideline for how many seconds in complaince with the setting on M. For instance, if my setting goes like ND1000 + ISO 100 + 1/25 + 2 stops compensation the NISI filter app suggests 2:43 minutes for shooting time. However, it might not be appropriate while the lights are very changeable possibly if we shoot on the beach or on the top of the mountains.
For 2 stop of light compensation you would just subtract 2 stops from the shutter speed and that would give you a rough equivalent. A stop is a measurement between values, not whole numbers. For example, 2 stops of light compensation is .6 or -.6
I have learned shooting over 30 second shutter speeds a few seconds longer won’t ruin a shot. And the light does change so rapidly If you are doing a few minute exposure your settings will change in just those few minutes requiring a longer shutter speed. If I do an exposure longer than a few minutes I always add on several long seconds to what my exposure should be. Hope this clears it up.
These are great suggestions but every scene is different, light is different, cameras and lenses too. You have to experiment. And that’s what the art is all about….
@@garyCauseryes, it's more of a suggested exposure time. When you do the math, you realize they're approximates because sometimes 1/2 values are used for certain things while 1/3 values are used for others at the same time
Thank you Josh
Like your channel
Sniper Photography Australia
Gracias, buen vidio
Once you get your baseline exposure with auto focus and without the filter on, then you say to change to manual focus and put the filter on. My question: How do you dial in manual focus once the filter is on? You can't see anything.
I just switch it to manual focus so I don’t accidentally hit the focus button (on back of the camera or touch screen) to cause the auto focus to refocus. It kind of “locks” it in focus.
So once my focus is set I switch it to manual just for a fail safe, I don’t actually focus manually.
Thank for this video, very very useful the procedure to calculate with the calculator without downloading anoter app. I use to do the math in my mind like 1/1000 sec = 1 sec or 1/250 sec = 1 sec + 2 stops but like this is a little faster.
I’m glad you found the video helpful, cheers!
so you put the camera into bulb mode
If it is an exposure is longer than 30sec the camera (i'm using) needs to be in bulb mode.
when can i use filter one hour two hours before sunset
05:24......you have set the AF correctly, screw in the filter.
And the focus changes :))
There are always slight shifts of the front element of the lens.
This is not a good method.
In reading thru the comments, everyone is giving Josh advice. If you guys know so much, why the heck are you watching the video?
Surprised you left your camera strap just hanging down. I would have secured it to the tripod to minimise the risk of shake caused by the wind.
I usually wrap it around my camera, but honestly I don’t worry about it too much.
Hooo yaaah
You have to multiply by 1024 not by 1000 (2^10 = 1024). Not much of a difference though (0.8s over 33), but can be a bit bad on longer exposures, like 4min.
Your explanation for using the external release was confused. If using a camera that can't take exposures longer than 30 seconds you need one (in Bulb mode), but you said it was to reduce the chances of introducing vibration when clicking the release. Yes, that would do that, but that is not why you'd need one. You can set up a release delay in camera (2 seconds say), then no need for an external release system (if shooting under 30 seconds). Also, why leave your camera strap attached? You literally never used it & it catches the wind so making vibrations.
Sorry for the confusion, you are correct. I have always left the camera strap on and I have never had any issues with it causing vibrations. Sometimes I wrap it around the camera body if its really windy.
@@JoshProstejovsky Re Strap:
My view is if it's not needed why risk it? I'm also likely to catch the damn thing & pull the tripod.
New subs
Thanks for subbing
I prefer the photo without the filter.
So use 15 stops.
Bro. Good lesson. But…. Why not just shoot with a 14-24 wide angle at a slow shudder speed for the same effect? No filter needed.
I’m glad you enjoyed the lesson! In order to achieve such a long shutter speed I needed to add the filter to get a more dramatic effect by having the shutter open longer.
@@JoshProstejovsky ugh! I was hoping you wouldn’t answer. LOL! I thought about it afterwards and your absolutely right. I didn’t think that far ahead. I’ll be using this trick soon in Yosemite. Thank you!
No worries it made me think that I was missing something and had to think really hard for a second. Ha. All good!
Actually, in my experience... 10 stops for your tutorial is too much. Having about a maximum of 8 seconds exposure for waves seems perfect, as there is little, but some water structure remaining. Anything beyond 8 seconds seems to go glassy, and that gets old really quickly
I agree, but I think it is still valuable to learn how to use a 10stop filter as I like the way it looks for the clouds sometimes. I’ll usually use it for the clouds and blend in a shorter exposure for the water.
I disagree. It is a matter of taste and not everyone has the same. I personally love glassy. I find it perfect and never gets old. On the other hand, depending on the subject, project, concept etc it might be desired to have some water structure, so I don't think there is one way or one filter for all.
I agree, but sometimes you need 10-stops. I find though that I use a 6-stop far more than either of the other two filters I have (a 10-stop and a 3-stop). But this will obviously depend on the situation. I'd recommend people pick up a 3, 6 and 10-stop so you're ready for anything (I' do not recommend variable NDs though).
Buying Hoya pro nd is a waste of money. This filters scratches on the first day.
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