donnahde Loc: Newark, DE

Hi all,

I'm shooting a very small outdoor wedding in a few weeks and I have decided I may need a neutral density filter to knock down the bright light I'll be facing at the 1-3pm time slot. I want to have them for my 50mm and 85mm Nikkor primes at a minimum. Would love to have them fit all my lenses. My understanding is that there is a way to use a holder of some kind to slip the filters into so that I can compose the shot and then add the filter. And I think that will also allow me to buy just one for both lenses. Anyone have any experience with this? My computer is acting up and I get tons of pop ups and pages I'm not wanting when I try to google so it's hard to do all the investigating I want. I believe what I need may be Cokin but can't find adequate pictures. Any help will be appreciated.

And yes, I've shot weddings before so we don't need to go there. (-: This wedding is for a fellow photographer friend. My partner and I are leaving to check out the venue with the groom shortly so if I don't answer right away....I'll be back later. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

~Donna

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Lee makes a 100mm or 4" filter holder and a full compliment of ND's and GND's . They are excellent quality, hard to get and expensive. You get what you pay for.
Cokin makes a set also and they are cheaper but cannot comment on the quality or cost.
With the Lee's, you buy the 100mm holder and adapter rings to fit your lens filter thread.
Would like to hear more of how you are planning on using these

donnahde Loc: Newark, DE

Thanks, Tradio. I'll check out Lee. Did find a set of Cokin for $84 but not sure enough filters. I actually just got this idea from the current (June) issue of Shutter by Sal Cincotta. There's a whole article about neutral density filters and how to use them in portrait photography. I had only thought of neutral density for landscape, waterfalls, etc., prior to reading that. I'm excited but hope it won't cost me an arm and leg! lol And I want to get them fast so I have plenty of time to practice with them prior to the wedding.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

I would go with the Cokin's if you are not sure how much you would use them. Lee's are around $100 each for filters and $60 for adapter rings. They do have nice canvas carry pouch but the real quality is in the filters. I may have read somewhere that these are handmade??
I want to find the article about portraits and ND's though, sounds interesting.

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

I just bought a set of Cokin filters, with the rings and mounts. I don't know what the diameter of your lenses filter threads are, but there are two sizes of mounts. I bought the "P" size, which is quite large, since I'm going to use them on lenses with 77 to 82mm filter threads. Take a look on Amazon, search for "Cokin" filters and you'll a bunch of hits, plus some other 3rd party companies. Those are much cheaper, and have resin type filters vs glass. There are two types of ND filters available, and you must decide your use. One is the hard line, where the ND portion is a hard line about the middle of the filter. Then there is the soft line, where the ND is full at the top and less and the filter is adjusted in the holder. Of course there is the full ND, which is fully ND from top to bottom. For your initial purchase, as I did, give a call to Adorama and talk to one of the sales people in the filters section. He will cover your use, and help you with your quest.

Haydon

The problem with Cokin is the color cast that will be left in your file that can't be totally removed during pp.

Lee filters are handmade but really expensive. Buying their Foundation Kit, a couple of lens adapters and a few various strengths in neutral density filters will cost you $500.00.

Are they worth it? Depends on your budget but I will vouch for their image quality. I've stacked a couple of filters behind each other and saw no visible loss in IQ.

I'd suggest buying from B&H or Adorama. You would receive them in a few days with no shipping charge.

Here's a great link comparing three different brands from a skilled landscape photographer.

http://www.benjacobsenphoto.com/2012/gear/gradual-neutral-density-filter-faq/

donnahde Loc: Newark, DE

The two sizes I'm most interested in are 58 and 67. I have a Nikon D5100. For this shoot I'm only interested in various levels of neutral density - not graduated density. Thanks for your input, Bill. I may give Adorama or B&H a call to more fully understand what I need. And based on my visit today I may not need them at all. With full sun we had wonderful shade with little no dappling. Any of the minimal dappling that might occur could be taken care of with fill flash and I always use that for outdoor portraits. Thanks again.

boydimages Loc: California

You mentioned neutral density filters to knock down bright light. This filter will "Knock Down" light evenly across the board. Meaning, the same in all areas, the way bright and shadows. One stop less light in the bright areas is also one stop less light in the shadow areas. I see no advantage to using these filters except to change or slow down the shutter speed. Maybe someone else can add to this.

donnahde Loc: Newark, DE

That's exactly what I want to do, boydimages, or actually I want to be able to use a much wider aperture for blurring the background and separating my subject from the background in bright light. What good is a 1.8 if you can't use it because strobes are too bright when shooting indoors or ambient light is too bright outdoors? (-:

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

There is a benefit aside from this.
Better control of depth of field.
If you are on 1/8000th sec and ISO50, the ND might be the only way you can get from F/8 down to F/2.8.

I would NOT get Cokin filters. They are not neutral.
They have a magenta cast.
The filters are more important than the holder.
I would get Lee filters.

boydimages Loc: California

I understand now what you are trying to do. This ND filter will work for this.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

The B+W variable ND with Nano hard coating is as good as you can find for the money. Buy the 67mm and a 58~67mm step-up ring and you're set for both lenses. I personally prefer Heliopan, but they're more expensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/905890-REG/b_w_661075250_67mm_xs_pro_nano_mc_nd_vario.html

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

You are listed as...Photographer..... Done Weddings before...
And you have NO experience of using ND filters??? Stick to the day-job whatever that is.

02Nomad Loc: Catonsville, MD

On Jerry's recommendation, I purchased a set of the Xume adaptors from B&H along with step up/down rings. I find myself actually carrying filters with me, now; in the past, I'd leave them at home rather than go through the hassle of screwing them on and off.

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

This is so true. I say that if you can't afford the Lee filters and go with the Cokin, be careful what you buy. There are a lot of clone companies that advertise and make you believe they are Cokin. However, why would you put a $10.00 piece of acrylic on your $1,500+ lens? Do you think that the acrylic filter will not affect your image quality? You get what you pay for.