Can i stack nd filters

So I'd say there is no magic rule. Some scenes might require ND filter, some can be done with mean or even median more easily. The computer can do the averaging while the photog is doing something else anyway.

I really liked the video for a few reasons. First, you were willing to try another method even though you had a strong negative opinion of it, second, you did real world tests in more than one situation, and third and most importantly imo , you admitted that your previous assumption was wrong based on the results. More than just a video about filters, this is a good example of keeping an open mind and the process of self-improvement as a photographer.

Brian, I really appreciate that kind comment, thank you so much. Sometimes it can be a struggle to keep an open mind and recently I've been trying extra hard to I remain as objective as possible. On the results.. With maybe four 3 second exposures mean stacked?

I have and long exposures with even just 2 or 3 images stacked, takes significantly less time overall and looks a great deal better than anything a mean stack can do.

Thanks for the video. Appreciated the comparison this is something I've thought a lot about before as well. There's a few things you didn't mention but are also worth mentioning. Mean stacking can give you an equivalent exposure. So if you want a 10s exposure, you take 10 x 1s exposures and mean stack them. The real problem with mean stacking is that if you get to the point of using a 10 stop ND filter, the number of exposures you'd need in order to get an equivalent exposure would be impractical for most photographers.

That's not really practical anymore. Agree on the advantages of mean stacking for noise reduction. Another advantage you didn't mention is that if you have shaky photos, you can take out individual frames in mean stacking; if you're just using an ND filter then that entire exposure is ruined. So mean stacking works if you want to emulate anything up to a 5, maybe 6 stop filter 32 or 64 exposures.

Maybe 7 stops. But above that it's impractical. So the recommendation could be that for those interested in finding out what ND filters can do for their work, mean stack to see what the emulated results would be up to a 7 stop filter, but the first ND filter you should really buy is a 10 stop since it's impractical to emulate a 10 stop.

Home Topics Reviews. Check out the video for the full comparison. Posted In:. Usman Dawood is a professional architectural photographer based in the UK. Premium Photography Tutorials Check out the Fstoppers Store for in-depth tutorials from some of the best instructors in the business. Log in or register to post comments. Reading mode: Light Dark.

Login Register. Best cameras and lenses. Started Aug 22, Discussions. Aug 22, This thread is about stacking ND filters. Sony a Sony E mm F3. Reply to thread Reply with quote Complain. Reply Reply with quote Reply to thread Complain. I have a GM5. Same difference. Still two stops. Regards, Alan. OzRay wrote: Have you actually gone out and taken photos with an ND filter, rather than create models on a computer?

I have no ND filters. If you've got any advice on this, I'd be grateful to hear it. Regards, Alan All your modelling and mathematical postulating does is get in the way of progress and ends up in endless technical debates. N Katzer wrote: Yes, you can stack ND filters without much of a problem. Thanks very much for that advice. Waves over rocks on beaches. Alan WF wrote: OzRay wrote: Simply state what you want to photograph and then ask what sort of ND filters do people use for such photography and could they provide examples.

Regards, Alan Morning, afternoon, late in the evening? Yes, yes, and yes. Yes, yes, yes. Regards, Alan You have to narrow down your most important criteria. Ido S's gear list: Ido S's gear list. Olympus mm F2. Zuiko Digital ED mm Zuiko ED mm Zuiko Digital 25mm F1. Eric Nepean's gear list: Eric Nepean's gear list. Colin K. Regret that now - they'd be good on MFT -- hide signature F Forum M My threads.

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Shedding some light on the sources of noise. This was what was in the box Is FF worth it? Most bookmarked in this forum. It was shot at f4, ISO and 75 seconds, at night. From a functional standpoint, yes, you could essentially achieve the same effect with multiple stacked filters as a single high-density filter say a stopper.

There are a variety of concerns to be aware of, however, regarding stacking multiple filters. If you want to do some serious ND work, such as 5 minute exposures of sunset along the coast, you should get a stop filter. If you're stacking filters, you're liable to get vignetting around the corners of the photo. Plus, there's the danger of internal reflections, and other optical issues. My preferred solution is a single, variable ND filter, with which you can dial-in the amount of light you want.

A variable ND filter is one that can vary its density. By twisting it, it gets lighter or darker, so -- depending on the filter in question -- you could adjust from, say, 1 stop to 10 stops, all in a single accessory.

Obviously this is more expensive, even than buying a couple of regular filters, but I find it a big help. As I understand it, this is basically built of two thin CPL filters, so twisting it alters the angles between the polarization, letting in more or less light. But when I tried to do that myself, with two of my own CPLs, the results just didn't work at all.

EDIT 2: I only just looked at your sample image. I don't think that you can do this photo with ND filters alone. I'm pretty sure there's also multi-exposure HDR going on in there as well. Just in case you want to see what kind of color cast and vingetting you can get with stacked cheapo ebay filters here is the before shot:. I did crop a lot of the vingetting away but not all of it and had to use Lightroom to undo some of it.

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Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Will stacked ND filters perform as well as a single 10 stop ND filter? Ask Question. Asked 9 years, 6 months ago. Active 9 months ago. Viewed 37k times. Improve this question. Community Bot 1.

I would like similar results to that too! Shouldn't be too difficult; camera, filter, location and light Stacking too much filter is not a good idea. See petapixel.