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Best ND filter for d800E

danlindberg

danlindberg

Well-known member
When I was in the market for nd filters I tested (at the same time) Hoya, B&W, Tiffen and Heliopan. These were 6 stop nd's and my findings were that the Heliopan gave me the best result.
I bought the Heliopan and later also the 10 stop Heliopan and no regrets (not testing the others for 10 stop though). They are really great. I get rich contrast and very sharp results.
 
Jack

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Guy,

Mine says 2.1 as well which is 7 stops. I never checked it but had ordered us 9 stop 2.7's and that's what the receipt said... They probably ran out of stock or they misprinted and corrected a 7 as a 1 on their site and shipped us 2.1's. Either way it's okay with me as it worked great in Zion even in the Sun.
 
Jack

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Tim,

If you goto the B&H site and enter "Tiffen 77mm IR ND 1.8" you get this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search= The ones I order say "combination" like this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...7IRND18_77mm_Combination_Neutral_Density.html

You should be able to use the search function and then find the one you want, then B&H includes the manufacturer product number listed right by the price -- you should be able to use that to find the one you want somewhere in the UK.
 
Guy Mancuso

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Jack said:
Guy,

Mine says 2.1 as well which is 7 stops. I never checked it but had ordered us 9 stop 2.7's and that's what the receipt said... They probably ran out of stock or they misprinted and corrected a 7 as a 1 on their site and shipped us 2.1's. Either way it's okay with me as it worked great in Zion even in the Sun.
Click to expand...
Yea it was weird for sure. Its okay with me as well as they did a great job for us in Zion. 9 stops may actually be too long a exposure. But Im thrilled these work so well.

See maybe i'm not losing my memory. I laugh at this but it is a serious issue in my family tree. I'M NOT THAT OLD YET. ROTFLMAO
 
tashley

tashley

Subscriber Member
Thanks again everyone, and to Jack and Guy for having worked this one out. I wish the manufacturers and retailers were clearer on all this!
 
M

mark1958

Member
In terms of stacking two filters and loss of resolution vs using isos less than 100--- which would be less destructive to an image.
 
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I went with the 1.8 and 2.1 IRND filters in 77mm and 82mm. That way you can stack a 1.8 and 2.1 together for 13 stops for daylight long exposures with a 77-82mm step up ring and avoid vignetting. However, there is a BIG difference in price between 77mm and 82mm filters!
 
Shashin

Shashin

Well-known member
mark1958 said:
In terms of stacking two filters and loss of resolution vs using isos less than 100--- which would be less destructive to an image.
Click to expand...
I use a B+W 13-stop ND filter with an IR cut filter. In my color test I could not see a loss to resolution when the IR cut filter was added.
 
tashley

tashley

Subscriber Member
I found an old Heliopan 2.4 (about 8 stops) and it seems pretty good, though it only fits my adapted 50 Cron. If further investigation proves it to be good, I'll pick up the Heliopan 77mm 3, which is about ten stops: I think that unless it creates serious colour issues I'd prefer the extra strength. Tiffen UK can supply the same one that Guy and Jack have but at over £165 and a bit of a wait for delivery, I thought I'd explore the Heliopan first.

I also found a Lee 100x150 filter holder kit with a 77 adapter, wide and regular shades and a bunch of Lee NDs in various strengths, all in the same drawer - from my 4x5 film days. Might come in handy too, though with the D800 DR, possibly more trouble than would be worth the effort...

EDIT: I just checked the £ cost of the Tiffen 77mm 2.1 that Jack pointed me to at B&H and it turns out that Tiffen UK charge a full THREE TIMES that price. Just on the basis that I don't like being ripped off, I am doubly certain to check out the Heliopan's performance pretty comprehensively first!
 
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GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
johnnygoesdigital said:
I like the Lee system. It's easy to compose just by sliding the filter in/out, especially easy when using a 10 stop.
Click to expand...
Just remember that if you stack filters with the big stopper then you'll need to seal up the edge of the overlaying filter to prevent reflections and light leaks. I regularly use the big stopper with a .9 ND and you MUST do this. It looks ugly but wrapping the pair with gaffer tape does the job. The big stopper itself has it's own gasket for this purpose.

When I shoot with my Phase One DF or Nikon DSLRs I prefer to use the IRND Tiffens since they don't need the tape up when stacked. However, the LEE system is definitely my preferred filter solution in general.

 
Shashin

Shashin

Well-known member
In case no one has said this, use that nifty little eyepiece shutter during your exposures with these ND filters to prevent light from coming in the back of the camera...
 
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Shashin said:
In case no one has said this, use that nifty little eyepiece shutter during your exposures with these ND filters to prevent light from coming in the back of the camera...
Click to expand...
Good point. I'd also recommend placing some gaffer tape over the faux DOF indicator on most Nikon zoom AF lenses too. The 24-70/2.8 in particular isn't light tight at that window if you start shooting for many minutes. Ask me how I know that ... :thumbdown:
 
Mr.Gale

Mr.Gale

Member
Jack or someone, could you post a sample of what IR contamination looks like. Maybe I have that problem and don't even know it (?).
I made a variable ND filter using two polarizers stacked together. I reversed the glass of the outside polarizer so when you turn it, keeping the inside on stationary, you can change the density. Seems to work good unless you try to go too dark.

Mr.Gale
 
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