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WA and slow ss help

rayyan

Well-known member
Hi friends.

I am itching to try my hand at ' silky water ' etc. scapes.
I don't know f*** all about it.

I also need to invest in a WA lens.

Do I need ND Filter/s?

I shall be grateful about what to buy and
How to and where to start.

Gratefully, your friend.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
For silky water, slow shutter speeds are mandatory, usually at least ½ sec -- and 2 or 4 sec is a lot better -- so a tripod is also necessary. Thus, even with ISO 50 or 64, if the water is lit by any Sun, you'll need a good ND filter. Note that ND beyond 2-stops (or .6) for digital sensors require IR cut as well or else you get an ugly yellow-brown color cast that cannot be corrected in post, so make sure you get ND with IR cut. I like Tiffen and Zeiss/Heliopan, but not sure brand matters much for ND. My reco is 2, 1 at .9 or 3-stops and one at 1.8 or 6 stops. The 3 stop is good for general use in more dimly lit situations like early AM forested streams or pre-sunrise surf, and it remains easy to view through an SLR with. The 6-stop will be required when any Sun is present, but you can still see through it well enough to compose. Both stacked will be required for full Sun waterscapes and you cannot really view well through that, so I leave the 6 mounted for composition, then add the 3 on top before firing as needed to get to my desired shutter speed.

As for wides, my personal favorites are the Sigma ART series, but they are pretty massive designs. But then they work very well, so I suffer them ;) I think every bag should have a 24 or 21 in it as a super-wide, so I'd start there. If your current wide is a 35, I'd get the 24 to start; if it's a 28, I'd get the 21 to better round your set out.*

*I personally find 21 a bit too wide for most landscapes, while not really wide enough for a hyper-wide** capture, but then like the 21 as my goto super-wide for street/travel since 24 is sometimes too tight for tight city streets. I have not tried it since I already own the 35 and 24 ARTs and the Nikkor 28/1.4, but the Sigma 21-35 ART zoom just might be a handy option if you can live with the size/weight...

**I call anything wider than 20 a hyper-wide, others definitions will vary. In my case, I find the inexpensive all-manual Samyang 14mm a real gem performer -- excellent resolution corner to corner at f5.6 and 8, at only around $300 new. It is good enough I can crop with it, and then I use that wide of range so little I don't feel the need to own anything else under 21...
 

rayyan

Well-known member
Hulyss, Jack...so very thankful for your inputs.

It would appear, I have to shell out $$. You guys are going to cost me money.
Tripod and ball head I have..somewhere in storage.

Lens and ND filters, I have to get.

I want to check if I can make do with my Df. If not, my Fuji would have to be a very reluctant option for this.

Jack, thanks for giving me of your time and expertise with a detail response. It is very much appreciated.

I shall now start looking at both your suggested lens list. I thought I could get away cheap ;)
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
If you can live with manual focus, I can recommend the Zeiss 21mm very warmly. Sharp all over, great colour and contrast etc. I'm selling mine since I'm on m4/3 for the time being. It's a very good copy (classic style, zf.2). Send me a PM if your interested.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member

(...) I can recommend the Zeiss 21mm very warmly. Sharp all over, great colour and contrast etc. I'm selling mine since I'm on m4/3 for the time being. (...)

:lecture: be careful, Jorgen, soon you'll want your ex back :cool:
 

danielmoore

New member
This reminds me of a technique that Fred Miranda used to get this remarkable shot:
Valley View Winter Scene - FM Forums

He took 64 images and combined them in PS using Mean stack mode to achieve the blur effect. No ND filter required.
Tedious? Perhaps, but a great technique to keep in your bag of tricks.
 
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