ND Filters

[AnonymousKiwi1]

So, we're taking the kids to Brisbane next week. I am wondering if I should dash out and grab a couple of ND filters for my lenses. I am imagining the light is a lot stronger over there than it is here in NZ. We're planning beach adventures, and a trip to Aussie Zoo.
I've never used an ND filter before.
Any ideas if it would be beneficial??

[RecurrentNerve]

Not if you're just planning on just general shots. Full ND filters are useful for long (on the order of seconds) exposures; graduated ND filters are useful for landscape shots, to lower the brightness of the sky to avoid overexposure.

A more useful filter would probably be a circular polariser, so you can get nice deep blue skies on the beach, and reduce reflections on any glass partitions at the zoo. They are relatively inexpensive and are very useful to have in the kit bag.

They also have the added bonus of protecting your lens from being sand blasted at the beach; you might want to try making a quick cover for you camera, like I did, out of a freezer bag. Simply cut a hole in the bottom big enough to pop the front of the lens through. If you have a lens hood, take that off, put the camera in the bag, the lens through the hole, and then screw the hood back on to keep the bag in place. It should help keep sand out of the nooks and crannies. You might also want to pop some electrical tape over the SD card cover. Oh, and don't change your lens on the beach!

[AnonymousKiwi1]

Thanks so much. Great tips!

Last time we went to Aus I only had my little P&S, so light levels, filters and lens changing was not a consideration.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by AnonymousKiwi1

I am imagining the light is a lot stronger over there than it is here in NZ.

Wait, what?

[vsa]

If you plan on shooting wide open at 1.8 in full daylight and maybe in the sun then you definitely need one.

[AnonymousKiwi1]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Wait, what?

What?
Maybe the fact that it's been dull as dishwater here for months, and the sun always shines on the Goldcoast is creating this impression?

I was just thinking about the shots that I took in Italy last year. Admittedly again I was only using my P&S, but when I got home I had to twiddle about with the contrast and brightness levels in every shot I took in Verona and Venice because the light just seemed *more*.

[AnonymousKiwi1]

Originally Posted by vsa

If you plan on shooting wide open at 1.8 in full daylight and maybe in the sun then you definitely need one.

Well I guess I'll have to refrain from shooting at 1.8 in full daylight then. I am thinking the 1.8 still might be useful in the rain forest though.

[vsa]

Lack of ND filter doesn't prevent you from shooting wide open into the sun.. you just get over exposed images as your fastest possible shutter speed isn't fast enough.

[Krusty79]

I'd recommend the graduated ND filter if you are going to shoot on the beach (and the circular polarizer). I would avoid the circular screw-in ones that force you to put the horizon in the middle of the image in favor of the rectangular ones that you can hand hold or put in a filter holder.

[candleman]

i dont think its a necessity, it wont be brighter.

something you may notice is less glare.. light in NZ seems very harsh in comparison with South Africa, and i do know that has NZ has some shockingly high UV levels,but i dont understand how that makes any difference with the glare..

i'm not the only ex south african to say the glare is harsher here in NZ.
sounds insane i know.. but its a common observation.... mayeb something to do withthe clean air in NZ vs. the smoggy/dusty air over there.