Neutral Density Filters - techniques?

[kirbinster]

I decided it would be kind of fun to play with some long exposure shots so I just ordered a B+W #110 ND3.0 10 stop neutral density filter. I am hoping some with experience using these might give me some suggestions on how to use. Will my camera be able to meter through the filter or will I have to meter, multiply the shutter speed by 1,000 and then attach the filter. Thanks.

[nemesis256]

I just got 0.9 and 3.0 (3 and 10 stops) ND filters for xmas, and your post got me to finally test them out. The camera can still meter through the 3.0 filter, but it's very dark so it's a little hard to compose. The 0.9 one is no problem at all. I also noticed the importance of having the viewfinder covered while exposing. When I wasn't looking through it, the exposure was 1 second at f/7.1 and ISO 200, and when I was looking through it, it bumped up to 4 seconds. Having said that the shot was still underexposed. I wear glasses, so maybe I wasn't fully covering the viewfinder.

[spazoid1965]

I would get a meter reading and focus without the filter, then attach it.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by spazoid1965

I would get a meter reading and focus without the filter, then attach it.

Agreed. You'll likely end up past the 30s times anyway.