DSLR Tutorial: Using ND filters for shooting video

That might be a lot of work if you're doing a lot of footage.

If anyone is stuck about which ND filter to get, and they are beginners, i recommend the Polaroid variable ND. It gives you a huge range of stop-downs and it's cheaper than a single pro ND filter.

Nooo

@DatOneGuyJacobA me too mate, it s a bit wired that I cant afford the expensive lens or 7Dcamera or even a 5D mark 3 for the best video quality....

wow..just opened my eyes to something new that can help alot...thanks

wieso macht ihr die videos nicht in deutsch?

good....i didn't know i can shoot video with shutter speed!!Im new to dslr,thanks!btw what mode should i select??

He sounds like a villain from James Bond movies...lol

Narrated by a Ger-man

How do you know which one you should buy?? I have a 50 mm 1.8 and a standard 18-55 mm, how big should the filter be?? and does it work on all lenses?

the tip is, get the biggest filter and then get rings to step down for smaller lens', and yes an ND filter works on all lens'. cheers

Thanks man !

no problem, glad to help when I can :)

the best tutorials ever!

i have a question, ND or UV filters?

Two rotating polarising filters is also good because they are variable, the drawback is they might be seen at the edge of the frame.

In normal daylight situations, the ISO is already at its lowest, so that is no option ;)

ND :D

Das video gibt es auch in Deutsch -;D

Hey, are you familiar with "photo SFX art" (just google it)? There you can watch a nice free video explaining the best way to take incredible photos. This made it possible for Matt to shoot photographs which have a wow-effect after you take a look at them. Perhaps it will work for you also.

higher the iso lower the quality

would the UV Haze filter give me as good quality as the ND filter? For video.

Hey guys check out a music video I made using the canon t3i, 18-55 lens, no filter. Tried to get the film look with 24 fps and color correction. Its my first video. Feedback and helpful tips would be much appreciated. /watch?v=KzOYPXsXcqc

Good job for a first go at it! Perhaps it is just personal preference, but I think there's too much blur going on. I'm guessing you added that in post. Maybe you can turn it down?

Hey thanks for the feed back. I did put a permanent blur in the whole video on the edges to try to mimic a bootleg depth of field since i was using a 18-55mm lens. its a little late now since the videos up and running already. but i will keep you advice in mind for my next vid.

and sometimes which part of the frame...

which one do i get? there are like SOOOOOOOO many different types

Really helpful thanks a lot!

The only thing you have to worry about in an ND filter is the amount of stops of light the ND filter takes out. I'm pretty sure they were using a 3 stop filter in the video. How you can decide is by looking at how many whole numbers up from the aperture you want you have to go, and then getting an ND filter that can take out that many stops. Try getting multiple filters each with different amounts of stops for different conditions, ND filters aren't too expensive.

Would you recommend a variable filter. They wouldn't be as sharp for stills but for video would it be even noticeable? Would the convenience out weigh the difference in sharpness.

I myself use a variable ND filter from Genus, and don't notice much change in sharpness.

Hey! that's what I ended up buying recently. The Tiffen was too expensive and the Genus was on sale @b&h for $68 (72mm) so it was a no brainier. Still waiting for it in the mail. Cant wait to shoot with it outside.

he stole your video ! /watch?v=UTtZYB2eu-Q

what filter did you use in the video??? On the box it says a 3.0, which is 10 stop nd filter, but your footage didn't look like such a strong filter

What filter do you use

Did they use a 10 stop filter? Probably correct at f1.4 in bright daylight.. I think. I need a 6 stop at f2.8-4 in the same conditions. One day I'll be able to afford more than one..... 

Nice tut.
Short period but great info.
Thanks ..

can you tell us what your top recommendations for Variable ND Filters? Thanks!

AWESOME tutorials!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moin Moritz, thanks for all your great tutorials! I have questions:
I want to film with my Sigma 18-35 1.8 in extreme bright daylight.
I heard to many bad stories about variable ND filter, so I'm thinking of going to buy one or two fix NDs. What two ND filters strength would you recommend? I was thinking about maybe one ND3,0/1000x and one ND1,0/8x? Does this set makes sense for tropical daylight filming in f2-f4 on 50fps? Many thanks and Cheers from Hamburg! Andi

My friend says ND filters arent important and even after showing him this video he still disagreed saying you should use a smaller aperture and and a faster shutter speed! Is he an idiot or not?

Ryan C,
I'm guessing your friend is not very experienced in photographic and video matters. The whole point of using ND filters is to enable the camera to be used at a wide aperture (e.g f2.8, f1.4 etc), which in turn, as is made very clear in F & J's concise video, means that you will obtain a shallow depth-of-field in the scene being shot. This gives a much more filmic, professional look to a shot as it lends emphasis to the subject you're focussing on.
FYI - ND filters are used all the time when shooting movies for these very reasons. ND filters are actually built into pro video cameras.  
If you stop down to a smaller aperture you'll have a large depth-of-field - where everything in the foreground and background will appear in focus.
But it's all spelled out and demonstrated clearly in the above video. I suggest your friend watch the video again and this time pay attention to what is being said and shown. You won't find a better explanation of ND filters. I'd recommend everyone shooting video (and stills) use them.

what power ND filter do you need to shoot 1/50 24fps at f/3.5

Helped so much, now on to the other filters!

Thanks for this video guys. I learned so much about outdoor filming from this 2 minute clip. Keep them coming.

Very well explained. Thanks

Hello, I will soon be buyiing an nd filter, I know the variable nd filters are much more conventient but the non-variable ones produce higher quality images and alter the colours less. What would you recommend me to get (I am just starting out in serious filmmaking) Thanks

circular polarizer or Nd which one is good for ultra wide angle video shoot?

Why dont you use the ISO value to lower the exposure? Would it somehow affect DOF or image quality negative?

Nice tutorial, I have been using freewell ND filters for quite sometime and much satisfied with them.