Get an ND Filter & Forget HSS for wide aperture strobed portraits

[groovyone]

I always have a 4 stop ND and a 2 stop CPL in my back. Never know when you may want the slower shutter or shallower DOF.

[S-Man]

What happens if you stack a CPL on top of an ND? Will it black out if you turn it a certain direction as if two CPLs were mounted? I haven't tried doing this.

[groovyone]

I haven't tried it with a vari-ND, but with a normal fixed ND the CPL works as normal.

[S-Man]

Isn't a vari-ND pretty much two CPL's stacked? I'm curious how they work.

[DigMe]

I have a Marumi ND8. It's a great bang-for-buck multicoated filter with good sharpness.

brad

[groovyone]

Might help a little, Singh-Ray Vari-ND: Singh-Ray Filters: Vari-ND Variable Neutral Density Filter

Here is their two-in-one Vari-ND and CPL: Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo Filter

Finally, the beast 3-in-1: Singh-Ray Vari-N-Trio Filter

[The Philos]

Originally Posted by S-Man

What happens if you stack a CPL on top of an ND? Will it black out if you turn it a certain direction as if two CPLs were mounted? I haven't tried doing this.

No, it just works like the would separately ND + CPL (the two cpl thing can go black).

[Nikonfan]

Just got my ND ordered. I will be interested to see the results of using an ND vs using HSS on my strobe. I have noticed that the power loss on HSS is VERY dramatic. So I am hoping this will be a better option.

[PEC]

i am happy - i just picked up the vari-n-duo. Primarily for landscape work, although I will definately try for people pics too.

[Nikonfan]

I went with the Hoya multi coated ND4. It's a 0.6 so not the darkest filter out there. I figure I can always stack it with my CPL if I need an extra stop or two.

[78novacaine]

I would like to play with this style, but honestly I do see why some people do not like that style Sam, I don't see anything wrong with it, and it looks well done, but I can see inexperienced people asking "why can't I see whats in the background???" Etc"""