Variable ND filters impact reflections?

4 years 9 months ago #651485 by Liem Stailey
I was reading an article on Kenko variable ND filter.  For some reason I thought variable ND filters had an impact on reflections.  But the article didn't say anything about that.  Will a variable ND have any impact on a reflection?


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4 years 9 months ago #651488 by Nikon Shooter
Vario ND will attenuate the quantity of light coming in.
This will be done at various intensity but ALWAYS affect
the entire spectrum… the same way.

This implies that ratios will not be affected… thus leaving
untouched the reflections.

Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 9 months ago #651499 by garyrhook
To fill out your unasked question: you're thinking of a circular polarizer.


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4 years 9 months ago #651501 by Shadowfixer1

Liem Stailey wrote: I was reading an article on Kenko variable ND filter.  For some reason I thought variable ND filters had an impact on reflections.  But the article didn't say anything about that.  Will a variable ND have any impact on a reflection?

You may have seen a video or something referring to reflections and ND filters. There is one way and ND filter will affect reflections and it doesn't matter if it's variable or not. If you are shooting a scene with flat water being disturbed by wind and/or waves, then a long exposure, which the ND will give you, smooths out the water and you may pick up a reflection on the smoothed out water. That is the only case I can think of that an ND would change or generate a reflection. Other than this, a polarizer is what you use to control reflections as Gary said.
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4 years 9 months ago #651532 by Sawyer

garyrhook wrote: To fill out your unasked question: you're thinking of a circular polarizer.



:agree:  Yep, CP is what you want for impacting reflections. 

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