# Hoya ND 400X vs B+W ND 1000X



## pierceography (Nov 7, 2012)

Hello All,
So I've decided to invest in an ND filter for a trip I have this Friday to NYC. I want to do some daytime city shots, but want to use a slow shutter speed. After a recent trip to the Caribbean where I would have loved to slow down the ocean waves against a dock in later afternoon sun, an ND filter seems like a decent investment.

I've narrowed my choice down to two filters: The Hoya ND 400X (9 stops) and the B+W ND 3.0-1000X (10 stops). I'll bet getting the filter for my 24-70mm f/2.8L (mk1) and 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM (so obviously 77mm filter).

I'm leaning towards the B+W, but I'm curious if anyone has experience or opinions on either of these filters. If you had a choice, which would you choose? I've read the B+W is more prone to color shifts, is $25 more, but offers an extra stop of ND. The Hoya build quality isn't as good as the B+W, and offers 1 less stop of ND... but seems to be better reviewed.

So... opinions! Go!


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## neuroanatomist (Nov 7, 2012)

No opinion on the Hoya from personal experience. In fact, none on the B+W, either, since I bought my 82mm 10-stop before B+W released theirs, and the only 82mm screw-in 10-stopper was from Schneider Optics. They're the parent company of B+W, but I don't know if the glass is the same. I have the 77mm B+W 10-stop, the color of the two is similar.

My Schiender does add some warmth to the tone, easy enough to WB out in post. I've read that the Hoya is off to the cool side. 

I do think the extra stop would be worth the slight additional cost, though. If you're at ISO 50 and need that stop, you have it. If you don't need the stop, ISO 100 or 200 won't add any significant noise to the shot. Also, you may want to stack a CPL onto the ND, in which case the brass rings of the B+W mounts may mean less likelihood of the filters getting stuck (but have a set of wrenches, just in case).

Below are a pair of shots from a couple of weeks ago, the first with the B+W 10 stop (77mm) on a 24-105mm, and the second with the Schneider 10-stop ND (82mm) on a TS-E 24mm II. The first is f/9 and 15 s exposure. I was at ISO 400, and could easily have used 30 s or a bulb exposure by dropping the ISO - but, the scene was shaded. The second shot was at f/7.1, ISO 50, and that gave a 4 s exposure. Getting down to a 30 s exposure would have put me well into diffraction territory at f/20 - that's a case where the extra stop of a 10-stop vs. a 9-stop filter is good to have.

Have a good trip!


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## neuroanatomist (Nov 7, 2012)

Ps. I dug up a thread where I posted without/with shots using the Schneider 82mm 10-stop ND, so you can see the color cast.


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## pierceography (Nov 7, 2012)

Thanks, neuro! Somehow I knew you'd be the first to respond. ;-)

I tend to prefer warmer temperatures to my photos anyway, so the warming cast isn't an issue... and easily corrected in PP if it's too strong.

I was more concerned about localized color casting, evidenced by:

http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.10891529.8309/flat,800x800,075,f.jpg

Which was referenced in an article discussing ND filters:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/peterh111/journal/4421304-the-ultimate-guide-to-neutral-density-filters

As the article states about the above photo, the problem was encountered with an aperture smaller than f/22. While I don't plan on using such small apertures (diffraction), it still gave me pause in purchasing the B+W outright. Not to mention the author clearly favors the Hoya, which seemed to work well for him.

Either way, given that I won't have the necessary amount of time to appropriately test the filter before heading out to the East Coast, I wanted to get some opinions before sinking money -- and photography time -- into a filter I didn't have any experience with.

Thanks for the replies!

P.S. I wish you hadn't posted a photo using your 24mm TS... That lens is next on my wish list, but a ways off from the reality of owning in. </jealous>


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## theqspeaks (Nov 8, 2012)

I bought the Haida ND 3.0 10-stop filter on eBay for a great price (less than $100) and so far I love the results.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theqspeaks/8166679824/#

When processing I didn't notice any color casting problems with the Haida, definitely no localized color casting problems. That said, I shoot RAW, so I don't really worry all that much about color casts. 

The June 2012 issue of Advanced Photographer magazine did a review of a bunch of 10-stop NDs and the Haida got good marks and was by-far the cheapest acceptable filter. You can find some additional discussion about it here. I definitely recommend the Haida.


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## wickidwombat (Nov 8, 2012)

i have the same schneider in 82mm that neuro is talking about for my 16-35
and I have a 52mm B+W ND3 1000x for use on my 20mm voigtlander and 40mm pancake
both are high quality and work really well


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## pierceography (Nov 9, 2012)

Thanks for the reply, guys! I picked up the B+W yesterday, and will be working with it this weekend. I'll post my thoughts on it when I'm back from my trip.


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