which ND filter for cannon 550D?

Question

Which ND filter should I buy for my cannon EOS 550 D. I have a standard 18-55 mm lens.
Please can you also tell me the price.

Answer 1

First, why do you think you need a Neutral Density filter?



Second, without knowing exactly what you're trying to accomplish its all but impossible to make an intelligent recommendation as to what ND filter you might need - other than telling you to buy a 58mm diameter thin or slim mount one. (The thin or slim mount prevents vignetting at 18mm)



My recommendation is to buy a Variable Neutral Density filter like this one:



Tiffen 58mm Variable Neutral Density ND Filter - 2 to 8 Stop Light Control. Thin mount. 164.95 USD.

http://www.adorama.com/TF58VND.html



You can use this site if you need to convert USD to your currency. http://www.xe.com/ucc/



You will spend as much, if not more, buying 3 or 4 ND filters and have to keep track of 3 or 4 instead of just one.

Answer 2

ND filters come in so many intensities that you could spend a fortune buying more than a couple of them.



I only carry two ND filters; both Hoyas. A ND16 and ND400 (4 stops and 9 stops). This provides me a wide range of capabilities.



The Hoya ND400 is strong enough (and made for) taking photos of the sun during the daylight. I cannot imagine you would need a filter stronger than that.



The ND16 gives me a 4 stop increase in the low end. So why not a ND 4 (2 stops) which most people recommend? It is not needed really, as if I am using a ND filter, I am already using the lowest ISO on the camera, and if I need 2 stops of ND, I just put on the ND4 and increase the ISO by 2 stops - which is still within the realm of producing high quality images since I am starting at a low ISO already.



That way, I am not carrying a ton of filters around with me.

Answer 3

You need an ND filter with a Ø58mm (diameter) filter thread to fit on your 18-55mm lens. Always go for quality when buying these - I'm struggling to get good quality ND filters for my lenbaby - if you buy cheap you'll almost certainly find they have a color caste to them! As for which one to get remember the number NDx where the 2 = 1 stop, 4 = 2 stops, and 8 = 3 stops.



Remember you can reduce the cameras sensitivity to light by lowering the ISO. On a point here, on some cameras lowering the sensitivity too low (on my SLT-A77 that's below ISO100) starts to raise the levels of noise in images.

Answer 4

To fit the kit lens, you need a 58mm one.

What are you trying to do with the ND filter?