Sunny Day shooting PORTRAIT with ND Filters n Reflector

[rwker]

Which ND filter would be ideal to shoot against the sun with the reflector being the fill light on an xt-1 ? 

Provided the aperture is fixed wide open at 2.8 (18-55).

I only have the small flash provided with the kit at the moment.

 

Yes I want a prime lens and a good flash system but I cant afford those for a few months. 

[Aswald]

I use Rodenstock ND with great effect on my xf56.

 

I was also thinking about trying this variable ND, purely for "one filter for all" during travel.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/936135-REG/rodenstock_605890_58mm_digital_vario_nd.html

 

Rodenstock's uv filter is by far the most "effective" (cost considered as well) of others I've tried.

 

I hear good reviews about Singh-Ray and Lee but be prepared to pay. There are a great many brands all with their own "characteristics".

[rwker]

i guess most ND filters are good enough but variable ND filters have a "X" problem when turned too much. 

what guide number ND filters are u using for broad daylight against the sun ? 

[Aswald]

Yeah, that's why I haven't pulled the trigger on the VND yet.

 

Apart from the 3x neutral ND which came with my lens, I use the 4x and 8x Rodenstock HR Digital ND. The Fujifilm 3x or Rodenstock 4x are very versatile and probably the best for outdoor portrait. The 8x is good for strob + motion blurr kinda photography....or just to blur out moving water, etc.

[Naddan28]

Do you still need the flash if you've got the reflector in play? If not, you could just use the electric shutter to get a super high shutter speed for a wide aperture shot.

 

As for a good quality flash system, outside of studio setups we're not particularly blessed as Fuji users!

[rwker]

i havent tried the use of electric shutter. are there any downside to using it ?

[Naddan28]

Yes but I don't think they'd impact portraits. Eg not good for fast moving items due to rolling shutter and some artificial lighting creates a banding effect. Neither of which should be a problem for you in the scenario you discuss.

[Aswald]

The Nissin i40 works very well. LumoPro LP180 for manual strobes offsite and a beauty dish/soft box works wonders.

[rwker]

The Nissin i40 works very well. LumoPro LP180 for manual strobes offsite and a beauty dish/soft box works wonders.

 

Havent really tried FLASH systems but on a shoot when the sun is behind the model (to prevent squinchin of eyes), will it be bright enough to light up the mode's face n body ?

[Aswald]

Havent really tried FLASH systems but on a shoot when the sun is behind the model (to prevent squinchin of eyes), will it be bright enough to light up the mode's face n body ?

More than enough. I've had to turn down the power.

 

I was on 18, 35 and 56mm back lit. No issue. If you want more power, you may want to wait for the Nissin i60 or Fujifilm's ef-x500. The latter is big...

 

I've never needed more power shooting bounce or direct.

[aceflibble]

The Nissin works okay, but its only real selling point is it supports TTL metering, which no other flash currently does with Fuji. However, it's also very small, the light quality from it isn't terribly great, and there's limited control. It's a big step-up from the little flash you get for the X-T1, but if you're trying to equal out midday sun, forget it.

A larger, simple flash unit like Neewer or Yongnuo flashes will work for this purpose better, as they are simply bigger and have more light output, but they only have basic manual control. Cactus flashes give even more light output and have lots of fancier features—remote zoom control, customisable delay timer, an update soon for HSS, etc—but they're still a manual control flash, on Fuji.

Anyway, bearing in mind that ND filters are a bit irrelevant for portraits without flash...

What ND filter you use varies depending on the day, the size and proximity of the reflector, and what shutter and ISO you want to use. (And aperture, but you've already said you're looking at f/2.8.)
I carry 1-stop, 2-stop, and 4-stop ND filters with me. That way I can cut any amount of light from 1 to 7 stops by adding the filters together. I use Hoya Pro ND filters. They've no noticable colour cast and are even right across the frame. They do reflect the inside of the lens barrel, though, so a a tip is to draw over the white writing on your lens with a black pen. (Look on the front of the lens, you'll see what I mean.)

On an average bright day, I'll mostly use 3- or 4-stops of ND to get the light low enough to use something like f/2.8 with ISO 200, 1/125th*, a white reflector, and a Cactus flash on quarter power. On really bright days with absolutely direct sunlight on the subject, or reflected sunlight on them with a silver reflector, I'll use 5-stops; 6-stops would give a 'proper' exposure, but I like my bright sunny pictures to look bright and sunny, so I let them over expose very slightly.

 

There's no one single ND filter I'd recommend to start out with. It's really best to get at least two. A 2-stop and 3- or 4-stop would be a good pair. Then add a 1-stop once you're used to working with combining filters, reflected light, and flash. 'Course nothing stopping you from buying all three at once, if you can afford it. Point is, there's no one grade of ND which will definitely be right, and variable ND filters should definitely be avoided.

*I use 1/125th because that's pretty much the minimum sync speed that all cameras and lights can use, from the cheapest and oldest small units to big modern studio power packs. By sticking to 1/125th I can forget about matching sync speed when I use different systems, and it's just one less thing to think about. This does require a little more ND for flash in strong direct/reflected daylight, though. You could use a stop less of ND and just increase the shutter to 1/180th, the X-T1's maximum, and accept a tiny bit of over exposure, or you could go up to 1/250th. Fuji don't officially support 1/250th on the X-T1, but some people report using it without problems.

[rwker]

More than enough. I've had to turn down the power.

 

I was on 18, 35 and 56mm back lit. No issue. If you want more power, you may want to wait for the Nissin i60 or Fujifilm's ef-x500. The latter is big...

 

I've never needed more power shooting bounce or direct.

The EF-X500 is a high-end, weather-sealed model with a guide number of 50m at ISO 100, the 
ability to control up to three sets of TTL off-camera strobes, and a high-speed sync mode that 
supports the X-Pro2's maximum 1/8000 sec shutter speed. The zoom head range is 24-105mm equiv.,
 and can go as wide as 20mm with the wide panel pulled into place. 

i am really interested in the ef x500 but just realized it hasnt been released as of yet. one question though; 

XPRO 2 specs   Mechanical Shutter 4 sec. to 1/8000 sec.(P mode), 30 sec. to 1/8000 sec.(All modes)

Bulb mode(up to 60 min), TIME : 30 sec. to 1/8000 sec. Electronic Shutter*3 1 sec. to 1/32000 sec.(P / A / S / M modes)

Bulb mode : 1 sec. fixed, TIME : 1 sec to 1/32000sec Mechanical + Electronic Shutter 4 sec. to 1/32000 sec.(P mode), 30 sec. to 1/32000 sec.(All modes)

Bulb mode(up to 60 min), TIME : 30 sec. to 1/32000 sec. Synchronized shutter speed for flash 1/250 sec. or slower  

 

QUESTION: IF this flash supports xpro2's 1/8000 HSS (MS )then technically it would work too on XT1's 1/4000 (MS)  ?

 

The Nissin works okay, but its only real selling point is it supports TTL metering, which no other flash currently does with Fuji. However, it's also very small, the light quality from it isn't terribly great, and there's limited control. It's a big step-up from the little flash you get for the X-T1, but if you're trying to equal out midday sun, forget it.

A larger, simple flash unit like Neewer or Yongnuo flashes will work for this purpose better, as they are simply bigger and have more light output, but they only have basic manual control. Cactus flashes give even more light output and have lots of fancier features—remote zoom control, customisable delay timer, an update soon for HSS, etc—but they're still a manual control flash, on Fuji.

 

Anyway, bearing in mind that ND filters are a bit irrelevant for portraits without flash...

 

What ND filter you use varies depending on the day, the size and proximity of the reflector, and what shutter and ISO you want to use. (And aperture, but you've already said you're looking at f/2.8.)

I carry 1-stop, 2-stop, and 4-stop ND filters with me. That way I can cut any amount of light from 1 to 7 stops by adding the filters together. I use Hoya Pro ND filters. They've no noticable colour cast and are even right across the frame. They do reflect the inside of the lens barrel, though, so a a tip is to draw over the white writing on your lens with a black pen. (Look on the front of the lens, you'll see what I mean.)

On an average bright day, I'll mostly use 3- or 4-stops of ND to get the light low enough to use something like f/2.8 with ISO 200, 1/125th*, a white reflector, and a Cactus flash on quarter power. On really bright days with absolutely direct sunlight on the subject, or reflected sunlight on them with a silver reflector, I'll use 5-stops; 6-stops would give a 'proper' exposure, but I like my bright sunny pictures to look bright and sunny, so I let them over expose very slightly.

 

There's no one single ND filter I'd recommend to start out with. It's really best to get at least two. A 2-stop and 3- or 4-stop would be a good pair. Then add a 1-stop once you're used to working with combining filters, reflected light, and flash. 'Course nothing stopping you from buying all three at once, if you can afford it. Point is, there's no one grade of ND which will definitely be right, and variable ND filters should definitely be avoided.

*I use 1/125th because that's pretty much the minimum sync speed that all cameras and lights can use, from the cheapest and oldest small units to big modern studio power packs. By sticking to 1/125th I can forget about matching sync speed when I use different systems, and it's just one less thing to think about. This does require a little more ND for flash in strong direct/reflected daylight, though. You could use a stop less of ND and just increase the shutter to 1/180th, the X-T1's maximum, and accept a tiny bit of over exposure, or you could go up to 1/250th. Fuji don't officially support 1/250th on the X-T1, but some people report using it without problems.

 

The cactus is getting a HSS update ?

Edited June 11, 2016 by rwker

[Aswald]

Technically, it should.

[aceflibble]

 

 

The cactus is getting a HSS update ?

 

 

 

Yes. The V6 mark II Transceiver ('V6 mark II S', for Sony systems) will be released "summer 2016"—they've not given a specific date yet—and that includes:

 

- HSS (assuming the flash and camera used with it support HSS; it can't force HSS out of a non-HSS flash.)

- Automatic detection of flash model (no more need to tell it which kind of flash you're using, it will just know.)

- Sharper blue display light instead of the industry standard orange display. Not a big deal, but it's nice to have.

 

Existing Cactus RF60 flashes will need a firmware update to use HSS. RF60 flashes made after the release of the V6 mk II will have that firmware right out of the box.

Existing V6 triggers will also have a firmware update to recieve the HSS signal. However, they will not be able to send an HSS signal. So you could use older V6 triggers on the flash itself, and a V6 mk II on the camera, but not the other way around; the V6 mk II has to be the one on the camera. Of course the Cactus RF60 flashes have the reciever built-in, so if you use their flashes then one V6 mk II trigger will be all you need.

 

If you're willing to wait another couple of months for the Cactus system to be updated, and you have/can save up the money for it, the Cactus system is basically the best flash system for Fuji. TTL is the only thing it misses. It is a fair bit more expensive than the Neewer/Yongnuo flash systems, though. There's no point buying Cactus flashes if it eats up all your money. You'll get better results with two or three Yongnuo flashes than with one Cactus flash.

[rwker]

That's awesome to hear. i guess i will wait for the new stuffs to arrive first before plunging in on something right now.. Tks for the great info guys.