Shutter speed, in combination with aperture and ISO, is part of the ‘exposure triangle’ which helps to determine the correct exposure (or brightness’) of an image. There are situations such as a very still landscape with clear skies, where the shutter speed will not matter. However, there are other situations where shutter speed is crucial to end result of an image. Generally speaking, fast shutter speeds are required to capture crisp action and dynamism in an image. Slow shutter speeds tend toward portraying an ethereal and dreamlike state. Here are some examples of where the different types of shutter speed are beneficial. Note that I haven’t covered all possible shutter speeds simply because there are always situations where the shutter speed could be varied for the optimal result depending on the prevailing conditions.

Fast shutter: Shutter speeds of 1/100 second or faster

@ Dylan Toh  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4 Lens

In bright conditions, aperture and ISO will usually be acceptable, however in darker environments there may be a trade off with increasing aperture size (and losing depth of field), or increasing ISO at the cost of noise.

• Capturing crisp foliage in forest or waterfall shots where wind is present.
• Capturing small flowers blowing in the wind as part of a focus stacked image
• Presenting wave motion as dynamic and dramatic either from the ocean or waterfalls

Moderate shutter speed: Shutter speeds of 1/10 through to 1/2 second

@ Dylan Toh  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4 Lens

This is perhaps my favourite shutter speed for capturing a sense of motion in water while retaining texture.

For other genres of landscape photography, I find that these shutter speeds are often brought about by the desired aperture and ISO and don’t serve much specific purpose otherwise.

Slower shutter speeds: Shutter speeds of 1-5 seconds

Shutter speeds of 1-5 seconds are again typically used for the capture of smooth water motion, usually of waterfalls. When shooting the ocean with these shutter speeds, I often find that the water is neither smooth nor dynamic and therefore avoid this shutter speed range where possible.

Very slow shutter speeds

@ Dylan Toh  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4 Lens

• Shutter speeds upward of 10-30 seconds

Shutter speeds upward of 10-30 seconds are quite situational and where filters play a major role. To summarise my previous recommendations:

• Shutter speeds of 30 seconds to 1 minute

This can be used to smooth the ocean textures and to capture trailing and rapidly moving clouds. A 6-stop filter is what I would most commonly use but a 3-stop filter or even a CPL alone may be that all is required once the sun has set.

• Shutter speeds of 1-3 minutes

This will definitely smoothen out the ocean and will capture trailing slow moving high clouds. I would typically use a 10-stop filter for this purpose or a 6-stop filter in lower light.

• Shutter speeds upward of 3 minutes

The main purpose of this very long shutter speed is to have trailing clouds. During bright conditions, a 15-stop ND filter may be used but, on most occasions, a 10-stop filter will suffice with appropriate adjustment of ISO and aperture.

NiSi 15mm F4 Review

by Dylan Toh

The post How to Choose the Best Shutter Speed For Landscape Photography appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

@ Bastian Kratzke

When aiming for a desired depth of field for a given scene, there are three main technical considerations:

Aperture

The smaller the aperture (higher ‘F’ number), the larger the depth of field. The larger the aperture (lower ‘F’ number), the smaller the depth of field. Every lens has an optimal aperture range that gives the sharpest image. Generally speaking, apertures smaller than F16 may give rise to a degree of image blurring due to ‘diffraction and apertures close to the lens’ widest aperture may produce softer images.

Focal length

The longer the focal length, the more restrictive depth of field becomes. The shorter (wider) the focal length, the more generous depth of field becomes.

Focal distance

This distance from the camera at which optimal focus is centred upon. There will be an area in the scene closer to the camera and further away from the camera where focus will still be in tact (though not necessarily as sharp as at the exact focal distance). This ‘focal plane’ is an important consideration for discussing the concept of ‘hyperfocal distance’.

Hyperfocal distance

Hyperfocal distance is the minimum distance from the camera at any given aperture, where objects will appear in ‘acceptable’ focus even at infinity. It is dependent camera type, aperture and focal length. Once you know the hyperfocal distance, the near point at which objects will remain in focus is half of this distance.  Let’s go through an example:

• At F11 (a common landscape photographer’s aperture), the hyperfocal distance for a Full Frame camera sensor is 80cm.
• Therefore, if you set your camera’s focal distance at 80cm, all elements in your scene will be in focus if within 40cm (half the hyperfocal distance) to infinity.

@ Albterto Ghizzi Panizza  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4 Lens

NiSi 15mm F4 Sunstar Wide Angle Lens Review – Budget Canon R5 Landscape Photography Lens

by Dylan Toh

The post Ways to Control Depth of Field appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

In camera noise reduction

All modern DSLRs have a function to reduce noise after a long exposure.

The problem with using this method is that the camera requires the same duration of time as your original exposure in order to calculate the noise reduction. This means that you cannot shoot continuously, and you certainly cannot shoot for stacked star trails using this method.

I would only recommend this strategy if you only plan on shooting single still night images. Otherwise, my recommendation is to turn off ‘in camera noise reduction’.

@ Alessio Putzu  Shot with NiSi Natural Night filter

Expose images as well as possible using the lowest feasible ISO

For night photography, certain subgenres rely on a short exposure such as Milky Way photography (unless you use a star tracking device). Generally speaking, for an F4 lens you would typically need shoot at 6400iso for 30 seconds, for F2.8 lenses 3200iso for 30 seconds. Depending on your camera, going above these iso ranges may result in unusable images due to the noise produced. My ceiling of ISO for the Canon R5 is still 6400iso.

Generally ensure that your images are not too badly under exposed. The combination of high iso and bringing out shadows in post processing will lead to even more noise being produced. Shooting in RAW also helps with bringing out shadows more effectively.

@ Lee Cook  Shot with NiSi Natural Night filter

Selective noise reduction on dark areas

There are many noise reduction methods in software that are available. The simplest option lies in the ‘details’ section of Lightroom. The slider for luminance noise can be used by I rarely go past the slider value of 50 as this leads to ‘plastic’ texture-less looking images.

The risk of noise reduction strategies is that the software may mistake stars for noise. One work around this is to use luminosity masks to reduce noise only in dark areas of the image in order to preserve the presence and texture of stars in the image.

@ Marcin Kowalski  Shot with NiSi Natural Night filter

Shoot multiple frames and stack images using average method and stacking software

These days, I shoot multiple frames for Milky Way images or for any night shoot with still subjects requiring high iso. A simple explanation of the ‘average’ method for reducing noise in photoshop is as follows:

• Open all the images as a single file with multiple layers.
• The background layer is your base image which remains unchanged throughout
• You can have as many layers as you like – the more layers, the more effective the noise reduction. The percentage opacity of each layer above the background is worked out by the formula “1 / [layer number]”. For example, the 2nd layer’s opacity is 50% (1/2). The third layer’s opacity is 33% (1/3), the fourth layer’s opacity is 25% (1/4), the fifth layer’s opacity is 20% (1/5) etc.
• Merge all the layers together and you have a noise reduced layer for the static elements of the scene.
• You cannot use this process for Milky Way images as the stars move from frame to frame. Therefore, I would recommend using software that stacks the images such that the stars align. The current program I am using is ‘sequator’.

Astrophotography with the NiSi Natural Night Filter – Block Unwanted Wavelengths of Light!

by Dylan Toh

The post How to Control Noise in Night Photography appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

When using your camera, be aware of the situation you are in before you decide on what camera mode to shoot. Personally, I am most comfortable rapidly adjusting settings on manual mode due to years of built-up muscle memory. Despite this, I acknowledge that the use of other modes is more beneficial for certain situations.

Here is a summary of when I would use which mode:

Automatic modes

Advantages

• If you are a beginner, these modes might work best so that you can concentrate of composition and not ‘miss the shot’.

• They also work well when you are not after specific effects in a scene related to depth of field and exposure duration.

• Take note of the settings the camera has chosen and how they have impacted the final result.

Disadvantages

• No control over depth of field. Subsequent images may have too shallow a depth of field in dark environments, or unintended large depth of field in a well lit scene.

• No control over shutter speed. Motion blur from a slow shutter speed may occur in dark environments. Unable to perform long exposures adequately, especially when using filters.

Shutter priority

Advantages

For scenes where you are after a specific appearance, shutter priority will work on most occasions. Examples include:

• Setting a very fast shutter for action and wildlife photography.
• Setting a slow shutter for water motion.

@ Dylan Toh  Shot with NiSi ND 1000

Disadvantages

No control over depth of field.

• In dark settings, the camera will likely choose a shallow depth of field which may result in unintended out of focus areas in the image.
• In bright settings, the camera may adjust the aperture to a very small aperture resulting in possible image degradation at F22 for instance.

Aperture priority

Advantages

• For scenes where you want to specify a depth of field, this will work well. A shallow depth of field for portrait photography (eg. F2.8).

• A large depth of field for landscape photography (eg. F11).

@ Dylan Toh  Shot at F11 with NiSi ND 8

Disadvantages

• No control over shutter speed/ISO combinations.

• This is particularly problematic in low light settings where a long shutter speed might preclude the ability to take sharp images without using a tripod.

Full Manual

Advantages

• This mode allows you full control over depth of field, shutter speed and ISO. Settings can be adjusted to the specific situation you encounter and the genre of photography you wish to shoot.

Disadvantages

• Runs the risk of ‘missing a shot’ if unable to adapt settings quickly enough to adapt to a situation.

• Runs the risk of producing inferior results to auto modes if unaccustomed to using the ‘exposure triangle’ to its full potential.

Custom modes

Custom shooting modes are perhaps the most powerful tool you can use when setting up your camera. This allows you to produce several modes of shooting which you can quickly revert to if a situation changes rapidly. As an example, I have a custom mode which enables a minimum shutter speed of 1/200, minimum aperture of F5.6 and no ISO limitation. In a situation where I am shooting long exposure landscapes in manual mode, often a flock of birds or other animals may appear in a scene. Rather than change all the settings manually, I could switch quickly to this custom mode to ensure that I can freeze the action of the wildlife and then resume my landscape shooting.

When using filters

When using filters, it is generally for the purpose of controlling dynamic range or to create a long exposure. All the above apply if using GNDs to control dynamic range.  When shooting for long exposures, I would strongly recommend only using shutter priority, or full manual mode (including bulb exposure). You generally do not want the shutter speed to be the unknown when shooting in other modes.

Photographing a Sunrise Location at Sunset

by Dylan Toh

The post Understand Your Camera Modes appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

• Filters can be easily damaged if not cared for.
• Make sure that after a shoot, residual grit and moisture are wiped or washed off. Stow filters away in clean storage: I prefer hard cases which leave no surface in contact with the centre of the filter over soft cases.
• During the shoot, use appropriate equipment to keep your filters clean such as blowers for large droplets, Kim wipes or microfibre cloths for fine moisture.

Assess each scene on its own merit

Though I shoot with some sort of filter for most scenes, there are calculated decisions when I choose to shoot free of encumbrance:

• Ask yourself how a filter will help create the vision you have in mind.
• Will a polariser remove unwanted reflections?
• Will a GND balance exposure without unwanted darkening of other elements?
• Will a long exposure approach suit the scene or would a shorter exposure lend itself better for a dramatic scene?
• Will the use of a filter demand a high ISO that degrades image quality?

Make sure you are completely comfortable with the technical aspects of using filters

• Ensure that you have achieved the appropriate focal point before placing a dense ND filter on.

• Make sure you have practiced setting up your filter kit frequently so that if brief lighting situations arise, you don’t miss the shot. It is also important to make sure that your filter kit is attached firmly so that there are no unwanted accidents such as filter kits falling off while shooting!

• Ensure that you bring accessories such as cable releases for exposures longer than 30 seconds.

• Ensure that you have an app (or really good mental arithmetic) to calculate an appropriate exposure duration when using ND filters.

• Make sure that there is no light leak in your setup and that your tripod has been set up sturdily and steadily.

NiSi 100mm Holder for Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8S Z 7ii – First Look With Example Shots

by Dylan Toh

The post Good Habits When Using Filters appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

@ REX Photographer  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

Sunstars can enhance your image when used in a manner to compliment other aspects of your composition. It is tempting to keep shooting sunstars but recognise that there are scenes that are better off without a sunstar. Here are some practical tips for creating the best sunstars:

Choose the most appropriate lens for a sunstar. Generally speaking, ultra-wide-angle lenses work best for shooting stars. The nature of the sunstar depends on the individual lens and the number of aperture blades. Currently, the ‘gold standard’ aesthetic for a sunstar is arguably the Canon 16-35mm series.

@ Magnus Winbjork  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

Shoot with a small aperture. Most lenses will only provide a sunstar if the aperture is F16 or smaller. The exception to this rule is the NiSi 15mm lens which allows the appearance of a sunstar even wide open at F4. With other lenses, a wide open aperture will result in the sun appearing more diffuse rather than a star. (In ‘how to avoid lens flare’,shoot multiple frames to have segments of the image which are flare free which you can blend together in post processing.)

@ Dylan toh  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

For a sharp and clean sun star, try to shoot the sun in the frame as a pinpoint source of light. The best way to achieve this is to obscure the sun slightly in the frame. I tend to shoot sunstars just as the sun is rising above the horizon at dawn or just as the sun is sinking into the horizon at sunset. Another example is shooting into the sun while in a forest scene. Position the sun in your frame so that it is partially obscured by a branch or trunk.

@ Ole Henrik Skjelstad  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

NiSi 15mm F4 Wide Angle Lens (FF) – A Good Choice for Shooting Sunstars

by Dylan Toh

The post How to Create Sunstars for Your Landscape Photos appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

Lens flare occurs when direct light falls upon the front element of the lens resulting in potentially distracting patterns of light which may even ruin an image. It is easy to think of lens flare when shooting into a light source, but you should also take care of situations when light is coming from the side of your composition. Here are some ways that I avoid lens flare.

Don’t shoot into direct light

@ Dylan Toh

Although this sounds impractical, it is clearly the most foolproof way to avoid lens flare. Many photographers have a preference for shooting opposite light sources where there can still be dramatic light such as alpenglow or rainbows.

When shooting directly into the light

Make sure your lens is clean. Any specks of dust, moisture or smears will accentuate any natural lens flare.

Take multiple images of the same scene. If I am shooting into the sun, I will often shoot three images. The first image with no adjustment containing the lens flare. The second image with a finger held in front of the lens to obscure the light source such that flare is removed from the rest of the image. The third image with a finger held in front of the lens from a different angle to obtain a flare free segment in the part of the previous image taken with your hand present! I then blend all three images together.

When shooting with side light

If your lens has a lens hood, use it. This will often prevent direct light from falling onto the lens.

If you do not have a lens hood, hold your hand or a solid object between the light source and your lens but ensure that it does not invade your composition.

As with shooting into the light, make sure your lens is clean.

Best Filters I’ve Used for Landscape Photography – NiSi Screw-in Filters for Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S Lens

by Dylan Toh

The post How to Avoid Lens Flare appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

Ultra-wide-angle lens

@ Dylan toh  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

This is a safe first choice. When it comes to wide open sweeping vistas and dramatic landscapes, there are few better options than to shoot wide and capture lines which create great depth to a scene. Within this choice are several further options:

• Prime vs Zoom?

I would personally choose a zoom lens since it’s not always possible to get the same perspective on a subject by moving closer. Prime lenses are often more compact but for me, it does not compensate the need to have flexibility when shooting a scene.

• Maximum aperture

If you do not shoot astrophotography, this question does not matter. If you do, I would say the minimum aperture number to aim for would be F2.8. F4 lenses might just get by if you have a camera with excellent ISO capabilities which will tolerate the 1 stop adjustment needed between F2.8 and F4.

Telephoto lens

@ Dylan toh  Shot with Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM

To create immense scale and drama in a scene, I often use a telephoto lens. It also allows you to pick a specific subject of interest in the distance to isolate in your composition. My personal choice of focal lengths in this category is the 100-400mm range, however, here are some thoughts about other considerations:

• Focal length range

Overall, when I am shooting long for the above reasons, my catalogue reflects that I am mostly shooting at focal lengths >100mm. For that reason, if I have to choose between having 70-200mm available, vs 100-400mm, there are few shots that I would shoot in the 70-100mm range but plenty of images in the 200-400mm range.

• Size

The main disadvantage of lenses which reach up to 400mm or longer is size and weight. For this reason, my 70-400 F4 lens is my go-to telephoto lens for hiking and backpacking trips. If you find you are shooting while on hiking trips and need to minimise weight, the smaller 70-200 lenses may be more to your liking.

• Minimum aperture

For pure landscapes, there is no real reason to purchase an F2.8 version of a lens over F4.0. This would only benefit if you are shooting multiple genres. Moreover, F2.8 lenses tend to be significantly larger and heavier than their F4 (or higher) counterparts.

Mid-range lenses

@ Dylan toh  Shot with Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L II USM

These lenses are best for creating compositions that approximate what the eye sees. As a result, they are a great lens for ‘walk around’ shooting. This would likely be the focal length range that I would omit from my kit if I had to choose between all three ranges of focal lengths. There are some excellent prime lenses in this range, particularly 50mm which suit portrait photography but can be utilised for landscapes as well. The faster primes such as a 50mm F1.8 can also be used to create striking tighter images of the Milky Way.

NiSi 15mm F4 Sunstar Hands on Review

by Dylan Toh

The post What Lenses Do Landscape Photographers Need appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

Seasonal variation

Certain scenes are simply more colourful during different times of the year. Verdant greens might be best in the northern hemisphere summer or the Australian winter. Golds and Reds should be sought during the autumn/fall, bright colours of wildflowers during summer. Knowing when and where to shoot is a key part of planning a colourful image.

Timing of the day

Certain scenes are strikingly bold in the middle of the day using blue skies as a backdrop. One example of this is canola fields against a blue sky. Many other scenes benefit from the low light at the ends of the day giving golden hues and long shadows. If you are lucky, or plan your shoot with correct weather conditions, post sunset pink and magenta hues can fill your image with colour.

Exposing images appropriately

One tenet of photography states that one should ‘shoot to the right’ of the histogram implying that overexposing an image to exposure all shadows will give you greater detail and image quality. This however runs the risk of having unrecoverable highlights, where colour often exists (rather than in shadows).  If you have a camera with good shadow recovery and dynamic range, exposing to the left, or exposing an image such that the highlights are properly exposed, will bring out the colours in the highlights while shadows can be recovered in post processing.

Selective use of filters

• CPL

@ Gabriele Lorenzini  Shot with NiSi ND 64 + Landscape CPL

A circular polariser will generally enhance colours and reduce glare. As a result, my CPL is on my camera by default when shooting landscapes. I choose not to shoot with a CPL only when there is a rainbow (you might polarise it out!), shooting for sunstars, or shooting plain skies in the composition.

• Natural Night filters

@ Daniel Tran  Shot with NiSi Natural Night filter

This can produce a much more palatable colour scheme of night images when shooting in the presence of artificial light sources and light pollution.

• GND filters

@ Emre Ceylan  Shot with NiSi GND 8

For the same reason as point 3, if you can control the highlights of your image, it is more likely that you will retain the rich colours of the sky and bright areas of your image.

Post processing tips

• Shoot in RAW! Though you do not have the immediate satisfaction of a colourful jpeg that appears on your camera LCD review screen, RAW files allow much more latitude for colour adjustment before dreaded artefacts appear.

• Use a broad colour space. This topic is somewhat controversial as different photographers have different priorities for output. I generally edit my pictures as a 16 bit file in Adobe RGB to give me latitude to adjust colours without creating artefacts. Other photographers might edit solely in their intended output such as sRGB for printing such that the end result doesn’t need further modification.

• Adjust contrast primarily. By adjusting midtone contrast in particular, colours of a scene will start to ‘pop’ naturally without touching a vibrance and saturation slider. Be careful with too much contrast adjustment such that highlights and shadows do not become ‘clipped’ on your histogram.

• Selective colour enhancement. Rather than apply broad strokes of saturation adjustment, consider which colours in the scene enhance your image. You may choose to enhance these colours selectively through a variety of methods. Concurrently, you may also wish to desaturate opposing colours (on a colour wheel) to further give enhance selected areas of the image.

• Vibrance and Saturation. With RAW images, there is a degree of vibrance and saturation that I increase for each image simply because RAW files are bland to begin with. Thereafter, I don’t touch this slider in my workflow until the very end depending on intended output and appearance. Use this wisely and as rule of thumb, I rarely increase either vibrance or saturation beyond +10.

NiSi ND-Vario Filters Boost Your Anamorphic Flare Colors

by Dylan Toh

The post Maximising the Capture of Colours in Landscape Photography appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.

Using a wide-angle lens can give you striking results but beware of using it for every scene! I think of focal lengths in three broad categories. Wide angle lenses or short focal lengths (24mm or less) enhance the depth in an image by increasing apparent distance to subjects. Medium focal lengths such as the classic 50mm are best to shoot an image as the eye sees. Longer focal lengths compress the planes between subjects hence are great for emphasising scale. Here are some tips for using a wide-angle lens:

• Find a classic composition of strong foreground subject matter leading to a background of interest. Near objects can be exaggerated such that a simple pattern in rock the naked eye can be transformed into a mesmerising pattern when shot close to the lens.

@ REX  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

• Make sure your background is not ‘lost’ in the image. Because wide angled lenses enhance depth, background objects can become minimised or appear trivial if they are far away. Examples of this include hills and mountains which appear grand to the eye, but appear tiny in your image.  You may need to shoot at a longer focal length if the background needs more emphasis.

@ WULIN  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

• Optimise your perspective. The height from which you shoot and the angle of your camera greatly influence the appearance of your image. If you are trying to demonstrate a flow from foreground to midground and background, a higher perspective may be needed. If there are scenes with uninteresting midgrounds and you wish to emphasise only foreground and background, shooting from a lower perspective can help. Having the camera at a neutral angle means that verticals in your image remain vertical. This is particularly important for architectural images or landscapes with vertical lines such as tall trees. Pointing the camera down will result in objects above the horizon ‘splaying’ and appearing stretched. This optical property can be used to enhance the appearance of distant mountains as an example.

@ Mark Galer  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

• Take care with filters. When using a circular polariser, plain skies can be your enemy with a wide-angle lens as the sky may appear banded. Adjust the polariser accordingly to avoid this. Make sure that if you are using filters (rectangular or screw on) that you obtain a kit that does not result in vignetting.

• Move around your foreground subject. When shooting with a wide angled lens, even the smallest motion toward a foreground subject can drastically change its appearance. A step left or a step right may also have similar effects. The best example utilising this phenomenon is style of landscape photography I like to call ‘extreme focus stacking’. By this I refer to images where small flowers such as daisies can dominate the foreground and appear huge as the lens is very close to the subject. Being this close to your subject comes at the price of needing to shoot multiple images focused on different segments of the image.

@ Albterto Ghizzi Panizza  Shot with NiSi 15mm F4

New Wide-Angle Lens! NiSi 15mm F4 Hands-On Review

by Dylan Toh

The post A Guide for Using Wide-Angle Lenses appeared first on NiSi Filters and Lenses for Camera and Cine－Beyond imagination.