How many ND filters can you stack on a full-frame wide-angle lens before image quality suffers?

Asked 8/13/2013

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I can only rent 16x (4-stop) ND filters, but I’d like roughly 8–10 stops total. If I stack multiple ND filters on a Canon 5D Mark III with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L, how many can I realistically use before image quality or vignetting becomes a serious problem?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

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Well, there are other reasons not to stack so many filters. First, with a full frame camera, you will likely run into detrimental vignetting fairly quickly...it wouldn't take more than a couple of standard (non-slim, which are not stackable) filters to cause several-stop vignetting.

Vignetting aside, filters, even the best of the best, tend to be of lower optical quality than the glass in the lens itself. Even a single filter, including those of high quality, WILL have an impact on IQ. It is usually low enough that it doesn't undermine the value of using the filter in the first place. Filters also tend to have less capable coatings on them to prevent flare and ghosting. Modern lenses (not sure about the EF 16-35mm I) often have nanocoatings, which are vastly superior to multicoatings. Midrange and lower end filters often have only a single coating, and cheap ones at that. Flare can become a significant problem when stacking filters.

The issues aside, assuming you do not run into flare, the vignetting caused by deeply stacked filters can actually be used to an artistic end. I've found a number of ultra long exposures on 500px and 1x that had extremely deep vignette that I actually found quite pleasing. Any tool can be used to good effect, so long as you know what to expect and put the outcome to good use. ;)

Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user124

13y ago

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You can stack ND filters, but on a full-frame 16–35mm wide-angle lens the practical limit is usually set by vignetting, not just light loss. At the 16mm end, even a couple of standard-thickness stacked filters can cause noticeable corner darkening. Slim filters help, but some slim designs are harder or impossible to stack.

Beyond vignetting, each added filter adds more glass surfaces, which can reduce sharpness and increase flare/ghosting. Even good filters have some effect, and the degradation is cumulative.

So for your setup, stacking two 4-stop filters to reach about 8 stops may be workable depending on focal length and filter thickness, but it’s more risky at 16mm than at longer zoom settings. Going beyond that is likely to make vignetting and image-quality loss much more obvious.

If you need this level of filtration regularly, a single stronger ND filter is the better solution. Also note that with very strong ND filtration, composing through the viewfinder and autofocus may become difficult or impossible.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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