ND Filters for old cameras

[Eric McCammond]

I'm shooting with two old 8mm cameras, a Keystone K25 and a Bolex B8. Both have shutter speeds of 1/30 and I'm shooting with Fomapan R100. I live in Las Vegas where the sun is always blazing so, even with the aperture stopped down all the way to F/22, I'm likely to greatly over-expose. To compensate for this, I'm crafting an ND8 (3-stop) filter for the cameras and hope this will allow me to shoot in bright daylight. Has anyone tried something similar or foresee any potential problems? Thanks, Eric

[Shane C. Collins]

I use ND filters anytime I'm shooting Ektachrome Super 8 color reversal on a sunny day. I use a filter that reduces the exposure 2 stops. I find my images projected are sharper with better contrast.

[Eric McCammond]

That's good to hear Shane. Thanks.

[Shane C. Collins]

That's good to hear Shane. Thanks.

You bet! Also remember a lower f-stop (increased aperture) will always produce a sharper image on screen. The sweet spot I have found is F 11 to F 5.6. A ND filter also helps with reducing blown highlights, and other exposure issues from bright sunshine.

[Eric McCammond]

Thanks Shane for that as well. I'll keep that in mind while shooting.