Charming selective sharpness : Modern high-speed lenses produce bright viewfinder images in reflex cameras and make fast shutter speeds possible in all types of cameras, even with slow-speed films or under poor light conditions. But their large apertures can also be used as an interesting creative element: At wide apertures the depth of field is reduced so much that eventually only the main subject will be rendered sharply, whereas the fore- and background will be unsharp. This also focuses the attention on the main subject in a creative sense, it draws the attention of the viewer as if by magic, relegating everything else into the background. In intense brightness, however, with high-speed film or a short focal length (with correspondingly higher depth of field), using a large aperture to achieve the desired selective sharpness effect may not be possible without incurring over-exposure. This is when B+W neutral density filters provide the solution. When the shutter speed is reduced by two or three steps instead opening the aperture, for instance, a neutral density filter can be used for equally creative blur effects with moving subjects. B+W 102 : By using this filter, it is possible to use the relatively longer shutter speeds while retaining a wide aperture even in bright illumination. This allows for the emphasis of the subject by controlling depth of field or creating motion effect with subject blur. Filter factor is 4. |
