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I'm looking for a 1/3 stop (ND 0.1), preferably some sort of cheap acetate. Lee makes one in 4x4 size, but $41 and special order from B&H. I was hoping for something more like a $7 Rosco gel filter, but Rosco doesn't make one that's only 0.1.
Does anybody out there know of a less expensive alternative to Lee?
Answering my own question here - Kodak used to make ND 0.1 Wratten filters, and sealed ones are available on eBay. True, they're 3"x3" filters for $10 rather than 20"x24" filter sheets for $7, but a small Wratten is all I really need.
Perhaps your question is too specific. There may be a simple solution to your problem if you only ask the right question. For example, printing an opaque pattern that blocks 1/3 stop on any clear substrate would work in some circumstances.
FWIW, here's a possibility: When I recently had a need for 0.1 ND filter in 100x100mm size to fit into my gel filter holder, I wasn't successful in finding such a product. But I discovered that the polypropylene protectors I use for storing my sheet film negatives read 0.10 ND on my densitometer, when using just the single thickness, .002" (.051mm). I then trimmed a piece to the needed size.
Great idea, I’ll check my sheet film protectors. The Wratten filter I bought won’t last forever.
The real question is whether or not anything cheap would even be close to its advertised density. I've measured such products in the past using a densitometer and found them to generally be quite a ways off; and the lower the density, the worse it gets. In a non-staining developer well cleared of antihalation dye, the fbf of TMax sheet film is around .05. You could see how two sheets combined read.
You planning on shooting or printing through this? They are not optically clear.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Goldstein
If they're frosted they can also fool densitometer readings.
I picked up an ND 0.1 and 0.2 for not too much money. I use them when testing meter precision in cameras when using manual shutter speeds, because the shutters and f/stops are whole, while the meter might easily read third stops.
Find the nearest Stage Supply store. They will carry 12" square gels in all densities and colors. They are very cheap but so thin they work well and I have never had any distortion.