ND OR NOT

[Ollyjon]

Folks - Still quite new to this and on a steep learning curve! I have been using Polar Pro ND 8 & 16 with slow shutter speeds for cinematic video. I have noticed that very often trees or grass can appear blurred or like watercolour paint while the rest of the footage is in focus. Yesterday I did some comparison footage without the ND at around 1/1000 s and the green areas are in perfect focus. Does that sound right?

 

[lisadoc]

Folks - Still quite new to this and on a steep learning curve! I have been using Polar Pro ND 8 & 16 with slow shutter speeds for cinematic video. I have noticed that very often trees or grass can appear blurred or like watercolour paint while the rest of the footage is in focus. Yesterday I did some comparison footage without the ND at around 1/1000 s and the green areas are in perfect focus. Does that sound right?

That sounds exactly right. It depends on your personal preference as to which way you'll want to film for future shots. The blur is caused by longer shutter speeds with the ND filters, resulting in slight motion over the time the shutter remains open (particularly at the periphery where the movement in space is exaggerated).

 

[Lake_Flyer]

Folks - Still quite new to this and on a steep learning curve! I have been using Polar Pro ND 8 & 16 with slow shutter speeds for cinematic video. I have noticed that very often trees or grass can appear blurred or like watercolour paint while the rest of the footage is in focus. Yesterday I did some comparison footage without the ND at around 1/1000 s and the green areas are in perfect focus. Does that sound right?

The watercolour effect is quite known for these little sensors, even without ND filter. It's not motion blur (although at high shutter speeds it will be less) but simply too much dynamics for the camera to handle. You can correct most of it by setting your sharpness to +1 (in 4K) and preferably use D-Log, dial in extra pinch of sharpness and contrast in your editing program.