Waterfall stacking: Can you leave your tripod and ND filter at home?

Started 5 months ago | Discussions thread
Anders W
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Re: Waterfall stacking: Can you leave your tripod and ND filter at home?
In reply to tt321, 5 months ago

tt321 wrote:

Anders W wrote:

AndyGM wrote:

Anders W wrote:

In this case I limited myself to the lowest shutter speed I could get without stopping down further than f/8 (to avoid serious diffraction) and without using an ND filter, i.e., 1/250. In retrospect, I regret that I didn't shoot a second burst using the ND filter and the lowest shutter speed I could safely employ handheld, which at 28 mm and the 14-45 OIS or the E-M5 IBIS would have meant 1/15, perhaps even 1/8.

If you went for a shutter speed that long, you would reduce the burst rate. 9 fps is 1/11s between each shot. The shutter has to "reset" between each shot as well, so you can probably only go for about 1/20s before the burst frame rate has to slow down.

Personally, I think the 16-sample combo looks more like snow than water. It doesn't look like it is moving, presumably because the individual frames have little or no motion blur in them. If there was a little more blur in each of the shots that go into that stack, they might merge into something that looks more like continuous motion.

Yes, the burst rate will slow down when the shutter speed becomes long enough. I am not sure I share your impression that the stacked image I showed looks like snow, but I agree that the appearance is likely to change depending on the shutter speed used for the burst. If I find the time tomorrow, and the weather is nice as promised, I'll see if I can give it a try with some speeds lower than the 1/250 I already tried.

It looks like the snow being blown across the ground by strong wind I saw yesterday here, the kind of stuff one normally only sees in David Attenbourgh numbers on the polar regions You are lucky to have sunshine that much more North.

Yes, we've had some really nice days lately. Regrettably, it doesn't last long. Zenith at this time of the year means just above the roof tops.

There is a bit of a 3D quality to the stacked image, as if there are layers of powder/drops that you can see through the gaps or something. No such thing in the smooth single shot, which just looks unnatural. I think out of the three, the stacked one looks most like what one would actually perceive in situ.

I kind of like the rough edges on the stacked image too. The smoothness in the long exposure may be aesthetically pleasing but I agree with you that it is far removed from the visual impression you get with your naked eyes.

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