Great!. Thanks you guys.
I think I tried using the ND filter on my XL2 while I was indoors when I first bought it and my shutter was set to 1/24 or something and the whole place just went dark.

What does the ND filter really does and is it necessary to increase the shutter speed to 2,400 - 8,000 or more when shooting outdoors without the filter?

The shutter should only be changed for effect, NOT to control light. Control light with ND filters and the aperature. The only time you should use the shutter other than effect would be in an extremely low light situation. In that case you can eith bump the gain and/or drop the shutter to 1/24th or 1/30 in 60i mode...

The effect created by shutter adjustments is the perception of motio... low shutters allow more exposure to light and motion will be blurred. High shutters will allow LESS exposure to light and motion will get super clear but choppy. I call it "crispy" as there will be little to no motion blur.


ash =o)

Neutral Density filters cut down on the light entering the lens. Effectively, they are 'sunglasses' for your camera. They are called 'neutral' because they don't create a color shift as many other filters do. Think of a welder's helmet as a very strong ND filter.

-gb-