Are ND Graduated Filters becoming obsolete?

ian-83 said:
After lots of internet searching and mental mind struggles I have decided to invest in a screw in circular polarizer and possibly a ND filter for my lens and then use multiple exposure blending in Photoshop to get the desired results.

I am not a big fan of over smoothed water so a few stops of ND is all I need.

I looked into filter systems for my current lens, Nikon 16-85mm (24-125mm in full frame) and its looks like I'd need to go for a 100mm system to be able to use it at widest setting without vignetting. So I have priced up a Lee or Hitech system, which come in about £4-500 which as a hobbyists is a bit of a big investment specially for something that won't get used that often compared to if I was a pro.

Probably half a dozen times a year most. Also without the added weight I can travel lighter. And less stuff for me to probably break!

I am willing to try the cheaper option first than invest heavily in something which I doubt I'd use to its full benefit.

Extra money I have saved I'll put towards petrol money to go out in the car and upgrading the RAM in my computer.
Click to expand...

There are quite a few sensibly priced ND filters around, they then to be predominately 10 stop, its just a question of reading the reviews of the lower ranges and picking one that doesn't give you a nasty cast. Most do but some casts are easier to remove in post than others. Of course there are other uses for ND filters other than smoothing water and flaring clouds.
However that sounds like a fair plan. If you do decide in the future that you want Grads you really don't need a full set, often you set them sold in sets, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 soft and hard.
But you don't need them... for landscape i guess my most used were 0.6, (2stop) 0.9 (3stop) Soft and 0.9 Hard and you could easily use just 0.6 and 0.9 soft and 0.3 (1stop) is a waste of space.
You can also of course use the grad as a straight ND if you slide it down to the bottom of the filter holder you just have to be mindful of light leaks.

Archie747 said:
I have some Hoya circular polarisers which are fine for my requirements and cost a lot less than the top of the range versions.

Beginning to regret buying a set of ND grads and holder this week. However they were not expensive and at least I can make up my own mind.
Click to expand...

Hi Archie, don't despair! I'm always of the mind that they will always come in handy, they can also be used as a straight ND. I do still use mine on occasions its all about how and if they work for you. Its just a tool and to have options in your "Armory" is always a good thing, you will find a time when you will want to use them. Sometimes for example i will use them if shooting toward low sun when its likely to blind me in the viewfinder. Hoya CPL's are pretty reasonable Archie they will certainly do the job!

ST4 said:
I use lee filters and I'm happy wit the results. A skilled person though can exposure blend which is the ultimate
Click to expand...
Hi Steve, I do still use them on occasions then i'm not letting them blow off a cliff! I guess we have the best of both worlds! Exposure blending is pretty good in PS now and non destructive.
I just got a bit fed up with people telling newcomers you HAVE to have them, and photography can be expensive enough with out compelling people to buy expensive grads to start out when you can get away without using them at first, buy something more important first...
Thanks for commenting mate!
 
69Bonni said:
There are quite a few sensibly priced ND filters around, they then to be predominately 10 stop, its just a question of reading the reviews of the lower ranges and picking one that doesn't give you a nasty cast. Most do but some casts are easier to remove in post than others. Of course there are other uses for ND filters other than smoothing water and flaring clouds.
However that sounds like a fair plan. If you do decide in the future that you want Grads you really don't need a full set, often you set them sold in sets, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 soft and hard.
But you don't need them... for landscape i guess my most used were 0.6, (2stop) 0.9 (3stop) Soft and 0.9 Hard and you could easily use just 0.6 and 0.9 soft and 0.3 (1stop) is a waste of space.
You can also of course use the grad as a straight ND if you slide it down to the bottom of the filter holder you just have to be mindful of light leaks.
Click to expand...

I'm going with the inexpensive approach first! Depends how much I get into my landscape stuff to if they'll be a worthwhile investment. It's just disappointing unless you have a mirrorless systems and can get away with something like Lee Seven 5 system its big money for the 100mm filter kits
 
ST4 said:
I use lee filters and I'm happy wit the results. A skilled person though can exposure blend which is the ultimate
Click to expand...

Grads are 99% perfect for what you do though. Hard or soft edged pulled down to the horizon upto 2 stops to balance the reflection but not making it brighter than the scene and shooting Nikon with a bit up your sleeve for the rest of the dynamic range.

I must admit though whilst extending dynamic range is necessary to allow the camera to take in closer to what the human eye sees it might not always be wanted.

I scrolled through a load of photos the other day and was not impressed with a host of them, all a7r2 looking shots with highlights controlled detailed shadows but boring taken at sunset. The first picture that made me go wow and elicited any sort of emotional response had clipped blacks and large areas of deep shadow but it had impact.

Go figure. The real skill is not how you control a scene, it's how much.
 
I have a Sony camera and I've used the Sky HDR app. However as cool as it is, I felt it was somewhat lacking. You're limited by the 30 second exposure and have no bulb option. This means you couldn't really use it with a 10 stop filter and blur the clouds as once you reach exposure of 30 seconds for the Sky, you're going to need more exposure for the land. This could be achieved by bumping up the Land ISO or opening up the aperture somewhat, but then I feel that defeats the purpose. Despite having used the Sony Sky HDR app I decided to buy some ND grads and ND filters to try them out.
 
an1uk said:
I have a Sony camera and I've used the Sky HDR app. However as cool as it is, I felt it was somewhat lacking. You're limited by the 30 second exposure and have no bulb option. This means you couldn't really use it with a 10 stop filter and blur the clouds as once you reach exposure of 30 seconds for the Sky, you're going to need more exposure for the land. This could be achieved by bumping up the Land ISO or opening up the aperture somewhat, but then I feel that defeats the purpose. Despite having used the Sony Sky HDR app I decided to buy some ND grads and ND filters to try them out.
Click to expand...
Yes you certainly cannot replicate the effect of an ND filter or a polariser in post, Shame there is no bulb option Alan, that seems a bit short sighted!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top