First time ND filters

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Bmwjc

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I'm going to invest in some ND filters trouble is which ones? There must be 8.24 million out there.

I've looked all over the shop from good camera shops to the bay.
Also Lee filters, they are obviously very very good but for me is the investment worth it? I don't want rubbish but also I don't want to spend out where it's not needed.
Confused is an understatement. Reasonably sure I don't want to screw in jobs though.

Help, advice and tips greatly received.
 
Hi Mmwjc,

I've used some "sub standard" ND grads in the past, got rid of them for two reasons mainly.
1. Colour cast
2. Way to small
I've taken the plunge and bought some Lee filters, a set of soft Grads and a big stopper. The purchase hurt a little at first, especially since you can see lots of cheaper ones for sale.
My personal opinion (What is it they say, opinions are like Anus, we all have them), take the plunge and get some Lee filters if the cost is not prohibitive, I believe they are worth it in terms of performance and usefulness.

Pedro.
 
I would go for the Lee.

The thing is, you buy the cheaper ones, find out that they're actually pretty rubbish which means you then have to buy decent ones on top of what you've already spent. Best to buy decent ones from the off and not waste money. Having said that, some people are quite happy with the Hi-tech filters but personally Lee is the way to go.

So, you will need the Lee Foundation Kit (essentially this is just the filter holder), you will need an adaptor ring to fit the filter holder to your lens (size of adaptor ring is dictated by the lens you are using - I actually have a 67mm wide angle adaptor ring for sale), and of course the filters themselves.

Not knowing what your general subject matter is, but to start you can't go far wrong with a 0.9 soft edge and a 0.6 hard edge. A 0.9 hard edge might be worth considering for the future also.

With Lee, you save money by not buying sets. Buy individual filters as this will work out less expensive. The 3 filters I've listed above are the only 3 I ever use.

Hope this helps.
 
Another vote here for Lee. I went down the cheaper route at first & wish I had gone straight for the Lee kit. It really is the best set up I've used by far, not that I'm a pro or anything. Cheers
 
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