Grad filters :)

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Ant

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Anthony
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I've been reading this http://www.great-landscape-photography.com/graduated-filters.html about grad filters, so as i can get more detail out of my pictures, especially when there is a bright sky, and i'm tempted of getting one or two, depending on cost.

What are your recommendations for some grad filters? I'm not too sure on the pricing, but i'd go to about.... £40 for the holder and filter maybe, could go a bit more, then get the adaptors for the different size lenses i have.
i've heard the cokin system is quite good, with the holder and the seperate drop in filters, but i don't know what i'm looking for.

ideally, i'll be looking for a 0.6 grey grad filter, 2 stops (If i'm correct) so as i can get better exposed foregrounds for light skies.

So has anyone got any preference over what they like, and why you like them over any other make/ type of filter?

Anything that could help make my mind up would be ace :)
 
How much do you like doing PP?
You can merge multiple images exposed for the sky and ground and reflecting water if you like that sort of thing. It can be better than using filters, and there are times when it will work when you can't use a filter (such as when you don't have a nice straight line separating the bright and dark bits of a scene)

I have the Cokin P system, with a cokin circular polariser and some ND grads. I've recently ditched the Cokin grads in favour of some Hi-Tec ones, and I'm happy with them, they don't have the "tobaccoy" tint the Cokin ones had, that tendecy to turn the sky a little grey.
 
One of the best purchases I have ever made was a 1 stop hard ND grad.

I'd been using a 2 stop for years but the one stop is almost always enough to get detail in the sky without its use being apparent. If one wants to add real drama, which sometimes one does, the two stop filter is more effective. And of course, you can combine them.

I don't bother with a holder, just hold the filter against the rim of the lens when I'm ready to take the pic. If you use a polariser, you hold it against its rim instead. For exposure, no problem, the TTL meter gives good results.

The top landscape pro's seem to swear by Lee, but I had two Lee ones which introduced some strange colour casts. My current ones are both "Galen Rowell" Singh-Ray ones from the US which are v. expensive, but truly neutral.:)
 
:popcorn:
I'm interested in this thread. Someone on here, can't remember who,(apologies) posted a shot of St Marys Island with a prolonged exposure, that could only be done with Grad filters. This one photo was enough to convince me i need some of this:p
 
P20 said:
:popcorn:
I'm interested in this thread. Someone on here, can't remember who,(apologies) posted a shot of St Marys Island with a prolonged exposure, that could only be done with Grad filters. This one photo was enough to convince me i need some of this:p
Click to expand...

I think you've made the same mistake I make all the time.
You mean they used a Neutral Density filter, or ND, which is different to a Graduated Neutral Density filter or Grad ND.

The full ND is a bit of dark plastic, the Grad ND is dark plastic on one half, clear plastic on the other.

I still get them mixed up :)
 
Possibly, the alcohol is flowing round here:beer:
In a brief sober moment: Grads will leave the sky darker, ND make the whole thing darker??

I'll probably end up with both:whistling:
 
With grad NDs you're fidgeting with filters and filter holders on location, and you have to contend with a separation that's as straight as an arrow and a set density value. Very limiting of course. A bit crude really.
With HDR the shooting is a lot simpler – no fiddling with filters and filter holders on location, the image(s) are highly adjustable in PP, and the end result is very precise and delicate. An all-round definitely higher quality image.
 
The problem i get though, is that i HATE having to mess about making a HDR. I only have a laptop (Sometimes use the 22" samsung monitor i have for my xbox), and to do it in PS, it takes a good 10 mins just for the computer to process and generate the HDR (once you've set the white point).

i prefer something which you don't really have to faff about with, and i want to be able to get photos that are right straight off the camera, bar a little teeny touch up.

HDRs are good for some people, but i just dislike them, yes some look cool, and are very good, but i prefer the more natural looking picture. This is why i'm wanting to look at filters.

Some of these replys are interesting, I have another question now, what is the use of an ND filter, and how is it useful in shooting? i'm guessing for when it's really bright or something like that?
 
Ant said:
what is the use of an ND filter, and how is it useful in shooting? i'm guessing for when it's really bright or something like that?
Click to expand...

Almost: it's for when it's really bright and you want either longer shutter times, or wider apertures (for shallow DoF) than your cam allows at the given ISO setting. Or both.
The veil-like flowing waterfalls are an archetypical application of this technique.
 
Hitech 85 grads are great for getting into grads (they just fit into cokin P system) but Lee filters are top draw. I got a soft 3 stop and love it. Holders are good if you are doing loads of landscapes but if you want to be quick just hold it to the lens, someone already mentioned this
 
I use the Lee ones, they are not cheap though...

I have 1, 2 and 3 stop hard grads and a 2 stop soft grad, along with the 'foundation kit' holder and a wide-angle 77mm adaptor ring - I can't afford to go out and shoot now :lol:
 
This picture comes in handy to explain filters to those new to them :)

filters.jpg


When choosing a grad density I'd suggest not going too dark. I started off using a dark one but on viewing the pictures the light balance looked unnatural. I'd agree with what was said above that a 1 stop is about right most of the time.

My colour vision is imperfect so I'm not the one to ask about tints but no one has ever noticed a tint in my shots using the cheaper (than other makes) Cokin filters.
 
More to the point, does anyone know of anywhere that does a Cokin or Kood ND/ND Grad package, or is it easier just to get them separately?

Already bought an 82mm CircPol for my 100-300mm, and some stepping rings to use it with my other lenses, just need to sort out some ND/ND grads now.
 
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