ND Grad Filter v Post Processing

[whacko77uk]

I am going on holiday to the Himalayan region (Kanchenjunga) next month and thought I would give landscape photography a try, will be using a Sigma 10-20mm lens with 77 thread.

Any thoughts using an ND Grad Filter and suggestions..... Mountains, snow, sky and rivers!

Or is it simpler to use post processing software, however I use Aperture 3 and may need a plug in of some sort.

Thanks!

 

[Digifrog]

Hi Craig

I would say a 3 stop ND Grad (soft edged) for mountains, hills and the like. You can also do this in editing by taking 2 exposures (one for the sky and one for the foreground) and then blend them together using a layer mask. To do this effectively though, you'd need a tripod and not move camera between shots.

Hope this helps.

 

[4wd]

Surely the Nikon can do bracketing? Not much need to use a tripod if you can do three frames in a fraction of a second.
Although grads have their uses it's easy to spoil as many as you improve.
Snowy mountains might be brighter than the sky too so may not be appropriate.
Taking additional exposures might mean at worst needing more memory cards.

 

[Digifrog]

Surely the Nikon can do bracketing? Not much need to use a tripod if you can do three frames in a fraction of a second.
Although grads have their uses it's easy to spoil as many as you improve.
Snowy mountains might be brighter than the sky too so may not be appropriate.
Taking additional exposures might mean at worst needing more memory cards.

Hmmm you can bracket if it's bright enough but then you may need more than the 2 stops your camera gives.

Bracketing in low light (where 2 stops will suffice) is pretty pointless.

 

[HoppyUK]

+/-2 stops is four stops. V easy on auto bracket, takes half a second and usually eliminates the problem of subjects moving inbetween frames. Then pop them into Photomatix software Here, works very well - just don't overdo the effect or it looks unnatural http://www.hdrsoft.com/

This (HDR technique) gets around the main problem with grads, which is subjects that break the grad line like mountains and building etc. Grads are quite fun to use though, as you see the result on the spot.

If there's blue sky, use a polarising filter. Deffo take a polariser, and learn how to use the angles properly, both for darkening blue sky and reducing reflections.

 

[Digifrog]

+/-2 stops is four stops. V easy on auto bracket, takes half a second and usually eliminates the problem of subjects moving inbetween frames. Then pop them into Photomatix software Here, works very well - just don't overdo the effect or it looks unnatural http://www.hdrsoft.com/

This (HDR technique) gets around the main problem with grads, which is subjects that break the grad line like mountains and building etc. Grads are quite fun to use though, as you see the result on the spot.

Your foreground exposure is going to be at least 3 stops difference so when metering for the foreground (0ev) your -2ev for the sky aint going to cut it, unless of course you're shooting near sunset/sunrise and away from the sun..

The cheapest way is the way I've explained. If the OP wants to pay for P'matix then fine but I don't see the point personally. Better off buying a budget tripod instead and getting a better image at the end of it

If there's blue sky, use a polarising filter. Deffo take a polariser,

+1

The problem with this though is you shouldn't use a grad with a polarizer unless you can place the polarizer in front of the grad. This can be quite an expensive set up. Don't put a grad in front of a polarizer, it could ruin the image.

 

[HoppyUK]

Your foreground exposure is going to be at least 3 stops difference so when metering for the foreground (0ev) your -2ev for the sky aint going to cut it, unless of course you're shooting near sunset/sunrise and away from the sun..

The cheapest way is the way I've explained. If the OP wants to pay for P'matix then fine but I don't see the point personally. Better off buying a budget tripod instead and getting a better image at the end of it

Photomatix is $39. +/- 2 stops extends dynamic range from say 7 stops to 11, which is quite enough for me. If you want more, shoot manual brackets and as many as you like.

+1

The problem with this though is you shouldn't use a grad with a polarizer unless you can place the polarizer in front of the grad. This can be quite an expensive set up. Don't put a grad in front of a polarizer, it could ruin the image.

No technical reason why polariser can't go behind a grad, and vice versa.

 

[alexnail]

If you dont want to bring a tripod then an ND grad is a far better option. A 2 or 3 stop soft grad will cover most situations.

The best option would be to shoot bracketted images from a tripod with a grad to assist in holding back the sky. This would be a very expensive setup though.