Grad ND filter

Hi Friends,

I have never used Grad ND filters but i am planning to buy these. As per my knowledge circular Grad ND filters are not useful and should get square or rectangular to move up and down to set the scene.

I came to know cokin have the adapter and filter system..not sure if P-series or A-series will be suitable for my requirements.

Looking for suggestions......

PS* i have nikon D5000 and kit lens plus 55-200 mm VR lens

Don't buy SCREW graduted ND filters... They are simply non-effective...

sunilkumar said:

Hi Friends,

I have never used Grad ND filters but i am planning to buy these. As per my knowledge circular Grad ND filters are not useful and should get square or rectangular to move up and down to set the scene.

I came to know cokin have the adapter and filter system..not sure if P-series or A-series will be suitable for my requirements.

Looking for suggestions......

PS* i have nikon D5000 and kit lens plus 55-200 mm VR lens

Click to expand...

AFAIK you can get away with the A size on the 18-55, but the P size is more future proof (in case you'll get a wide angle lens in the future).

However, do note that the front thread of the 18-55 is rotating upon focusing, which calls for trouble with any direction-sencitive filter (polarizer, GND, etc) or a filter holder system!

--
http://dimensionseven.deviantart.com

Stay away from screw on ND filters. I prefer the Lee 4x6 Hard ND filters. .3 .6 & .9

But that's just me

rich

http://www.richardcleis.com

sunilkumar said:

I have never used Grad ND filters but i am planning to buy these. As per my knowledge circular Grad ND filters are not useful and should get square or rectangular to move up and down to set the scene.

Click to expand...

Square are better because you need to be able to move the transition point up and down to match the terrain. They can be very effective if there is a nice horizontal skyline, like the horizon on the ocean or a flat mountain ridge. On the other hand, these days I am more likely to do different exposures and combine them in postprocessing (not HDR, but using a mask to add the sky from a lower exposure shot when it is blown out on the normal exposure shot). I have to do this since my Sony R1 does not have good dynamic range. However, your D5000 is much better...

sunilkumar said:

I came to know cokin have the adapter and filter system..not sure if P-series or A-series will be suitable for my requirements.

Click to expand...

Lee and Singh-Ray filters are the best but the most expensive. I use the Hitech GND filters with a Cokin P holder: 2-stop soft edge and 3-stop hard edge. They are $40 at B&H. They are a step above the Cokin filters which have a color cast (I have heard). I have also heard that the Hitech hard edge is softer than the some other hard edge filters, but I find it acceptable for my use. Here are the specs from the Cokin site, listed in 35mm equivalent focal lengths:

• A series: min focal length = 35mm
• P series: min focal length = 28mm
• Z-PRO series: min focal length = 20mm
• X-PRO series: min focal length = 15mm

Note that I use the P holder with a 24mm lens (35mm equivalent focal length) so the 28mm rating is a bit conservative. However, if I were starting over I might have gone with one of the PRO series since 24mm is now as wide as I can go (but the PRO series filters are more expensive).

Cheers, Keith
http://www.kotay.net/keith/photo/photo.shtml

Cokin P is a good starting point, but I'd seriously consider the much better Lee system if you can afford it.
--
http://www.andrewsandersphotography.co.uk

Cokin does not have ND filters, although they do call it that in their folders. They are in fact grey filters, not ND.

PS: You can do ND in photoshop or lightroom much more effectively than with real filters, and it does not cost you anything.

--
I'z lovez AiS'ez

I agree with you to a point. You could also do multiple exposres too. This said, I still think a good set of ND filters are indispensable. Waterfalls and long exposures come to mind for me. This is just my opinion but as I look at others photos on Flickr & photo.net, folks have over relied on software to make good photos.

Rich
http://www.richardcleis.com

Well thanks for the reply...I was looking for Graduated ND filters...

I carry the rectangular cokin Grad ND filater, and don't carry filter holder thing. It requires me holding it by hand in front of the lens. There is some trial and error, and it's far from perfect. However, I find it useful and was not even considering carrying the whole cokin filter set-up (which will vignette on my 12-24). I travel light and I am not a professional nor a perfectionist. For a D5000 user, I would suggest you consider trying this first. If you decide you really want the filter holder, you can by it later and you'll already have the filter.

I agree the circular threaded Grad ND filters are worthless.

yup yup,, circular ND filters are worthless, don't waste your money on it.

Just get a Cokin P system, and their landscape filter kit. It should cost less than $100 for the entire kit.

again, cokin doesnt have grad nd, only grey graduals, even though they list it as being nd. been there, dont go cokin if you need grad nd filters.

--
I'z lovez AiS'ez

Avoid Cokin - these filter are not ND's, but grey with violent- or green-cast, which is not possible to correct even in PP.

I recommend Lee ( http://www.leefilters.com ) and Hitech ( http://www.formatt.co.uk ). There are more high-quality brands as Singh-Ray or Tiffen, but stay away from Cokin.
--
http://www.intopicture.com

I would recommend the Cokin P Slim (only holds one filter to minimize vignetting) with the Hitech filters. Now lets talk a little terminology to make sure we are on the same page. There are split neutral density filters (hard edge) and graduated neutral density filters (soft edge). If you are new to these filters, I would recommend getting 2 splits at .6 (2 stops) and .9 (3 stops). The darker you can hold that cloudy sky, the more dramatic it will look and the more the colors will pop. Starting out I recommend the splits because they are easier to work with and position in the holder because you can see the line better.

Now how to use them? Set to aperture priority. Set your aperture to where you want it. Spot meter your sky (the area the dark part of the filter will go there). Lets say you get 1/1000th at f/18. Now spot meter your dark foreground area and lets say you get 1/15th at f/18. Now you know that you have a 7 stop differential between your brightest area and darkest area. The filter is used to close the gap between the brightest area and darkest area so you can resolve detail in both parts of the photo so the .6 (2 stop) makes your image a 5 stop photo, the .9 (3 stop) a 4 stop photo. Decide how much of the gap you want to close, insert the filter into the holder, position, shoot, readjust, repeat, ect. Practice, practice, practice for good results.

Stay away from the Cokin filters, they color cast. Lees are very good and Singh Ray's are as well, but both are very pricey (

Hope this helps. Good luck

--
'The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone
else when we're uncool.' Almost Famous



Ron
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/recalcitrantron
FCAS Member No. 68
pbase supporter

Respectfully disagree. Photoshop is very powerful and effective, but holding detail in a sky or resolving detail in the shadows is still best done at capture, not post.

SixDasher said:

Cokin does not have ND filters, although they do call it that in their folders. They are in fact grey filters, not ND.

PS: You can do ND in photoshop or lightroom much more effectively than with real filters, and it does not cost you anything.

--
I'z lovez AiS'ez

Click to expand...

--
'The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone
else when we're uncool.' Almost Famous



Ron
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/recalcitrantron
FCAS Member No. 68
pbase supporter

For using iso 200 on my D700' is hard to get f2.8 for day light flash work with a portrait lens with out a good 4 stop filter and a circle seems to work fine, Corklin is best for landscape/horizon work.

I agree completely...

RecalcitrantRon said:

RecalcitrantRon wrote:

Photoshop is very powerful and effective, but holding detail in a sky or resolving detail in the shadows is still best done at capture, not post.

Click to expand...