ND graduated filter

D

David Evans

Well-known member
Hi,

I wanted to buy a filter that would allow me to better control exposure under the dynamic range of my camera, especially when shooting a person with a blue sky, etc.

So I thought about getting a screw-in 0.6 Grad ND filter. But I really don't want to put trashy glass in front of my Zeiss 50mm AI-s lens. Wich brand would be advisable? Tiffen, Hoya,...?

BTW, I'm from Europe and my camera is Canon XH A1s with a SGblade.

Thanks!
 
If you pick up a screw in ND .6 grad, I think you'll find yourself a bit disappointed.

Look into matteboxes. They're a bit pricey, but they allow you to slide your filters in and out of the frame and have much more control over where you see your ND Grad. It's just that the sky isn't always going to be in the same place for all shots, so you just need to be able to adjust it.

As far as what kind of mattebox, I'm sure there's plenty of people who can point you in the right direction for that. The Redrock mattebox isn't too bad for the price. I find myself usually using Tiffens, but I haven't done much testing on whether or not one is actually better than the other.
 
RyanT said:
If you pick up a screw in ND .6 grad, I think you'll find yourself a bit disappointed.

Look into matteboxes. They're a bit pricey, but they allow you to slide your filters in and out of the frame and have much more control over where you see your ND Grad. It's just that the sky isn't always going to be in the same place for all shots, so you just need to be able to adjust it.

As far as what kind of mattebox, I'm sure there's plenty of people who can point you in the right direction for that. The Redrock mattebox isn't too bad for the price. I find myself usually using Tiffens, but I haven't done much testing on whether or not one is actually better than the other.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I know that mattebox should be the way to go, but I can't think of myself spending $1,000 for a piece of plastic that holds filters. I know it's more than that, but I'd rather increase my lens collection than buy a matte.

I also read somewhere, I think it was Ken Rockwell website, that it's not necessary to have vertical and horizontal placement of the filter, as long as they rotate and you know how to place the angle of view. He also said that most filters that adjust vertically tend to create some unwanted reflections through a wide lens.

Well, anyway, I guess I'm just trying to say I don't have the money to invest in a matte :) A $70 filter will have to do for now. I hope I won't be too disappointed :S

About the glass, should I get Tiffen?

thanks!
 
I had the *bright sky* problem when shooting airplane docos with a Canon XH-A1. I went down the graduated ND route to get more detail on the ground by reducing exposure on the sky.

I eventually found B+W 502 (2 stops) Graduated ND is the most effective .. it's multicoated reducing reflections. I've also got their ND tobacco grad for in camera fx. Also have some Tiffen filters and they're all good.

Shop around for best prices for 72mm you can find some listed as loss leaders.
Cheers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top