Filter help

[gazozborne]

Hi There,

I'm hoping somebody can help me regarding filters, i recently bought a Fuji S6500fd and i've been trying to shoot waterfalls with no luck - since then i've found i need an ND Grad to do these properly (amongst other things they help with).

I was just wondering what Density i should be buying and what brand? I've looked into Hoya's but they seem quite expensive compared to buying a Cokin adaptor & filters separately (this also gives me more choice on what i can use along with the using different grads for foreground/background no?).

Also what filters should i generally be buying for starters? I already have an Hoya Circular Polarizing but im not sure as to what strength Grads/ND Grads i'd need?

Sorry if it all sounds a bit amateurish! Only had the camera for a short while and im going mostly on what i learnt from practical photography article regarding filters a month or two ago!

Thanks. :)

[Dino f]

ND grad may not be the best thing for waterfalls. Just a normal ND filter will do for starters. Try a 2 stop one, that should give you a good length of exposure, assumimg you are going for the milky water look.
Dean:)

[RobertP]

It all depends how milky you like the water :)

You need a slow shutter speed so the water has time to blur. You don't want anything else blurred so you need a tripod.

For long exposure times you need less light getting in to the camera. A small aperture (large f stop number) will cut down the light, using the lowest iso possible will make the camera less sensitive and if that isn't getting you a slow enough shutter speed you need sunglasses for the lens - a neutral density filter.

The polariser will shade about 1 stop so if you haven't already I'd try aperture priority with the highest f stop and lowest iso and see how it looks. for more blur you will need a nd filter.

ND grads are for darkening bright skies without darkening the land.

[daftbugga]

as others have said a grad nd is for balancing exposure twixt land &sky

1 problem with screw in filters is you buy them in a size to suit present day lens eg 58mm & then buy another lens thats 62mm :bang:

as for brand cokin are good ( for the price ) there are better ones but
HOW MUCH!!!

i have a 1 stop nd & a 2 stop nd & a 1 stop grad and find thats enough,if you're struggling you can always put 2 together.

i'd say buy the cokin P size they are slightly more money than A size but the A size filter can, dependant on lens filter size & focal length cause vignetting ,less likely to happen with P size.

[gazozborne]

Great replies thanks guys, i've had a look on warehouseexpress.com (are these the cheapest?) and come to the below albeit im not 100% sure on whats needed regarding the holder/adaptor?;

Cokin Series P BP-400 P Holder and Catalogue £7.99
Cokin Series P P458 58mm TH0.75 Adapter £7.50
Cokin Series P P121L Graduated Gradual Grey G2 Light (NDx2) £14.50
Cokin Series P P153 Colours Grey ND4X £10.99


Would these be a good starting point for landscapes/waterfalls? Also when i do buy another camera eventually i only need to buy the relevent lens size adaptor don't i?

I did think Hoya at first but if buying Cokin means i can use them on any future cameras then id rather do that.

Also im trying to do the effect i saw replicated on here with the landscape, as alot of shots i've noticed the sky is blown out when the ground is fine - is this what ND Grad filters can fix?

Thanks

[gazozborne]

Nobody?

I really need to order these as soon as possible as i go on holiday soon.

Thanks.

[gazozborne]

Also to save me opening another topic...

Im also wanting to purchase an Infrared filter, i've seen a Hoya R72 for £22 and a Kood R72 for £12 - will there be much difference between these at all even though Hoya's a tenner more?

Also after a bit of reading i've decided on getting the Hitech filters instead; ND 0.9 Soft & ND Grad 0.9 Soft for £12.50 each - or would the 0.3/0.6/0.9 kits be better in the long run? (british weather!)

Cheers:)