Digital ND Filters

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Jon
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I'm awaiting delivery of a new camera which features digital ND filters. Looking forward to playing with these and interested to know how others get on with them. Are my Lee NDs and ND grads now obsolete, or will they give better results than digital ND? And what about polarisers? I assume you can't do that digitally?
 
I was wondering about this today myself actually; my X100VI has a built-in ND filter and I haven't yet looked into how it actually works.

I don't believe your grads will be obsolete as the digital NDs are uniform across the frame; and there are no digital polarisers so you'll still need them.
 
skullfunkerry said:
I was wondering about this today myself actually; my X100VI has a built-in ND filter and I haven't yet looked into how it actually works.

I don't believe your grads will be obsolete as the digital NDs are uniform across the frame; and there are no digital polarisers so you'll still need them.
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That's broadly what I thought, although unless I have mis-read the blurb, the OM1 Mk 2 has graduated NDs too. How you adjust the graduation point remains to be seen - I'll report back when I've had a play with my new toy :)
 
It's just exposure blending of multiple images. When done manually the results can be better than using a physical filter; because you can include non-blurred features (e.g. tall grass, flag, etc) and the grad transition doesn't have to be in a straight line. But I don't believe the automated blending will give you that flexibility.

You cannot effectively simulate a polarizer digitally.
 
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skullfunkerry said:
I was wondering about this today myself actually; my X100VI has a built-in ND filter and I haven't yet looked into how it actually works.

I don't believe your grads will be obsolete as the digital NDs are uniform across the frame; and there are no digital polarisers so you'll still need them.
Click to expand...

It’s a proper filter in the Fuji X100 series, that is mechanically moved across the sensor, so not a digital ND. Best uses are that it allows mechanical shutter at wide apertures in bright light and also can be combined with external filters, so buying a 6 stop ND filter gives you (on X100VI)

4 stop - internal ND
6 stop - external filter no internal ND
10 stop - external filter and internal ND

So saves on external filter costs!!
 
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LongLensPhotography said:
Grads have been completely obsolete for over 15 years now. Horrible things
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This really.

Grads were a tolerated solution in the days of film for those who couldn't print their own images. They can still give acceptable results, albeit with minimal control, if there is a flat horizon, but otherwise are just not good.

Sorry.
 
leaky5 said:
I think I used the grad on this one, the nice straight edge worked well with it.

IIRC I used the lowest setting and soft edge for best results

https://flic.kr/p/2szExKj
View: https://flic.kr/p/2szExKj
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The damage is nowhere near as severe as your first example, but it is there and clearly visible in the tree trunk above the mid-level and there is some unnatural darkening on the rock on the right edge. This at most required a minor blue luminance shift or clean sky pull, and only if you really wanted to play.
 
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