Filter and tripod help please

joeteds

joeteds

Messages
279
Name
Joe
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello all
Im looking to get a neutral density filter, the B+W 3.0 one, but have just been reading up on the graduated neutral deinsity filters and now I cant decide whats best to get.As I understand it the graduated one makes the top of the pic darker but keeps the lower part clear but doesnt the normal ND filter do this too? any advice would be appreciated.
Also Im looking for a good easy to use tripod, Ive got a redsnapper already but wanted something alot easier to set up quickly for when Im out and about instead of having to adjust and extend legs etc.It would be used for landscapes and alot of other stuff too actually.
Thanks again in advance
Joe
:)
 
A graduated filter has shade at one end gradually lightening to clear, a 'normal' ND filter is the same strength all through.

I use graduated filters for landscapes as I often only want part of the image 'screened'.

I can't imagine a tripod that wouldn't need setting up and levelling each time it was used. I would think the redsnapper you have will be similar to most tripods.
 
TinaC said:
A graduated filter has shade at one end gradually lightening to clear, a 'normal' ND filter is the same strength all through.

I use graduated filters for landscapes as I often only want part of the image 'screened'.

I can't imagine a tripod that wouldn't need setting up and levelling each time it was used. I would think the redsnapper you have will be similar to most tripods.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks alot
Am I right in saying that the nd grad filter is harder to use as you have to line up the darker part of the filter with the sky and make sure the clear part is on the foreground ? and also is it right that best all round nd grad is the 0.6 ?
I thought as much about the tripod but thought I'd check anyway
 
A graduated ND filter and a normal ND filter serve completely different purposes. It's not a case of one being better than the other, the same as neither salt nor sugar are 'better' than the other for cooking. It might be best to just take some photos and then, if you run into the problems these filters are designed to fix, buy the appropriate ones then.
 
SamHH said:
A graduated ND filter and a normal ND filter serve completely different purposes. It's not a case of one being better than the other, the same as neither salt nor sugar are 'better' than the other for cooking. It might be best to just take some photos and then, if you run into the problems these filters are designed to fix, buy the appropriate ones then.
Click to expand...

Sorry Reading back to my first post i didn't explain that I wanted 1 of these filters to make the photos dramatic not to just correct or fix them. So I should of asked what's best for dramatic pics not just to fix them ?
 
No type of filter will automatically make your photo dramatic, just the same as there is no one ingredient that will automatically make a meal tasty. They all have a specific purpose and you need to have an idea of what you're trying to do with the photo before you decide what sort of filter, if any, is needed. In case you're not familiar with their purposes:

* An ND filter is a solid grey filter that reduces the amount of light entering the lens. This allows you to use a slower shutter speed without using a smaller aperture and vice-versa. Typically, this is so you can get motion blur (slow shutter speed) or a narrow depth-of-field (wide aperture) in bright light.

* A graduated ND filter has the same grey glass on one side of the filter but it gradually merges into clear glass on the other. This is so when one part of the scene is much brighter than the other, you don't end up with either the bright part looking far too bright or the dark part looking far too dark. Typically this would be when you've got bright background sky and a dark foreground land; you slide the dark part of the filter over the sky to match up the two parts of the scene.

Of the two, a graduated ND filter is probably the less specialised, the one that you'll find more use for in 'ordinary' photos, but neither can be used to automatically create a dramatic photo.
 
Right Im going for the grad nd filter then. Can anyone point me in the right direction towards what 1 I get please as Ive looked and looked and theres soooo many its really frustrating me.Lots of people are saying to get the slide in filter but then I dont know what holder to get for it ? Sorry for being a pain people :bonk:
Oh the lens it will mostly be going on is a 67mm thread.
Thanks alot
 
Hi Joe,

If you are going for a graduated ND filter you really have to have a slide in type as you will need to adjust the position of the filter to obtain the effect you require.

There are several different makes of filter, varying in price and quality. Cokin, Hitech and Lee are three of the most popular with Cokin being the cheaper end of the range. All these manuafacturers make the holder and the adapter to fit on your lens filter thread.

The difference in price buys you more or less quality, and this is manifest in a colour cast in the cheaper filters which can be removed in PP.

The grad filters are usually used in landcape shots to avoid over exposing the sky and this is why some of the photos look dramatic. The filters are available in three strengths of gradation with a hard or soft transition from the grey to clear. Usually the soft grads are used on landscapes with hills and mountains where a hard change in intensity is not required and would look odd. Sea scapes and scenes with a clearly defined horizon would be better with a hard graduation.

There are many sellers of these filters and some good literature available from them which will explain a lot of the mystery surrounding them.

If you are just tying out filters to see if they are for you then a set of three Cokin grads with holder and filter may be the best way to go, only you can make that decision.

Good luck, Paul.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top