Filters for Landscape?

FetterieSteve

FetterieSteve

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Steve
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New to this so please forgive if its old ground.

Looking at doing some landscapes as part of my learning process and whilst I know there is a lot of latitude for PP I believe that there are certain effects that cannot be achieved such as polarizing and ND (this may well be wrong as I am still learning about Elements 10 as well)

The question is , what filters should I look at getting to improve my OOC shots?

Ta
 
Hi Steve

Graduated Neutral Density filters is probably where you need to start. My advice is to put budget to one side here and don't buy cheap. I would recommend going for the Lee Filter System.

To get started you will need the Lee Foundation Kit (which essentially is the filter holder), an adaptor ring that will screw on the front of your lens (determine what size you need) and of course the filter itself. I would recommend buying a 0.9 (3 stops) Graduated filter first of all. If you are shooting a flat horizion then a hard edged one will do, if you are shooting an uneven horizon a soft edged one will do.

Robert White has them on their website for your perusal.
http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/shop-by-brand/lee-filters/filter-holders-kits/lee-foundation-kit.html (holder)

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/shop-b...r-rings/lee-77mm-wide-angle-adaptor-ring.html (adaptor ring - 77mm)

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/shop-b...lee-0-9-neutral-density-grad-hard-filter.html (0.9 hard GND)

Hope this helps.
 
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Steve

It is true that you cannot replicate the effect of a polarizing filter in Post Production so one of these filters is a must really (do not use on a ultra wide angle lens though).

You can create a graduated filter effect quite easily in Elements however the general feeling is to get your shot as near as dam it how you want it in camera first rather than relying too heavily on PP so I would also say you should invest in a set of ND Grad filters that slide into a holder on the front of your lens to balance the exposure between the sky and foreground.
 
Thanks for the response guys.

Bobman,
Excuse my ignorance but why shouldn't you use a polarizer on ultra wide ( I'm using a borrowed Sigma 10-20 so guess that qualifies)
 
FYI

The Sigma 10-20 has a 77mm thread. If you decide on the Lee, you will need the 77mm Wide Angle adaptor ring and not the standard 77mm adaptor ring.
 
FetterieSteve said:
Thanks for the response guys.

Bobman,
Excuse my ignorance but why shouldn't you use a polarizer on ultra wide ( I'm using a borrowed Sigma 10-20 so guess that qualifies)
Click to expand...

You can but the light from the sky is polarised depending on what direction you look and a UWA takes in so much sky that the polarising effect is different across the frame.
 
Going back to ND grads for a second, whilst it's true that many cheaper brands will inflict a colour cast on your pictures and are best avoided, Hitech's are very good for the price (£35 for a set of three 85mm grads to fit the Cokin P holder, good for lenses with filter rings up to 82mm in diameter. Searching ebay for "hitech 85 grad set" should find them).

I use them and find the results great. They may be worth considering if you're just starting out and don't want to splash out on the excellent but considerably more expensive Lee equivalent.
 
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Looking at getting some filters too. currenlty have a low cost kood set in 85mm size but have just brought a Sigma 10-20 would I be better moving up to 100mm filters?
 
ian-83 said:
Looking at getting some filters too. currenlty have a low cost kood set in 85mm size but have just brought a Sigma 10-20 would I be better moving up to 100mm filters?
Click to expand...

You're at the very limit of the 85mm/Cokin P series filters with that lens (82mm filter thread is the largest supported by the Cokin P series). Additionally, because it's an ultra wide angle lens, due to the thickness of the regular Cokin P filter holder, it will cause vignetting at the widest focal length but they do a special P Series wide angle filter holder to overcome the problem (basically it's just thinner than the regular version so you may be able to buy a cheap regular third-party P holder copy very cheaply and cut it down).

That would see you through but if you plan on getting another lens greater than 82mm in diameter soon then it may be time to make the leap from 85mm filters and move up to a bigger size.
 
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Not planning or buying anymore lens for a long time. Think I will look into the thinner filter holder for UWA.
 
gnirtS said:
First landscape filter for anyone should be a good circular polariser.
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I wouldn't agree. It is very useful allround from 35+mm, but below it can cause some undesired 'effects' under certain and rather common conditions.

ND grads are more important, which only stems from the fact that the sensor can't capture some scenes well enough to allow processing to the way we want it to look like. 1Dx may have just crossed the line, but that's another topic in it's own right.
 
ND. Do it in software or bracket.

CPL is just as handy at 10mm as it is at 35mm. The undesired effects (i assume you mean uneven sky) generally only happen when the sun is low to the horizon and if thats the case just back off on the effect a bit. 99% of the time its not an issue. Its also an effect thats impossible to duplicate in software.
 
It is possible to take photos without ND Grads and do it in photoshop instead by taking an exposure for the ground as well as one for the sky and some people prefer this way because not sticking something infront of your lens ensure's greater sharpness, Although grads will save you alot of time at the computer.

As for a Circular polariser Filter, i would say its the 1st filter i would buy as you cannot replicate the effect from photoshop, CPL's are best used at 90' to the sun(so as the light is hitting your shoulder)Or for maximising saturation and reducing glare in water and glass.

But if your gonna invest in a filter system Lee is the best, Or a cheaper alternative could be the Hitech filters. i would get a lee holder and use hitech filters till you could upgrade to lee. It is also recommended to use a CPL after inserting filters to a holder rather than fixing a holder on top of a CPL for obvious reason like rotating it but mainly because it can cause vignetting.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions and i wouldnt worry about using a CPL on top of a wide angle lens as long as your not shooting into the sun as it can cause banding.
 
gnirtS said:
First landscape filter for anyone should be a good circular polariser.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this - it can be a problem on UWA lenses though (below 17mm on a cropped DSLR)

ND grads are also well worth having although I don't use mine all that often

If you like the "misty" flowing water effect then a standard ND filter is pretty much a must have, a 10 stop can be good fun but they are a bit pricey

Simon
 
Simon,
Stunning pics on your website , If that's what a polariser does I'll be straight down to Jessops in the morning :-)

Now got a polariser and a set of ND Filters on their way!

Thanks for the replies.

Steve
 
FetterieSteve said:
Simon,
Stunning pics on your website , If that's what a polariser does I'll be straight down to Jessops in the morning :-)

Now got a polariser and a set of ND Filters on their way!

Thanks for the replies.

Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve,

To be honest though it's mainly about the light the shots were taken in as pretty much all my best photos were taken during the "golden hours" and 95%of them without any filters whatsoever, my NDgrads hardly get used and my polariser is mainly for day hikes to improve the contrast/saturation when the lighting isn't at its best.

Simon
 
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