Hard & Soft ND grads

[Idlefrog]

I have a set of Hitech soft ND grad filters that I haven't used very much. I find that the graduation from clear to fully dark is over too great a distance.

My question is whether there is any graduation at all on hard ND grad filters. In other words on hard ND grad filters, is the transition from clear to dark immediate or does it blend in but over a shorter distance than soft ND grads.

Another reason I haven't used them much is they seem to produce a lot of sun flare. Is that normal or am I doing it wrong? I have mainly used them for sunset shots, so I was shooting into the sun. I don't get that much flare without the filters.

 

[Moreorless]

Every hard grad I'v ever seen does have some graduation rather than being an instant shift from dark to light.

In terms of flare I think filters are always likely to give more of it but using higher quality ones and keeping them clean likely helps.

 

[Professional]

For that reason i bought that Singh Ray Reverse GND filter, i didn't use it yet but hope i can put it in use and compare it to soft/hard standard GND.

 

[markmullen]

I rarely use soft grads on 35mm, though they are more useful on medium format. I could shoot 95% of my shots using either a 3 stop hard and / or 2 stop soft.

In terms of flare my hitech reverse grad is much more susceptible to flare than my Lee grads.

 

[jerry12953]

It partly depends on which lens and aperture you're using.

It's a depth of field thing, if you think about it.

The wider the lens, and the narrower the aperture, the more definite the zone of gradation will be.