Help with ND grads etc

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silver tortoise

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Pete
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Would like some advice please on ND Grads etc,I have a Nikon 5500 and have been looking recently to buy some ? But have a few questions.

My lens sizes are 52/58 mm. I have a Sigma macro lens as well but don't think I need one for that.Do I buy a ND Grad holder for the 52 mm lens and a step up ring for the 58 mm,or is it the other way round.I would like the squarish grads rather than the screw on.

For the holder which one to go for,as it's only a holder does it make sense to go with one other than Lee's own make and what would you suggest.
I would probably go with soft grads not sure which stops yet it's only for the odd Landscaping photos.But the one grad I want to buy is Lee's big stopper,I was really impressed with some photos recently which had used one.

Thank you for your advice.
 
With 'square' filters, there are essentially 3 parts you need
1) The filter itself (or several)
2) The Holder (which the filter(s) fit in)
3) The adaptor - this screws into the lens filter thread, and the holder clips onto the outside of the adaptor - they come in different sizes to fit different lens filter thread diameters, so you would want a 52mm adaptor and a 58mm adaptor. Don't get one adaptor and a step up/down ring, that's just making life difficult!

HiTech are a good alternative to lee, worth considering.
Once you can access the classifieds here that can also be a good source of second hand filters - holders and adaptors don't really wear out, and most folks take good care fo the filters themselves (since they're quite expensive)
 
I have had a look at HiTech stuff,rather expensive what do you think of Cokin p series Grad holder and soft filters.
 
I think that the fact you don't really know yet if you really need/want filters means that you'd be mad to invest in HiTech/Lee filter systems. Personally, I've always used Cokin/Kood filters coupled with generic holders and adaptor rings. The adaptor rings and holders can be found on EBay/Amazon for <£10 and are just a holder so there's no point paying more.

With regards to filters, whilst glass/resin filters from Lee etc may last longer, I've never had any major issues with colour casts from Cokin/Kood and have ND2/4/8 and ND Grad 2/4/8 which cover most landscape requirements. I also use a Cokin Circular Polariser in the same holder. For longer exposures I have had good results from screw on filters as they're generally used on their own for long exposures.
 
Thank you stevelmx5 for your advice for an old novice like me it gives me a good starting point.I was certainly worried about spending so much on a Lee/HiTech system to start with.
 
silver tortoise said:
Would like some advice please on ND Grads etc,I have a Nikon 5500 and have been looking recently to buy some ? But have a few questions.

My lens sizes are 52/58 mm. I have...
Click to expand...

And some basic stuff...

You can buy different sized rings to connect the filter holder to the camera from the filter manufacturer but it will probably be cheaper to buy a filter manufacturers ring to fit your largest diameter lens and buy step up rings for your smaller diameter lenses. At least that's the way I done it :D

And... I find filter holders a faff on so for ND's (the only filters I use with any frequency at all) I prefer the round ones as they're easier and less bulky to carry and use. Two or three round ND's fit in a little case and take up a fraction of the space in my bag that a holder, adapter ring and square filters take up and are far less cumbersome or attention grabbing in use.
 
woof woof said:
And some basic stuff...

You can buy different sized rings to connect the filter holder to the camera from the filter manufacturer but it will probably be cheaper to buy a filter manufacturers ring to fit your largest diameter lens and buy step up rings for your smaller diameter lenses. At least that's the way I done it :D

And... I find filter holders a faff on so for ND's (the only filters I use with any frequency at all) I prefer the round ones as they're easier and less bulky to carry and use. Two or three round ND's fit in a little case and take up a fraction of the space in my bag that a holder, adapter ring and square filters take up and are far less cumbersome or attention grabbing in use.
Click to expand...

The adapter rings for Cokin P style filter holders cost less than a few pounds each so I wouldn't recommend using a step up ring. Simply buy the right diameter adapter rings for your lenses then leave the ring on the lens. If you swap lenses and want to use filters, just slide the filter holder off one lens and onto the other.

These won't be the greatest filters so you would probably want to replace them with at Kood/Cokin down the line but a set like this is ideal to start out with.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Photogra...=8-48-spons&keywords=cokin+p+filter+set&psc=1

You get a range of adapter rings to fit all of your lenses, a filter holder (May need a wide version if you shoot wide angle on full frame), a selection of ND and ND Grad filters along with a bag to hold them all in for £18. If you find that you don't enjoy using filters in the end it's not like you've paid out hundreds for Lee/HiTech.
 
Thank you everyone for your advice most helpful. It's only been 12 months since I bought my first DSLR and entered the world of Photography,I'm learning all the time from forums such as ours on Talk photography.

Now that I'm retired I can't go anywhere without my camera,certainly bitten by the bug !
 
Hi Pete, This is a decent website to start with for looking at what you may require if you want to go down the route of filters.... http://www.leefilters.com/index.php/camera
I don't suggest you have to buy Lee filters but it gives a good idea. There are several other makes which all have pros and cons like Hitech / Cokin/ Lee and Kood amongst others which are either screw in or slot in filters, and very different costs.

I believe you get what you pay for with filters so it may be worth looking at what you want to do, ie long exposures which would be a 6, 10 or even 15 stop grad, otherwise if its landscape or seascapes etc then you would be looking at either soft or hard grads. Ideally hard grads for seascapes and unbroken horizons and soft for other but again you need to see what you prefer and experience. That's just a quick overview to start with :whistle:
 
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