Polorising filter or a ND kit?

davidh6781

davidh6781

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I've noticed with the low sun that I'm over exposing some shots and feel I need to use something to darken the sky/bright ares a bit. So that's my question do I buy a polarising filter to darken it slightly or buy a ND kit and darken it this way?

Thank you in advance
 
Personally, I would go the other way and get the polariser! ND grads are all well and good for scenes with a straight horizon - ie, seascapes and Norfolk but less good for rolling hills and the like. A pol will also remove reflections from non-metallic surfaces and make colours a little more vivid. Much less faffing around too. A quick turn of the filter to get the affect you want/need and away you shoot, rather than having to get the grad transition in just the right place to try to keep it looking natural.

(Check my signature!)
 
davidh6781 said:
I've noticed with the low sun that I'm over exposing some shotsand feel I need to use something to darken the sky/bright ares a bit. So that's my question do I buy a polarising filter to darken it slightly or buy a ND kit and darken it this way?

Thank you in advance
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Nod said:
Personally, I would go the other way and get the polariser! ND grads are all well and good for scenes with a straight horizon - ie, seascapes and Norfolk but less good for rolling hills and the like. A pol will also remove reflections from non-metallic surfaces and make colours a little more vivid. Much less faffing around too. A quick turn of the filter to get the affect you want/need and away you shoot, rather than having to get the grad transition in just the right place to try to keep it looking natural.

(Check my signature!)
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With respect Nod you're not right on this one.

A polariser will help, as you say, with vivid colours depending on what direction you're shooting relative to the sun but the OP is having trouble with overexposed skies that won't help.

Essentially there are two options, grads or exposure blending / HDR.

I prefer grads as I like to get as much right in camera so I can spend more time sat in the mountains or beach or wherever I'm shooting.

I use hard grads most of the time, even in shots where they'll filter some of the horizon, it is much easier to bring back the odd mountain top or tree in PP than using soft grads where only the top of the filter is full strength, I find with soft edged grads I end up blowing the lowest part of sky.
 
The effect of graduated ND's can be done in post-processing. Polarising can not be simulated in software!

Unless you really despise sitting in front of a computer and editing images, get a CPL. It'll really change how your images look. But get a good one!
 
markmullen said:
With respect Nod you're not right on this one.

A polariser will help, as you say, with vivid colours depending on what direction you're shooting relative to the sun but the OP is having trouble with overexposed skies that won't help.

Essentially there are two options, grads or exposure blending / HDR.

I prefer grads as I like to get as much right in camera so I can spend more time sat in the mountains or beach or wherever I'm shooting.

I use hard grads most of the time, even in shots where they'll filter some of the horizon, it is much easier to bring back the odd mountain top or tree in PP than using soft grads where only the top of the filter is full strength, I find with soft edged grads I end up blowing the lowest part of sky.
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Did you check my signature? As it clearly states, my opinions aren't necessarily correct! Personally, I hate sitting in front of a screen doing PP and avoid it whenever I can, whether it's pulling the sky back or lifting the tops of mountains etc. Each to his own! ;)
 
border_all said:
Count me for ND grads

Software can not put back blown areas.

Cheers
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Take two shots, one with a correctly exposed foreground, one with a correctly exposed background. Exposure blend in post process, I've done it plenty of times.
 
2Thumbs said:
Take two shots, one with a correctly exposed foreground, one with a correctly exposed background. Exposure blend in post process, I've done it plenty of times.
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Now i can not disagree with that in my case i confess i don't have the edit skills what i do for that is HDR and Photomatix helps out lol

My other problem is alignment as i don't normally carry a tripod

Just thought as the OP wanted a filter the ND would work better :)
 
I'll openly admit to being awful in post-processing (I'm very new to LR, for example), but I'm learning, and that's where it matters. Honestly, post-processing is an integral part of digital photography, which took me a long time to realise. Developing film is a type of post-processing which everyone did.

Using a tripod is key for my idea, it's doable hand held though depending on how you select autofocus/exposure points.
 
markmullen said:
I prefer grads as I like to get as much right in camera so I can spend more time sat in the mountains or beach or wherever I'm shooting.

I use hard grads most of the time, even in shots where they'll filter some of the horizon, it is much easier to bring back the odd mountain top or tree in PP than using soft grads where only the top of the filter is full strength, I find with soft edged grads I end up blowing the lowest part of sky.
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Looks like my original answer was a little too brief;)

Exactly as Mark says for me,

I'd much rather use NDgrads (hard not soft edge) and spend more time in our wonderful scenery... anything but minimal processing for me although I do occasionally shoot the odd HDR, but its a last resort.

The split line on Hard grads isn't as obvious as you might think on cropped sensor DSLR, it's only really evident when using UWA lenses around 10/12mm and even then as Mark says it's very easy to just selectively lift the shadows slightly in the affected area...IMHO Grads produce a much more natural looking shot than the majority of HDR processing I've seen.

The polariser has already been covered above, no use whatsoever for balancing different light levels but extremely useful for giving images that little extra "kick"

Simon
 
Have to agree. I want my pp to be 5 minutes max. ND Grad at the moment is my number one used bit of kit no matter what lens is one there (well apart from the camera).
 
Controlling exposure is an ND filter job. Reducing the amount of light is a by-product of using a CPL, not the reason for using one.
 
Very true but it takes a while to gain the experience to know which grad to use - hard or soft? 1,2 or 3 stops of holdback for the sky? by which time that cloud formation could be long gone. Grads also work better when on a tripod - precise allignment can save ages in PP.

The OP originally asked which to get - I gave my honest opinion and said pol over grads - quite apart from anything else, there's the cost factor to think of too. 1 pol will be cheaper than one set of grads and (IMO) more versatile.
 
honest opinion, versatility, ease of use and so on but it still doesn't do the job that the OP needs.
 
In certain situations, it does, to a large extent.

Surprised there haven't been more suggestions of HDR or similar. Has it gone out of fashion?
 
Hdr is great but it has limitations if you have a rapidly changing image say traffic you have so many ghosts and of course its if the op is going to work with a tripod.

What has the op gained from the question hello op?
 
Nod said:
In certain situations, it does, to a large extent.

Surprised there haven't been more suggestions of HDR or similar. Has it gone out of fashion?
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A polariser reduces light levels in ALL of the scene, NDgrad balances bright/dark area so recommending a polariser really isn't helping the OP one bit and is probably just causing confusion...here's the original question just as a reminder ;)

"I'm over exposing some shots and feel I need to use something to darken the sky/bright ares a bit"

Only one answer to this regarding filters and it's an NDgrad :thumbs:


Simon
 
Nod said:
The OP originally asked which to get - I gave my honest opinion and said pol over grads - quite apart from anything else, there's the cost factor to think of too. 1 pol will be cheaper than one set of grads and (IMO) more versatile.
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The OP asked for a solution to a very particular issue, to which you suggested a totally different product which won't help his predicament.

It is like me saying I'm thirsty and you telling me steaks taste lovely, true but unhelpful.
 
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