Filters - your thoughts?

wxwax

Thinking out loud, here. This is where I am on filters. Primitive, but emerging from the primordial ooze.



Wants.

1/ I want a 4x and 10x Neutral Density to blur things, like traffic and water.

2/ I want a graduated ND to save detail in highlights while preserving color and light in low/medium lights. I'm only thinking sky vs. foreground, so far.

3/ I want a polarizer to darken a blue sky and make colors more saturated.


Solutions.

1/ I can buy "circular" ND filters. Maybe get step-up rings so they fit all lens sizes, not just the L lenses.

2/ The graduated ND filter cannot be "circular." It must be on an adjustable plane. I understand that Lee is the best brand here. So I buy a filter and a filter holder. Or I try to hand-hold the filter.

3/ I have a couple of circular polarizers. I understand that I cannot buy a Lee-type polarizer that works for a digital camera.


Conclusion.


* I may have shots where I have a "circular' filter fitted as well as a Lee-type filter. e.g. circular polarizer + graduated ND filter.

* I will not be able to use lens hoods with a Lee-type system.

* Hand-holding a Lee-type filter is not a good idea. Why? I assume because it's difficult to replicate its position shot after shot. :dunno




Anyone have a reaction to any of this?

patch29

http://www.singh-ray.com/grndgrads.html

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/comparison.shtml

I have a set, with a polarizer if you want to see them.

wxwax

patch29 wrote:

http://www.singh-ray.com/grndgrads.html

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/comparison.shtml

I have a set, with a polarizer if you want to see them.

Great links, thanks Patrick. Yes, I would like to see them. But the linear polarizer won't work for digital, right?

mynakedsoda

patch29 wrote:

http://www.singh-ray.com/grndgrads.html

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/comparison.shtml

I have a set, with a polarizer if you want to see them.

One question for you. Are the adater rings any better than the Cokin rings? The reason I ask is that while I'm happy with the Cokin filters overall, the rings they make is another story. The anodizing is rather cheaply done and comes off rather easy. The machining of the threads is something I'd expect to find on a Tiffen filter and doesn't match the threads I see on the B&W's I use (or even Hoya's for that matter.)

Any comment on the claims that Lee (and others make) about the scratch resistance of their filters would also be appreciated. I do find my Cokin filters scratch rather easily and I have to clean them with more care than I like.

Bob Bell

HI Sid,

I really like the Hitech square filters with the soft transition. I think they have them in both P and that new larger size.

I believe Coken now has a hood for their filters to replace the lens manufacturers hood.

If you figure out how to get those cobalt blue skys and water, please let me know. I tried to figure it out a couple years ago but gave up cause I couldnt get enough saturation.

wxwax

Bob Bell wrote:

If you figure out how to get those cobalt blue skys and water, please let me know. I tried to figure it out a couple years ago but gave up cause I couldnt get enough saturation.

I reckon it's a combination of a polarizing filter and Photoshop curves.

Thanks for the Hitech tip.

patch29

mynakedsoda wrote:

One question for you. Are the adater rings any better than the Cokin rings?

I bought the size that fit the Cokin P and that is what I have been using, but I do not use these filters often. I bought them back in the film days, now I would most likely shoot on a tripod, bracket and blend the exposure together.

mynakedsoda

patch29 wrote:

I bought the size that fit the Cokin P and that is what I have been using, but I do not use these filters often. I bought them back in the film days, now I would most likely shoot on a tripod, bracket and blend the exposure together.

Thanks for the reply. I think I'll just order the ones that Lee makes for the Cokin's and see how good they are. Atleast it won't cost much to find out. The main filter I use is the Cokin CP and it seems a little more durable than the other filters they make so I'm a little hesitant to abandon my entire Cokin investment yet.