Need Graduated ND Filter help

Pindy

I'm looking to purchase some graduated NDs. I have 58mm, 67mm & 77mm lens sizes. Is it better to bite the bullet and get the screw-on kind or is there a slide-in type that would allow me to use the same filters but in a holder that's appropriate for each diameter of lens? :scratch

ian408

Might be best to look at square filters, like the "P" series from Cokin.

Of course there are other manufacturers that produce P style mounts too.

The benefit of these is that you can use step rings to fit these to other lenses
in your line-up. Here's a small sample from the B&H on-line catalog.

Gareth

ian408 wrote:

Might be best to look at square filters, like the "P" series from Cokin.

Of course there are other manufacturers that produce P style mounts too.

The benefit of these is that you can use step rings to fit these to other lenses
in your line-up. Here's a small sample from the B&H on-line catalog.

don't buy screw ins, the problem you'll get with screw ins is that the horizon line will be the same place every time and always in hte middle of the frame. simple compositional rules (ie the rule of htirds) say that you'll rarely have the horizon line there. Also, if you plan on using htem alot, you'll do well to stay away from Cokin P filters themselves as they leave a bit of a colour cast. Use the cokin P system with Hi tech filters for a good compromise on cost and quality.

Art Scott

I am sold on GLASS COKIN FILTERS

I started using the "cokin"style of square "slide in" filter well over 20yrs ago when they were "plastic" and you'd have to replace them every couple of months of heavy wedding shooting....,,Personally I would not have screw on filter on my lenses besides the uv, skylight...what ever filter you use to protect that fron lens element....

Why you ask.....Well I have had filters that got stuck and I ruined them getting them off and they were only finger tight when I put them on and it lead to problems when shooting...also as you stated above...You have different size lenses....do you want to purchase 2-4 or maore of the exact same filter...that is a ton of money in just filters...Of course there is the option to purchase 1 screw on filter for the largest lens you'll ever own and put step-up rings on all the other lenses.......I tried that also what a P.I.A.

Then another Photog let me borrow a few of his filters for a wedding I was going to shoot...they were 3" square plastic and he also .loaned me a couple of adapter rings and filter holders.....Oh man I was in 7th heaven and then I moved to medium format and I was like dang these filters are still usable (I was using a twin lens camera ) but I couldn't use the filter holders so I just held the filter in front of the taking lens and voila it worked great.........

I also used a great many of the same filters for landscape that I did for weddings...ND, graduated ND, graduated tabacco, and alot of otehr special effects filters.....all of them were "cokin" style square filters.....

I am SOLD on the square filter over screw ons....you just need to purcahse the largest filter that you will need....I go over board a little at times...but I am looking at buying the next to largest true COKIN filters real soon...cokin filters are made from CR-39 glass.....NOT PLASTIC.......

Also with a screw on graduated ND filter the horizon line is dead center and cannot be changed with out tipping the camera.....With a slide in filter you can change the horizon line by moving the filter up or down......

Here is link from the Official COKIN SITE.......

Hope this was a help.

Gareth

As an addendum ot what Art said, a quick thought on the square filters, when using hte GND's i is often better to use the rectangular ones, no the square ones. can't remember the exact dimensions but you will need to move it up and down ot make sure the transition hits the horizon line and the rectangular ones give you a bit more latitude.
Art, I didn't realize the Cokins were glass?

Art Scott

Gareth wrote:

As an addendum ot what Art said, a quick thought on the square filters, when using hte GND's i is often better to use the rectangular ones, no the square ones. can't remember the exact dimensions but you will need to move it up and down ot make sure the transition hits the horizon line and the rectangular ones give you a bit more latitude.
Art, I didn't realize the Cokins were glass?

It has been several years that they went to CR 39 organic glass......My old ones were actually plastic but even they worked great with no waves or distortions in the images.......

Pindy

Thanks for the useful replies—I'm sold on drop-ins!

patch29

I have always liked the Singh-Ray Graduated ND Filters and they have a size that fits a Cokin P holder.

TylerW

As an aside, I like the idea, of the use of ND Grad filters, but more than that I like making better use of the tools I already own to get the same effect. I've been doing a fair amount of playing around with taking bracketed expusores from a tripod, and then combining the three exposures into one using gradient layer masks in photoshop. While this method does limit you to using a tripod, it gives you greater flexibility with where you want your exposure ranges. And while logic dictates that you wouldn't be able to lock down any action happening in your landscape scene, I've had good luck in making believeable seascapes usign this method.

Pindy

Sorry to resurrect this thread... maybe some of you know.

My widest lens is a 10-22 (with a filter diameter of 77) and the Cokin P holder is recommended for use with 28mm focal lengths to avoid vignetting. The X-PRO is just massive and is recommended for FLs of 15mm and onwards. This seems really excessive. I'm keen on the Singh-Ray GNDFs for Cokin P but there's this worry. Any ideas?

I almost bought a Lee setup but the shop didn't have the adapter rings.

Pindy

I just made several phone calls and found out the following:

The Cokin P will likely cause vignetting at such a wide angle as 10 or 12mm. The holder has a 120 degree angle of view, so your mileage may vary on this. The problem is the distance from the end of the lens, once you factor in slots, adapter rings, etc.

Lee told me that their holder will be just fine on most lenses around 10-12mm (read: 16-18mm after the crop factor conversion) you just may have to remove one of the 3 filter slots with the (supplied) screwdriver. And you need to buy the "wide angle" (77mm for me) adapter ring, in which the threads are recessed, which hugs the holder close to the lens. That settles it then—Lee, you're the boy.