ND Filters

System

All the skies I seem to have in photos are all grey and featureless though there were clouds there when the photos were taken. What is the best ND filter I can use to put more contrast back into all my photos - and rather than buying a set can anyone recommend the best "one" I could use for all occasions?

D:clap

Weekend Worrier

d22 wrote:

All the skies I seem to have in photos are all grey and featureless though there were clouds there when the photos were taken. What is the best ND filter I can use to put more contrast back into all my photos - and rather than buying a set can anyone recommend the best "one" I could use for all occasions?

D

Is it a ND filter you need or a circular polarizer? Or maybe an IR filter?

System

It's an ND. I have a polariser and an IR filter. The ND is supposed to put more contrast in the sky as its graduated but there are varius types, all cost $60 each and I can only afford one, but don't know which one. Thanks

Weekend Worrier wrote:

Is it a ND filter you need or a circular polarizer? Or maybe an IR filter?

cmason

why not get one of the Cokin's for $20, and hand hold it in front of your lens? Works great that way. once you figure out what exactly you need, what density etc, then spring for a pricey one if you must

HarlanBear

I suggest the Cokin P system. It's not always easy to hold the filter and shoot, but I've done it. More flexible with the holder. Then 1-2 filters. I use .6 (2 stops) soft edged and .9 (3 stops) hard edge. If I need more, I'll stack then in the holder.

The holder and adaptor costs about $14.00. And you can buy cheap or expensive filters. I use the longer 85 x 107mm so I can slide the filter down to cover the entire lens and shoot long exposure daytime shots. My filters are Hi-Tech and ran about $40.00 each. Check at B&H Photo and Adorama for good on-line pricing.

I also have a circular polarizer which rotates in and out of the sky.

It's a kick to have these filters and really do the trick, though they take a bit to get used to.

Good luck.

mercphoto

d22 wrote:

It's an ND. I have a polariser and an IR filter. The ND is supposed to put more contrast in the sky as its graduated but there are varius types, all cost $60 each and I can only afford one, but don't know which one. Thanks

An ND filter is nothing but a "grey" piece of glass. All it does is cut down the amount of light that enters the lens, and it does this across all light colors equally and across the entire lens evenly. This does nothing for contrast whatsoever.

What landscape photographers used to use were *graduated* neutral density filters, which are split in half horizontally. The top half is greyed, the bottom half is not. This lets in lots of light in the bottom (where the dark landscape is) and cuts down on light at the top (where the bright sky is).

There is a big difference between the two.

HarlanBear

mercphoto wrote:

An ND filter is nothing but a "grey" piece of glass. All it does is cut down the amount of light that enters the lens, and it does this across all light colors equally and across the entire lens evenly. This does nothing for contrast whatsoever.

What landscape photographers used to use were *graduated* neutral density filters, which are split in half horizontally. The top half is greyed, the bottom half is not. This lets in lots of light in the bottom (where the dark landscape is) and cuts down on light at the top (where the bright sky is).

There is a big difference between the two.

This is absolutely correct. I'm refering to Graduated ND filters above, as mentioned in d22's second post. Used to hold back the brighter sky. Hence the mention of soft and hard. This refers to the graduation from gray to clear; a hard or soft change. I don't use full ND filters on still cameras, but certainly do on video (TV) cameras. Which is why I mention the longer GND filters which can be used as full ND by sliding it down over the entire lens.

pathfinder

NDs or graduated NDs won't really help dull, leaden gray skies - they are best avoided by composing them out of the frame.

Overcast days are great for moody portraits, macros, flash shots, detail shots, but poor choices to include the sky. Filters will not really change this very much.

If there really were clouds, then a multiply blend of a second layer of the sky will nicely build density of the clouds.