Cokin Filters

I have a set of Cokin ND grads but I find that they don't seem to be able to

hold back enough light for sunset/sunrise type images where the brightest part

of the sky is on the horizon. I often use the p121M and p121S together which I

believe should be -5 stops but this seems not to give -5 stops in the real

world. I'm wondering whether a hard edge filter would be better I have read on

here that hi-tec filters are quiet good so am thinking of getting a 85 ND grad

HARD edge set. Or maybe I should save my money and go for the lee system.

The difference between what you have and a hard-edhe filter is the nature of the transition, not the quantity of light flitered where the filter is darkest. <p>

 

Neutral Density factors<br>

<ul>

<li> ND.3 (exposure adjustment = 1 stop, reduces ISO 1/2)</li>

<li> ND.6 (exposure adjustment = 2 stops, reduces ISO 1/4)</li>

<li> ND.9 (exposure adjustment = 3 stops, reduces ISO 1/8)</li>

<li>ND1.2 (exposure adjustment = 4 stops, reduces ISO 1/16) </li>

</ul>

-- Henry / B&H Photo

the lee system is great, but the cokin P should be just fine. yes, get hitech filters if you can, as they are a great combination of quality and price.

 

Go for a hard edge. I have a 2 stop soft and hard, and a 4 stop soft and hard.

 

allan

Henry I get what you are saying, I suppose as the brightest part of the image at sunrise/sunset is the edge or the lower part then the hard would make a signifcant diffrence as I find that my current filters not very effective but that could be my lack of skill!!!!!.

 

Allan, thanks for the reply I think Ill order the hard edge filters but now I thinking maybe I should go for a .9 and a 1.2 the set has .3,.6 and .9 in it.

If you don't have to put a second mortgage on the house, then by all means LEE, I haven't

used Hi-tech's, and I've enjoyed my Singh-Rays, but when I took the leap to have one and

only one system I went with Lee's, best thing I've done, I was a little worried about the

resin construction, but I haven't been able too scratch one yet, sometimes you can find

some deals on Ebay for them.

Thanks Michael I can't afford the lee system at the momment but maybe wont by anymore filters for the cokin holder, I think if I had know you could get cheap polyester filters for the lee holder I may have gone for it in the first place.

I've used Hitech ND grads for a while and they seem to be a great value. Never had any problems. Sure Lee are the best but for the price, Hitech is hard to beat. I've also used Cokin. They are about the same qaulity as Hitech but they have a more limited range of ND Grads. Just bought the Hitech 1.2 and can't wait to try it out.