andy_van_eynde Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Hi all, Am interested in bying a GND filter. But can someone tell me where I can a good site about these filters. A 2-stop seems to be a good one to start with. But have read somewhere that there are different versions of it (soft or hard)? Would like to read more about it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 http://www.singh-ray.com/grndgrads.html http://www.teamworkphoto.com/hitech.html www.leefilters.com and there are a large number of threads archived here that discuss filter choice, brand choice, and associated hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_van_eynde Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 If one orders a rectangular filter like : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=121056&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation Does one still need ot order a frame to mount it in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_earussi1 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Most GND filters are not neutral, especially cokin and tiffin which can have a definite magenta/greenish cast. Of those I've personally tested Hitech was the best overall as well as one of the least expensive. The key is to always test them first before using for an important shot. A 2 stop is a good start and a soft transition is safer as most landscapes are not perfectly flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_chappell Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I have two Singh-Ray GNDs: a 2-stop soft and a 3-stop hard. I find I use the 3-stop hard much more frequently than the 2-stop soft. Even a 'hard' GND has a somewhat gradual transition, so the image doesn't show a stark delineation from dark to light (the fact that the filter is mounted immediately in front of the lens and very much out of the plane of focus, even with wideangles, also softens the transition). If you intend to do most of your work on scenes with extremely irregular horizons, a soft GND might be better.<P> All of the images on <A HREF="http://biology.ucr.edu/personal/MACphotos/ easternSierra/sagebrushsunsets.html">this page</a> were taken with a 3-stop hard GND, and it usually worked OK despite somewhat mountainous horizons. In the one at upper right, you can see a darkening of the hill, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_van_eynde Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Thnx for the info guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoryofpaul Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 The focal length of your lens and f-stop also affect the amount of gradation you get. Another important consideration is if you are using print film, slide film, color, black & white, and digital will all respond to filters differently. Since you don't specify in the original post what you're using, it's hard to tell you if a 2-stop will be appropriate for the goals you have. But a 2-stop is a sort of "middle of the road" filter that can be fairly effective over a wider range of media. There is a lot of information on the web about filter technique but I can understand your confusion. The main thing is NOT to buy a circular screw-on gradated ND filter, because you want to be able to move the gradation up or down and not have it always lie exactly in the middle of the composition. In my opinion, it's better to get the square or rectangular grads -- along with a filter holder with adapter rings -- so you can slide the filters higher or lower, depending on where you want to place the horizon in your photo. Mike is right -- most grads are not exactly neutral. He's also right about testing things -- that way there are no (or fewer) surprises. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_van_eynde Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 am using a 20d (so digital body) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_andrew Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 try www.2filter.com. I've used them a couple times and I've been very happy with the service on both occaisions. I'm not sure if they have the top end singh-ray filters, but they have all the HiTech filters you could ask for. From what i've heard, HiTech are a great value for money - reasonably priced with good results. hope this helps. you'll be very glad once you start using the filters. andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_1577653 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 That's what I did (what Andrew said) - at 2filter.com they have a package deal where you get a Cokin filter holder, one adapter, and your choice of one Hi-Tech grad for about $55. On advice from folks on this forum I chose one of the 2-stop (0.6 ND) grads - the soft version to be specific. I'm wondering now if the 2-stop hard might have been a better choice as the soft seems almost TOO soft. But then again I'm saying that without having actually used it yet; just playing around with it, so who knows? It doesn't really matter since eventually I will probably end up with a set of grads. Anyway, I don't think you can go wrong with this offer. Good luck. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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