Using Circular Polarizer together with ND Grads

[jeff_lundstrom2]

I am about to purchase a fitler system and have a question regarding using a

polarizer together with the ND Grads. In my research, I see that quite a few

pros use circular polarizers together with ND Grads. My question is How? There

seems to be 3 options....

 

1. Use the Lee system and buy the 105mm front adapter ring and 105mm Lee

Circular Polarizer.

 

2. Use a lens mounted circular polarizer then screw in the filter system's

lens adapter and then put on the filter holder

 

3. Use a lens mounted circular polarizer and simply hand-hold the grad.

 

1 seems to provide the most assured image quality as you can adjust the

polarizer separate from the grads. The problem is that you would need a

separate polarizer for the lens when your shooting doesn't involve the use of

grads. Plus the Lee 105mm polarizer is $300 ... ouch

 

2 provides flexibility in that it allows you to have a circular polarizer on

your lens, but you would then need to attach the filter adapter and holder to

the polarizer which would not allow you to adjust the polarizer separately

with the holder in place. I guess you could set the polarizer then carefully

attach the holder?

 

3 is similar to 2, but my conern is that image quality may suffer with long

exposures.

 

Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Jeff

[howard_m]

2 or 3

 

when working quickly and/or long-ish exposures, it's good to move the filter slightly to help eliminate transition lines.

[jeff_lundstrom2]

Thanks, Howard. I've been wondering how much of an effect a little natural hand shakiness would have during long exposures. Sounds like it's a positive ... good to know - and a little easier on the wallet (which is always nice).

[images_in_light_north_west]

I use the lee 77mm holder and put the CPL in it(it has threads the low profile does not) and the GND in the Lee holder.

[david_henderson]

Whilst I wouldn't say that I never use a grad and polariser together , I rarely do so because of the over-darkening of the sky that often results. In short I would not find it worthwhile to configure my filter system to meet this occasional need. Instead I'd simply screw the holder ring into the polariser - you'd never want to use a polariser/grad combination with an extreme wide angle anyway- or even hold the grad over the polariser when using a tripod.

[jeff_lundstrom2]

Ross,

 

Sorry, but I'm a little confused. Do you mean that you screw the CPL into the Lee 77mm adapter ring? Thanks.

[jeff_lundstrom2]

David,

 

Point well taken. I've heard about this problem using the two together. I was just reading Darwin Wiggett's 'TTT' technique and was curious how to accomplish this using the bigger 100mm systems.

 

Link - http://singhray.blogspot.com/