quality of graduated ND filters? what about Cromatek?

[dirk_funhoff2]

I would like to buy a graduated ND filter for landscape

photography. I will use it probably mainly with my 20-35 zoom. I have

already the Cromatek filter holder for 10x10cm plates.

 

I have read that some graduated filters are not neutral in their dense

zone, that they give a color shift. Is that true for Cromatek filters

also? Which ones are recommendable according to your experiences? And

finally - which is the most useful for the beginning - 1, 2 or 3

stops?

 

Thanks a lot for answering these questions.

[knut_sverre_horn]

Don't know about Cromatek (I use Lee myself), so let me answer your last question: You will need both 1, 2 and 3 stop ND grads, depending on what you shoot. A sunlit mountain mirroring in a lake would typically require a 1-stop filter, while a 3-stop is more adequate when you want sunsets with details in the foreground. Your spot meter (or a telephoto lens and center-weight metering) gives you an idea of the contrasts in the picture. Then it takes some experience to know how much you want to compensate. (After all, a picture does consist of contrasts, overcompensating ruins your shot.)

Make sure, though, that the filters you buy let you position the filter where you want it. Lee filters are 10x15 cm, and thus gives you a lot of freedom in that respect.

:-)

[stephen_schoof]

I can't answer for Cromatek, either, but here's my experience with the Singh-Ray NDs:

 

With Singh-Ray there is not only a choice between 2- and 3-stops, but soft-edged (gradual gradation from clear to full ND) and hard-edged (sudden transition from clear to full ND). There's also a "reverse-grad", where the clear suddenly changes to full ND, then backs off toward clear again. What you need depends on the subjects you shoot.

 

Here in the Southeastern U.S. I can handle most landscapes with a 2- and/or 3-stop soft-edged. I often combine them for 5-stops of ND. If I had to pick one I'd choose the 3-stop, but lose lots of pictures where a little less or little more ND is needed. The filters are expensive but I believe they make a much bigger difference in my photography than any particular camera body I've bought, so you should consider more than one. I don't personally see the need for a one-stop, but then I prefer having too much ND than not enough.

 

There are times I could use the hard-edged versions, and occasionally the "reverse-grad," but the soft-edged are probably easier to use for a beginner.

 

Hope this helps more than it confuses!

[stephen_feingold]

I have Cromatek graduated ND filters purchased over 10 years ago. They are not neutral in color, having a pink shift. They also have a problem of sometimes forming a whitish film that requires soap and water to clean.

I now have a glass Tiffen graduated ND filter, and it is neutral. I would recommend the grade 3.

 

Steve Feingold

[steve_jenkins]

I, too, have used Singh-Ray. I only have the hard edge 3-stop filter, but it works perfectly for me. The colors and contrast come out exactly as I saw them. Whenever I see a great sky and land scene, I mount the filter in a Cokin P holder and use depth of field preview to line the hard edge on the horizon. It seems that a total 3-stop spread in the scene is the most the film will handle well. Since a sky and land shot late in the day tends to have a 6-stop differential, the 3-stop filter does the trick. Before I got this filter, I had a choice of washing out the sky or turning the land features into a silhouette.

[avid]

Personally I can advise to get a .6 (2 stops) and a .9 (3 stops) filter from either Singh-Ray (the best) or a Lee filter (cheaper, almost as good). The .2 (1 stop) filter is the least used one and I have used it only once that I can remember. With a .6 and a .9 stacked you will get a 5 stop difference if you ever need that.

Don't get Cokin, they are not neutral and induce color casts.