ND Singh filters on Fuji Rangefinders

[m_m7]

<p>Hi.I am planing to take a trip to photograph Rocky Mountains at the end of September.I want to use for the first time the ND Singh filters 2 stops hard.I never used one before but doing some research saw that you have to use (for metering) a TTL metering system and eventually DOF.<br>

I am very fond of my Fuji and gathered through the years all their rangefinder models .What is the best solution:<br>

1.to get the electronic versions like Fuji GA645ZI and rely somehow on the metering system?In this case how do I meter since it is not a TTL metering system<br>

2.take a completely mechanical one like GM690 and use an external meter(maybe spot)?Again in that case how do I use the external meter.<br>

Many thanks and I apologize for the ignorance .<br>

Constantin</p>

[Tony Evans]

<p>For the GW690, use the spot and take its reading through the filter.</p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

Why trhough the filter, Tony?<br>If the filter is used to selectively darken parts of the image, leaving other bits as they are, metering through the filter will result in<br>a) the thing you are after, if you only meter through the clear part of the filter (is the same as not metering through the filter),<br>b) the part that was supposed to be left unaffected a bit too dark, while the bit that was supposed to get darker by the amount the filter is used for a bit too light, (i.e. neither part the way you would want them to be), if you meter through an bit of the filter in between the clear and darkest bit. or<br>c) the part you wanted to darken as light as it would have been without filter with the bit supposed to be left the way it is too light, if you meter through the filter's darkest part.<br><br>I can imagine a) being the thing you want. And that works best if you do not meter through the filter.

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I'm beginning to believe that making decisions instead of relying on a piece of equipment is a lost art!</p>

<p>What Q.G said, plus using TTL metering will simply average the scene in one way or another, and that defeats the purpose of using an ND grad filter really. The whole idea of using a grad is to reduce contrast to within printable limits, or to stay within the dynamic range of the film, so it has to be assumed that either the highlights will overexpose or the shadows will lack detail without the use of a filter.</p>

<p>Using a handheld meter is the way to go IMHO, but how you meter will depend on what kind of meter you have and what effect you're after. My method(s) would be to: a) Point a reflected meter slightly downward to meter for the foreground (or whatever the darker part of the scene is) and let the ND grad bring down the contrast of the sky or brighter parts of the scene; b) take an incident reading and adjust from the indicated reading depending on whether I wanted to favour shadow or highlight detail; c) spot meter from a near-highlight area and go five stops over from the reading - 2 stops for the filter and another 3 stops from highlight to midtone. In theory the spotmetering method is the most accurate, but in practise......</p>

<p>WRT to the depth-of-field comment, I'm not sure what's meant, except that the dividing line of a hard grad becomes softer as DoF is reduced, or as the filter is brought closer to the lens. That's why Cokin holders have a selection of slots. If you want a less obvious divide then you need a soft grad filter.</p>

[bob_cook]

<p>I once used a set of Singh Ray ND grads on a GSW690. I used the soft filter since trying to figure out where it was in the image was a guess. I "bracketed" the filter position in the image. Used a lot of film. Also, I used my hat as a lens cap. Set the shutter to bulb, opened it, removed my hat, counted the exposure in seconds, replaced my hat, and then changed the shutter off of bulb to close it. Kind of clunky, but it worked.</p>

[m_m7]

<p>Thank you for all the answers.Now is more clear .So I guess when you use ND Grad filters, the issue with rangefinders is not metering, but rather placing the gradation of the filter accurately in your scene. If I understand correctly the process is :<br /> Spot meter different regions in the foreground (generally the darker part of the landscape).<br /> Determine the right combination of shutter speed and aperture for the foreground.<br /> Spot meter the sky / or brighter area.<br>

Calculate the difference (in stops) between the foreground and sky.<br /> Determine which filter to use based on these measurements (2-stop, 3-stop, etc).<br /> Place the filter with the transition of the filter lined up with the natural transition in the scene, between light and dark areas.<br /> Shoot the image at the exposure you determined for the foreground (the part of the scene that shows through the clear part of the filter).</p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

That's it!

[doug andrews]

<p>MM, the process you described is pretty much what I do all the time with Grad ND filters on my Fuji 670. Because placing the transition of the Grad filter involves some guessing on the rangefinder, I mostly stick with the soft transition Grads and not the hard.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>QG is right-that is it. But let me add a couple of judgment factors you might want to think about. <br>

First, when you're working out how much you need to darken the sky by, don't assume that its best to make the sky into a mid tone. Skies are usually lighter than that, and you probably want to let your sky go to one stop brighter than your foreground if you're using slide film and two stops brighter if you're using neg film. <br>

Equally, don't assume that all foregrounds are mid-toned. Some are- eg sunlit grass is often an approximation to a mid tone- but probably more isn't a mid -tone than is. </p>