goldwyn_t Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 Hello, After reading through many threads regarding different brands of gradND's, it seems that one can't avoid spending >$100us to start a pursuit in filters. The cheapest glass gradND start around 70us... From experience, can you guys recommend a good start up "kit" that goes for under 100us? i'm considering a cokin holder with 2 hitech gradNDs (2stop and 3stop). Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 Sounds like a decent start to me, assuming that the Cokin holder doesn't vignette with any wide-angle lenses you have. You don't say hard or soft grads. I find the latter more useful but if you live by the sea or somewhere else where horizons are pretty level, then one of them should be hard. Hitech soft-edge are very gradual indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swenson Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 You might want to consider a 1 stop and 2 stop. You can stack them to get 3 stop. I do it all the time. Stacking 2 and 3 gives 5 which is too much. Also by stackintg you have more options as to the transition area. If you soot a lot of sunsrise or sunset you might conside a graduated sunset filter that you can stack on either. A warming filter or combo usally ends up making the water look greenish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 My most often used ND filters are a 2 stop and a 3 stop. If you are getthing those expensive ND filters, why not start with a 2 stop and then see which other ones to add to fit your situation best? IMO a 1 stop isn't as useful because in the siutations when all you need is a 1 stop, you can frequently get away with not using it at all. A 3-stop difference is useful in sun rise and sun set situations. I would rather have a single filter that can get those jobs done rather than stacking, which degrades things a little more. <P> I like those "hard" ND filters that have a quick transition between dark and light areas. But some people prefer the "soft" ones with a very gradual transition. I have a 2-stop soft filter that I almost never use. <P> Here are the links to two water reflection images, both shot at the Yosemite National Park but from different trips: <BR> <A HREF="http://www.photo.net/photo/1422520">The first one</A>, based on my spot meter reading, has a one-stop difference between the rock and the reflection, and I didn't use any GND filter. <BR> My spot meter indicated that there is a two-stop difference in <A HREF="http://www.photo.net/photo/1855698">the second one</A>, and I used a two-stop GND to darken the top half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim schwaiger Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 I have 2 Cokin gray grads that work well, but I'd definitely get the Hitech's if I were doing it over again. The resin filters aren't bad, they just aren't glass. Resin scratches, glass breaks, so it's a toss-up to me, but if I drop a resin filter, it may still work okay with a scratch on it (well better than shards of glass). I second the 2 and 3 stop suggestions. And know that Hitech's hard edge are more like singh-ray's soft edge (no standards from on mfg to another). So you may want to start with a hi-tech hard 2-stop and see what you need from there. Also know that the focal length matters a lot. A soft edge will appear very soft at 200mm and much harder at 28mm which makes sense whenn you think about the geometry -- the 200mm is only seeing a small part of the filter, while the 28mm is using almost all of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_lowe Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 Start with a Cokin P Series filter holder. I have no experience with Hitech but I am very pleased with my Singh-Ray 2 stop split ND. It is neutral in color and does not have a magenta cast like some other less expensive brands.It seems to me that the price was around $100. Good luck, Ed Lowe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligia_dovale Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 I also second the 2 and 3 stop Hitech's soft edge. If you can, also get a 2 stop hard edge and you would be all set. This way, you would have 2, 3, 4 and 5 stop graduations. I have not used the 7 by combining all three, but the 4 is quite useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldwyn_t Posted October 28, 2003 Author Share Posted October 28, 2003 Thanks for the insight!I think it's best to stick with the hitechs (2 and 3 stop hard) with a cokin holder.I was gonna buy them right away from BnH, but it seems that someone has gotten ahead of me and they are sold out! Oh well, this lets me sleep on the subject a bit more before purchasing =) p.s. Your photos on your profiles are very inspiring, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barclayphoto Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Call Bob Singh at Singh-Ray http://www.singh-ray.com/ Only the best from Bob! Plus Bob is a great guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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