Why plastic / resin / glass filters?

[brianrybolt]

I used to be an architectural and landscape photographer.  I used filters for a variety of uses, particularly graduated filters.

Since moving to digital photography about 16-18 years ago, I have found particularly in Lightroom  that I could achieve the result I needed by using LR’s Graduated filter.  I don’t understand why photographers still use HiTech, Lee and other brands of graduate filters.  What is the benefit of these filters vs using Lightroom?

I know Vieri Bottazzini is a great user & fan of HiTech filters - I’m an admirer of his work but I don’t see any advantage to these filter types.      

FEEDBACK?


Cheers,
Brian

[Martin Kristiansen]

I used a lot of filters in film days. Yellow, yellow green, two blue filters, orange, red and that was just for black and white. I used polarizer and ND grads as well as a slight warming filter the name of which now escapes me, skylight filter perhaps. UV filters obviously. I also used a lot of gel filters to fine tune film stock when doing fine art copy work on 8X10.

Now I have two polarizers and that’s about it. I have never actually used the polarizers. They came in a deal with lenses bought from B&H. My hard working lenses used out of studio have permanently mounted filters for protection. The lenses used in studio are naked.

Some people have a style that uses grads pretty well but generally I can do what I need in post.  Grew up using EPR and EPD and it has so little dynamic range you had to use grads. Now for me not much use.

[chez]

I used to be an architectural and landscape photographer.  I used filters for a variety of uses, particularly graduated filters.

Since moving to digital photography about 16-18 years ago, I have found particularly in Lightroom  that I could achieve the result I needed by using LR’s Graduated filter.  I don’t understand why photographers still use HiTech, Lee and other brands of graduate filters.  What is the benefit of these filters vs using Lightroom?

I know Vieri Bottazzini is a great user & fan of HiTech filters - I’m an admirer of his work but I don’t see any advantage to these filter types.      

FEEDBACK?


Cheers,
Brian

Really depends on what you shoot. Landscapes many times have too much range in exposure such that you have to choose to either blow out a bright area or make a dark area black. A GND filter will tame down the bright area so you can still retain some texture in the dark area. Without a filter, if you blow out the bright area, no software manipulation will bring it back...you just get a white blob.

With film I used GND filters almost 100% of the time. Going digital this reduced to say 75% of the time. Moving to a high dynamic range sensor, I've reduced my reliance for GND filters to less than 50% of the time.

I take a lot of sunrise and sunset images that contain large swings in exposure between the foreground and sky.

[rdonson]

That's why I take multiple (bracketed) shots and use HDR processing....

[Jeremy Roussak]

Dense ND filters, such as the Lee Stoppers, allow long exposures in bright environments.

Jeremy

[rdonson]

I have normal ND filters for shooting falls in the woods and such and some simple long exposures at dusk/night but no desire for long exposures during the day. 

[BFD]

I used to be an architectural and landscape photographer.  I used filters for a variety of uses, particularly graduated filters.

Since moving to digital photography about 16-18 years ago, I have found particularly in Lightroom  that I could achieve the result I needed by using LR’s Graduated filter.  I don’t understand why photographers still use HiTech, Lee and other brands of graduate filters.  What is the benefit of these filters vs using Lightroom?

I know Vieri Bottazzini is a great user & fan of HiTech filters - I’m an admirer of his work but I don’t see any advantage to these filter types.      

FEEDBACK?


Cheers,
Brian

Yes, grad filters are mostly useless nowadays as you can control it better when you make your print. Plus, when you use a grad filter it is "baked" in to your image which can make adjusting in your print harder.

[Alan Klein]

Really depends on what you shoot. Landscapes many times have too much range in exposure such that you have to choose to either blow out a bright area or make a dark area black. A GND filter will tame down the bright area so you can still retain some texture in the dark area. Without a filter, if you blow out the bright area, no software manipulation will bring it back...you just get a white blob.

With film I used GND filters almost 100% of the time. Going digital this reduced to say 75% of the time. Moving to a high dynamic range sensor, I've reduced my reliance for GND filters to less than 50% of the time.

I take a lot of sunrise and sunset images that contain large swings in exposure between the foreground and sky.

Are you able to capture the scene in one shot with the high dynamic range sensor, or do you still have to bracket and "combine" in post? What is your process? 

[BFD]

Are you able to capture the scene in one shot with the high dynamic range sensor, or do you still have to bracket and "combine" in post? What is your process?

Pretty much always everything in one shot then dodge and burn in Photoshop. I can't remember the last time I had to bracket.

[Alan Klein]

Pretty much always everything in one shot then dodge and burn in Photoshop. I can't remember the last time I had to bracket.

What camera?

[BFD]

What camera?

With both Phase One IQ3 and IQ4. Much of the time with Nikon D850.

[Alan Klein]

Dana, You do superb and beautiful work in all categories.  Congratulations on your success. Alan.

[Aram Hăvărneanu]

What is the benefit of these filters vs using Lightroom?

The benefit is not having to use Lightroom.

To me, post processing is a chore, I hate having to edit my photographs in front of a computer. I'd rather be doing anything else. If I can use filters to lessen my post processing burden, I'll take the filters every time (even though bracketing or filters in LR/PS might technically offer superior results).

[BFD]

Dana, You do superb and beautiful work in all categories.  Congratulations on your success. Alan.

Thanks!

[chez]

Are you able to capture the scene in one shot with the high dynamic range sensor, or do you still have to bracket and "combine" in post? What is your process?

I will bracket if possible, but most times there is too much movement like waves which makes bracketing difficult. I will most likely use a GND filter.

Going with a Sony camera I have reduced my reliance on bracketing / GND filters by quite a bit...but there are still a lot of scenes that require some sort of means to reduce the dynamic range in order to not blow out highlights.

[Alan Klein]

Thanks!

Well thank you for finding the time to contribute your knowledge here to so many of us amateurs.

[alan_b]

I've done work for well-known publications and other clients who preferred images to be created in-camera. 

Discussion/definitions of what "in-camera" means, validity of such requirements, etc. aside.  Highlight/shadow adjustments, gradient dodge/burn, multiple exposures, etc. were at best frowned upon.  That was the job - take it or leave it. 

Also, for shooting film and motion.