Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Which graduated ND filter?  (Read 5843 times)

Terry B.

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4
Which graduated ND filter?
« on: May 13, 2009, 06:23:43 pm »

I'm in need of a grad ND filter before my trip to Utah next month. I'm using a Tokina 12-24 , a Tamron 28-75 and a Canon 70-200 L on a Canon XSi .  As far as Cokin P with Shing-Ray , won't I get terrible vignetting on my Tokina wide ange?  I then thought of getting a Formatt glass graduated ND and just holding in front of lens when needed but is it a pain to hold it, check DOF preview and fire shutter?   Which way to go?    

Terry
Logged

joedecker

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 142
    • http://www.rockslidephoto.com
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2009, 06:54:42 pm »

Quote from: Terry B.
I'm in need of a grad ND filter before my trip to Utah next month. I'm using a Tokina 12-24 , a Tamron 28-75 and a Canon 70-200 L on a Canon XSi .  As far as Cokin P with Shing-Ray , won't I get terrible vignetting on my Tokina wide ange?  I then thought of getting a Formatt glass graduated ND and just holding in front of lens when needed but is it a pain to hold it, check DOF preview and fire shutter?   Which way to go?

Cokin does make a P-style holder that only takes one filter that might not vignette on the Tokina on a 1.6x crop body, you'd have to try it so see, I don't have the lens.

It is possible to hold a GND in front of a lens in many circumstances.  It's a challenge to keep it in place well for long exposures without putting pressure on the camera/lens system but maintaining contact.  

Heck, it's even possible to hold a GND, check DOF, hold a cable release and point a flash at a reflector (that someone else is holding)....

Photo of me doing just that in Greenland:  http://www.rockslidephoto.com/pix/random/s...photography.jpg

Photo Courtesy Josh Andrews.

What I was shooting, and why I was doing such a silly thing:  http://rockslidephoto.com/blog/?p=314

--Joe











Logged
Joe Decker
Rock Slide Photography [url=h

situgrrl

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 342
    • http://www.charlyburnett.com
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2009, 07:35:45 pm »

You have WHAT voltage in your mouth?  Nutter!

joedecker

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 142
    • http://www.rockslidephoto.com
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2009, 02:12:53 am »

Quote from: situgrrl
You have WHAT voltage in your mouth?  Nutter!

I didn't make an electrical connection with the flash, but if I had, it would have been four AAs, no big deal.
Logged
Joe Decker
Rock Slide Photography [url=h

Jonathan Wienke

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5829
    • http://visual-vacations.com/
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2009, 11:00:30 am »

If you're shooting landscapes with digital, a grad ND isn't really all that necessary. If you can shoot a 3-frame bracket 3 stops apart from a tripod you can blend the images in PS better than you can with a grad filter.
Logged

ErikKaffehr

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11311
    • Echophoto
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2009, 12:39:12 pm »

Hi,

The voltage inside the flash is easily dangerous, several hundred Volts at very significant Amperes. Sync voltage is nowdays just a few Volts.

Erik


Quote from: joedecker
I didn't make an electrical connection with the flash, but if I had, it would have been four AAs, no big deal.
Logged
Erik Kaffehr
 

joedecker

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 142
    • http://www.rockslidephoto.com
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2009, 03:45:22 pm »

Quote from: Jonathan Wienke
If you're shooting landscapes with digital, a grad ND isn't really all that necessary. If you can shoot a 3-frame bracket 3 stops apart from a tripod you can blend the images in PS better than you can with a grad filter.

While it's true, and this is in fact mostly what I do, there are times where it's just a lot easier to work from a single frame, a few seconds in the field can save me a few minutes in LR.  Your mileage may vary.  

--Joe


Logged
Joe Decker
Rock Slide Photography [url=h

summitgreen

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 17
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2009, 02:09:52 pm »

Terry.. I use the cokin p setup and it's great! try it and see if it works with your wide tokina at 12mm

if not you might want the wide angle adaptor or you can always go one step up from the cokin P setup for the pro filters i think those are 4x4 or 4x6 or something
Logged

Terry B.

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2009, 07:44:31 pm »

Quote from: summitgreen
Terry.. I use the cokin p setup and it's great! try it and see if it works with your wide tokina at 12mm

if not you might want the wide angle adaptor or you can always go one step up from the cokin P setup for the pro filters i think those are 4x4 or 4x6 or something

Great idea! Can I use the Singh-Ray Graduated ND filter with the Cokin P wide holder (and 77mm ring) ? The SR says its 84mm and the Cokin wide holder says 85mm.
Logged

Paul Sumi

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1217
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2009, 08:34:08 pm »

Quote from: joedecker
...There are times where it's just a lot easier to work from a single frame, a few seconds in the field can save me a few minutes in LR.  Your mileage may vary.  

Blending multiple exposures works best on stationary subjects.  With moving objects, a single shot using a GND is the way to go.

Paul
Logged

Jonathan Wienke

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5829
    • http://visual-vacations.com/
Which graduated ND filter?
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2009, 10:10:54 pm »

Quote from: PaulS
Blending multiple exposures works best on stationary subjects.  With moving objects, a single shot using a GND is the way to go.

If the border between the subject's bright and dark areas doesn't follow a fairly straight line, a GND doesn't work very well. And believe it or not, many types of subject motion do not impair blending multiple exposures.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up