Graduated ND filters

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by Mark Burley

I have occasionally used an ND grad filter for black and white landscapes. I also use them a lot when playing with Velvia... Personally I always use Lee Filters generally. But some what annoyingly they don't make a ten or twenty stop solid ND...

Reviving an old thread...

They do now:

http://www.leefilters.com/camera/pro...4B8F834D908E7/

and

http://www.leefilters.com/camera/new...4B8F96517C324/

[CreativeDave]

Grad ND is really useful for anything with a sky in it. I also have an old Cokin orangey coloured grad which is great with b&w, slips down the side of my gadget bag and weighs nothing so no excuse for not having it on the occasions I need it. You do need a sliding filter and not one of the screw in half and half ones or you can not set how much grad you want. Always stick with the unfiltered exposure and if you use TTL make sure you set the exposure before fitting the filter.

[ChrisN]

I use Cokin grad NDs quite often with the Hasselblad when working from a tripod. With my (poor) printing skills I need to do everything possible to make my negs easier to print! I've also used a grad red filter with good effect to make clouds stand out in the sky.

[Steve Smith]

Originally Posted by ChrisN

I've also used a grad red filter with good effect to make clouds stand out in the sky.

I don't think I have ever seen a graduated red filter. Makes sense though and it would make it easier to see the transition point in the viefinder (or ground glass).


Steve.

[Martin Aislabie]

Lee used to (don't know if they still offer this service) offered to make any coloured filter you wanted - for a price of course

A yellow upper & green lower was a Charlie Waite favourite apparently - used it for B&W Landscapes

Remember Lee also do the 130mm wide range of filters - for those who have lenses with serious front elements

Martin

[Jeff Kubach]

Once in a while I'll use a gradated ND filter for B&W but mostly I use the y/o/r for the most part.

Jeff

[Mike O'Pray]

Certainly 7Dayshop used to sell red and I think orange grad filters and it had often struck me that these might be ideal for skies in B&W as they avoid the colour effect on the ground. You might not want green foliage darkened considerably when you want a dark sky.

Mike