which nd grad filter is suitable?

[bnnrcn]

I'm quite new in photography and I'm planning to buy an ND grad filter but I don't know which one is suitable,soft or hard? 2 stops(0.6) or 3 stops(0.9)? I would most like to take sunset and landscape photos,so which type of ND grad is better in this case?

[lukaswerth]

What camera do you have? - I ask because of the dynamic range.

Soft and hard refer to the transition? If this is so, then soft. Look at the Cokin system, if I recall correctly you can move their grad filters up and down in front of the camera.

Lukas

[Manfred M]

There is no simple answer to your question because it really depends on what you are shooting and the conditions you are shooting under. I started with a 2-stop 77mm screw in and now have Lee 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 rectangular both hard and soft grads.

Hard grads work best when you have a clearly defined horizon, for instance a shot over water. I find the soft grad works better with a less well-defined shot and in fact, I will set up on a sturdy tripod and take shots with several filters and will re-assemble in post-production using bits of each image.

There is also a reverse grad available, one I have not used, where the maximum density occurs at the centre and drops off towards the edge and is used for sunsets. This is where the light is brightest at the horizon and then drops off as one gets up higher in the sky.

If your camera has sufficient dynamic range, you can emulate the impact of a grad by incorporating a grad in post-production.

[dje]

Yes it depends on the type of scene. If you only want to buy one initially, I'd suggest a 3 stop hard grad. This is what I started with and found it covered a lot of situations quite well. I ended up getting a 2 stop as well though a bit later.

Personally I think hard grads are more useful, at least for the scenes I shoot. Bear in mind they still have a gradual transition, just not as gradual as the soft grads.

Dave

[Colin Southern]

Start with a 3-Stop hard edge (it's what I use most).

If you're doing after sunset horizon shots then a reverse 3-Stop hard edge might be better (I use that too).

A 2 stop may well not be enough attenuation when incident and reflected light are being shot at the same time, whereas if one attenuates the incident light more, it can be recovered on post-processing without difficulty.

Hope this helps.

[bnnrcn]

my camera is canon1100D

[dje]

my camera is canon1100D

Hi Binnur

If you have an 1100D, you probably have an EFS 18-55mm kit lens with it. If that is the case, there is a problem with fitting GND filters as with these lenses, the front of the lens rotates as focus changes. This means the GND will rotate and possibly be out of alignment.

I wouldn't say it is impossible to use a GND on this type of lens, but it's not very convenient. You would have to set focus first and then carefully align the GND filter without changing focus - not something I'd want to do.

The more expensive lenses are mostly not like this. They use inner focus which means the front of the lens does not rotate.

Dave

[Manfred M]

Another consideration for you is screw-in versus square filters.

The screw in filters are reasonably compact but have the downside of having the grad in a fixed location on the filter / lens combination. A rectangular filter either requires a holder or requires the shooter to hold it in front of the camera lens by hand (as well as having to shoot without a lens hood), but you can position the grad transition anywhere you want to.

[Colin Southern]

Another consideration for you is screw-in versus square filters.

Personally I wouldn't touch screw-in filters with a barge pole -- closest thing to useless I've ever come across in photography.

A rectangular filter either requires a holder or requires the shooter to hold it in front of the camera lens by hand (as well as having to shoot without a lens hood), but you can position the grad transition anywhere you want to.

A couple of rubber bands work OK in a pinch.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Dave ,thank you for your warning ,but I bought a tamron 17-50 a few weeks ago,because I didn't like 18-55.My new one is much better and I'm quite happy with it.So no problem

Hi Binnur

If you have an 1100D, you probably have an EFS 18-55mm kit lens with it. If that is the case, there is a problem with fitting GND filters as with these lenses, the front of the lens rotates as focus changes. This means the GND will rotate and possibly be out of alignment.

I wouldn't say it is impossible to use a GND on this type of lens, but it's not very convenient. You would have to set focus first and then carefully align the GND filter without changing focus - not something I'd want to do.

The more expensive lenses are mostly not like this. They use inner focus which means the front of the lens does not rotate.

Dave

[Manfred M]

Personally I wouldn't touch screw-in filters with a barge pole -- closest thing to useless I've ever come across in photography.

I reserve it for shooting in the rain and snow, where the Lee filters get in the way and are hard to manipulate and keep dry under the rain hood; but that being said, that is their main (only?) use for me.

[Colin Southern]

I reserve it for shooting in the rain and snow, where the Lee filters get in the way and are hard to manipulate and keep dry under the rain hood; but that being said, that is their main (only?) use for me.

I owned one once, but it created all kinds of issues that I cured completely with a 2-Step process.

I got up - took 2 steps - and dropped it in the bin