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03-18-2013, 05:42 AM   #16
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Hi Tessfully. I see no reason why the Hitech 85 will not fit your Tamron 17-50. The filter diameter of the Tamron is 67 mm. You will probably have to buy the appropriate step up ring to fit the Tamron and I would expect the Hitech system should sell the appropriate adapters to fit the system to various lens filter diameters. You just need to make sure the filter system you buy is going to work with the largest diameter lens you will be using and then any smaller lens can be adapted with the appropriate adapters. I see you mentioned you want water and cloud movement. For that, myself I am using B&W screw in filters. I use these and have a set from 2 stop to 10 stop. They are very convenient and are much easier to pack while out hiking and less fiddly. You may remember the shot I posted of Oxtongue Rapids and that was taken with the 10 stop B&W screw in filter. I also have the Lee RF 75 system for a set of ND grads (and reverse ND grads I own). I went with this as most of my lenses are the Pentax primes with a filter diameter of 49 mm. You may also remember a shot I posted off Booth Rock where I used this system to balance the exposure. I agree with Twitch though, the Lee square filters are prone to flare and I lost a lot of shots to that with the ND grads. Personally, I find the screw in solid block NDs very convenient and easy to use and always have some in my pack. The square sets with holders are fun, but fiddly and take up more room and more difficult to use getting the grad line well situated in the picture as well. That's why some people prefer to do that part in post processing. However you just can't blur that water or move those clouds without the solid NDs and the screw ins are so easy to use. Hope that helps and good luck with your decision.


Last edited by fotogaffer; 03-18-2013 at 05:52 AM.
03-18-2013, 06:36 AM   #17
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Thanks for bringing this thread up Tess - I am following along as I intend to buy an ND filter soon also.

Just curious as to your choice of a graduated filter as I haven't considered that for myself.

I did lots of research here and elsewhere, and ended up mostly deciding on the Hoya NDx400 for myself - that is until I change my mind again.....

Hoya NDx400
03-18-2013, 09:07 AM   #18
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Well according to the link you need to choose one adapter ring with each purchase. I THINK your lens has a 67mm filter ring so that is the size adapter you will need. Double check your filter size though. The adapter ring will screw onto the filter ring of your lens and the holder will attach to the adapter ring and then the filter slides into the holder. You can then adjust the filter up and down until you get the effect you want.
03-18-2013, 10:33 AM   #19
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That's the same set I have, the Hitech Grad's. And that's a good price, but the postage is a killer to the USA, I paid a lot more than that about 3 years ago. The ring laying flat screws into the filter thread of the lens and the odd shaped plastic bit slides over the ring. Then one or all of the filters slide in grooves in the plastic holder, which can be turned on the ring, so you have axial adjustment and up - down enabling you to get the boundary between the dark ND part and the light in the right place, such as the horizon.
It's a good set, but I'm sure you could get something similar without the £15 - $22 postage.

Edit.
Although, thinking about it, I bought just the filters and paid about £80, so with the fitting kit that is a very good price.

03-20-2013, 09:58 AM   #20
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Thanks to everyone for your input. I did a lot of research based on the things said and ended up going with this kit. I think it is a fabulous deal and I can't wait to try them out. Stan, did you decide on which filter you will go with? I wanted both ND and graduated ND, so this kit is perfect. I also ordered the Cokin P holder. Cheers!

https://www.thecamerastore.com/products/formatt/formatt-hitech-nd-master-kit-soft-edge
03-20-2013, 12:35 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by tessfully Quote
Thanks to everyone for your input. I did a lot of research based on the things said and ended up going with this kit. I think it is a fabulous deal and I can't wait to try them out. Stan, did you decide on which filter you will go with? I wanted both ND and graduated ND, so this kit is perfect. I also ordered the Cokin P holder. Cheers!

https://www.thecamerastore.com/products/formatt/formatt-hitech-nd-master-kit-soft-edge
Thanks for sharing your final decision Tess. That looks like a perfect kit that will give you lots of options. I have the feeling you are going to have a blast experimenting!

I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet - still in research mode. My hesitation at this point is I just don't know how much I would use a ND filter. The only moving water I have is a small river which wouldn't be the greatest compared to a nice small stream in the woods. And, I have no view of the sky - well not enough to get any nice shots of cloud movement - just too much forest canopy here. I know there are other uses for these filters, but right now trying to justify any of them because of the limited use I would have.
03-20-2013, 03:12 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by tessfully Quote
Thanks to everyone for your input. I did a lot of research based on the things said and ended up going with this kit. I think it is a fabulous deal and I can't wait to try them out. Stan, did you decide on which filter you will go with? I wanted both ND and graduated ND, so this kit is perfect. I also ordered the Cokin P holder. Cheers!

https://www.thecamerastore.com/products/formatt/formatt-hitech-nd-master-kit-soft-edge
Hope its everything you need it to be! Please write up a review once you've put the kit through its paces.

04-06-2013, 06:28 AM   #23
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Help! How to use these things?

Hi again,

Well, I bought a screw on UV filter and a very expensive polarizing filter for my Tamron 17 - 50 lens.

I also got my HiTech Graduated filter set, Cokin P holder and the adapter ring.

The UV and polarizer really do a wonderful job on the sky and clouds, as well as reducing the glare on the snow, trees and leaves. They do force an increase in ev though, and a slower shutter speed which most of the time is okay as I use a tripod. I still have to learn about how to handle the settings in windy bright conditions.

I also figured out how to determine what filter to use based on difference between ground and sky light. BUT... those darned Graduated Neutral Density filters are giving me a headache. It is as fotogapher said above... they are fiddly. And beyond that, I cannot tell through the view finder where to line up the horizon. I cannot see the graduation of greys and I don't know where in the holder to set the filter.

I read up on it and many photographer's say you need to set the camera to preview depth-of-field, then you can see the filter and where to position it. As far as I can tell the K-5 does not have a depth-of-field preview.

I am lost on how to position the filter? Can anyone enlighten me??

thanks!
04-06-2013, 07:07 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by tessfully Quote
I read up on it and many photographer's say you need to set the camera to preview depth-of-field, then you can see the filter and where to position it. As far as I can tell the K-5 does not have a depth-of-field preview.

Tess - sorry you are having a frustrating time with the filters. Only thing I can possibly help with is the K-5 does have a depth-of-field preview - just turn the on-off switch past the on position.
04-06-2013, 07:16 AM   #25
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Thank you so much Stan! I wondered what was happening when I accidentally turned the camera on-swtich too far. I will go out and try that right now.
04-06-2013, 08:33 AM   #26
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The ND filter discussion is always interesting, and more so today because of the alternative options offered by post processing software. The two filters that CAN't be effectively replicated in PP today are polarizers and NDs because they affect the original image in a manner that cannot be done after the fact.

Polarized light is polarized light; that's obvious.

But ND filters can be used in two ways. The Grad ND filter can change the exposure for a portion of the image, but that can also be accomplished in PP -- usually with much more finesse and precision than in the field. The ND, OTOH, can change the exposure TIME through the shutter speed selected and that cannot be duplicated in PP. (Consider the waterfall shot.)

If nothing else, the use of PP tools should be considered as "training wheels" and an experimental laboratory for the GND filter. Combined with tools such as the U-point technology used in Nik plug-ins, the GND effect can include selective SPOT graduations as well as a variable color gradient filter effect.

Most DSLR users already have a complete set of continuously variable, color GND filters for every lens they use incorporated in their PP software - often at a cost of a fraction of just one of the better glass filters.

I'd also note that Google purchased Nik software (apparently to acquire Snapseed) and recently repackaged all of the plug-ins at a very attractive price. A trial download is available and the Color Efex plug-in has been bundled with other software recently. The Nik web site has very useful tutorials and demonstrations that enhance the understanding of filtration even if one is using traditional glass filters.

IMO, digital filter effects are second only to digital "film" itself in the evolution of photography. I no longer use lens-mounted filters EXCEPT for polarizing filters and an ND when used to control TIME rather than light.

H2
04-06-2013, 09:52 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by tessfully Quote
I am lost on how to position the filter? Can anyone enlighten me??
Tess, positioning the ND grads is a bit of an art form. But remember there is no right or wrong.

There are two styles of ND Grads: hard and soft, the hard ones have a more distinct line between clear and shaded, the soft ones blend from clear to shaded very gradually. Not sure which you have. It is easier to position the hard ones but if the horizon is not perfectly level they can produce a noticeable line in the image that spoils the effect.

Anyway, I put the filter in the holder and set it so it crosses the mid point of the lens, then looking through the lens move it down until it is clear that it is darkening the area below the horizon, then pull it back up a bit. On soft grads this can be much further down than you might think. The point of a soft grad is to start the effect before you need it so it blends into the area you do need it on seamlessly.

Hope this helps.
04-06-2013, 11:08 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by pacerr Quote
The Grad ND filter can change the exposure for a portion of the image, but that can also be accomplished in PP -- usually with much more finesse and precision than in the field.

H2
Even with the K5, it's not unusual to exceed the sensor's dynamic range (in raw - I think about 13 stops) without a split ND. So PP isn't always a solutions - sometimes the data just isn't there. I'm honestly not looking forward to 24mp in a future body, and wouldn't even regard that as a practical upgrade for me, but 24 stops of dynamic range would be a huge improvement.

Paul
04-06-2013, 02:35 PM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by tibbitts Quote
24 stops of dynamic range would be a huge improvement.
But that would take all the challenge out of it...............
04-06-2013, 04:27 PM   #30
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Hey Tess,

I recently bought the Lee starter pack (2 stop ND / 2 stop GND) and the big stopper, which I've not had the oppurtunity to try yet.

Your GND doesn't have to be used on a pefectly level horizon. Since you can rotate the filter holder and move the filter up and down, you can use it, for example, just to darken the sky in the top left corner where the sun is making its presence felt. Best way to use one is to fit it first and - gasp! - use live view to frame your shot. The effect is much easier to see in live view.

HTH.
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