I'll try to help as I can,
1. How dark do I really need?
Unfortunately, that depends on the actual conditions on the day, so I can't tell you before hand.
However, I tend to use 2 & 3 stops the most
2. How strong or gradual should the gradation be? Does this have anything to do with amount of sky in shot (see 4)
This depends on your horizon. if you're shooting say over water or another straight horizon, a hard edge is best.
If you have things sticking up a softer edge will be your best bet.
3. Do you prefer the round/threaded style or the rectangular Cokin plate type?
Rectangular. there is no comparison.
4. How versatile is it? i.e. will it be useful only for 1/3 sky or also cover 2/3 skies?...will it work also for portrait orientation?
With the rectangular filters, the holder rotates to match whatever you want. only the screw-in filters have this problem (being fixed half-and-half).
5. What's a good REASONABLY priced brand? I know you get what you pay for, but I'm not looking for $100+ filters here.
Unfortunately, the cheaper filters often have colour casts. Cokin is about as cheap as you probably want to go.
It's different tools for different jobs.
hope this helps
|