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09-16-2014, 05:37 AM   #1
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Graduated ND Advice

I need to pick one up for an upcoming vacation and have a couple questions.

1. How dark do I really need?

2. How strong or gradual should the gradation be? Does this have anything to do with amount of sky in shot (see 4)

3. Do you prefer the round/threaded style or the rectangular Cokin plate type?

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?

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.

Thanks for your thoughts.

09-16-2014, 06:55 AM   #2
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Prefer square, I use Cokin P size, they work on my P645 set up, even with the 35mm lens (77mm filter thread) & (equiv 21mm in 35mm). Have both 2 stop or 3 stop, both in feathered and hard graduation, I tend to reach for the feathered more often and 3 stop more often. If you go w/ Cokin, the holders rotate to match orientation.
09-18-2014, 01:12 AM   #3
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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
09-18-2014, 11:10 AM   #4
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After some research I decided to order a set of Formatt Hitech filters on Amazon. There's three full ND filters, and three graduated. They'll also fit my Cokin A series mount. Supposed to arrive tomorrow I'll get some time with them before my trip.

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