Neutral Density Filter

I am looking to buy a Neutral Density Filter and I am wondering which brand to buy to get the best bang for your buck? Is it Hoya (as usual)? Also which filter strength is the most common to use (especially for landscape shots) 2x, 4x or 8x?

Any of the major brands will be just fine. 4x and 8x are probably most useful. For ND filters though I actually use the Cokin system as opposed to screw on filters. It just makes it easy to use grad filters as well.

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Originally Posted by Canuck935

Any of the major brands will be just fine. 4x and 8x are probably most useful. For ND filters though I actually use the Cokin system as opposed to screw on filters. It just makes it easy to use grad filters as well.

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How does the cokin system work? What does this mean "It just makes it easy to use grad filters as well."?

The Cokin system adapts a filter holder to the lens. The filter holder uses square or rectangular shaped filters which you slide into the filter holder. Because you can slide the filters around in the holder it is easier to position them how you want, which is the case with grad or split nd filters.

I have screw in polarizers but find the cokin system best for neutral density, too.
That way one filter fits all your lenses, though you will have to get the adaptor for each lens and the holder.

Are you looking for a solid ND filter, or a split or graduated ND filter? If you're looking for a split or graduated, I would look at the Cokin system. If you're looking for a solid filter, I would consider the the Singh-Ray Vari ND filter. A little pricey, but it offers 2-8 stops of density in a single filter.

The Cokin system seems like it would be a hastle and the Singh-ray is a little out of my price range. What other brands give you good quality at a reasonable price?

Are you looking at a solid ND filter, or a split/graduated? They are 2 different filter and are used for different purposes.

A good thing to have in the camera bag, that's for certain. I'm not much a Cokin fan though. Great filters, don't get me wrong, but expensive. And the thing of placing a square piece of glass in a slide is rather tedious considering you have to add the slide adapter and then slide the lens in, meanwhile, it has no ring around them, so they become very easy to grease up with your fingers. Still, great filters if you want to commit to a system.

But sticking with the major brands will insure quality glass and less defraction.

I'll be honest, I do have the cokin system, but I don't use it much. I use the filters more than I use the filter holder. I will hold my graduated ND filter in front of the lens and shoot that way if I feel the need to use the filter. If I'm in a situation where I need to use a graduated ND filter, I much prefer to shoot on a tripod, bracket my shot, and merge the exposures in post. I have much more control, and I get more natural results.

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Originally Posted by mjs1973

Are you looking at a solid ND filter, or a split/graduated? They are 2 different filter and are used for different purposes.

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What is the difference between the two?

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Originally Posted by bearski

What is the difference between the two?

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Never mind I looked it up on wikipedia. Which of the two are more useful?

Depends on what you want to do with it. They are both useful, but for different things.

A solid ND filter is going to affect the entire image the same. Basically it's going darken the entire image in your viewfinder, and give you a slower shutter speed. this could be great for getting that silky look to a waterfall on a bright day.

A split or graduated ND filter is only going to affect the the area of the image where you place the transition. If you get the screw on circular type graduated filter, the transition is always going to be in the center of your photo. For this reason, I think the hassle of the square filters is worth it. With the square filters, you can put the transition anywhere you want. Split ND filters are used to darken an area of an image in order to keep detail when the contrast in the scene is too great for the sensor of film to capture. A common use is to darken a sky to keep it from blowing out while exposing for the foreground.

Both filters have their uses depending on what you want to do with them. For me, I would rather have a solid ND filter to get those slow shutterspeeds when I want them. I can duplicate a split ND filter in Photoshop with much better control than I can get with the filter in the field.

What do you want an ND filter for?

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Originally Posted by mjs1973

Depends on what you want to do with it. They are both useful, but for different things.

A solid ND filter is going to affect the entire image the same. Basically it's going darken the entire image in your viewfinder, and give you a slower shutter speed. this could be great for getting that silky look to a waterfall on a bright day.

A split or graduated ND filter is only going to affect the the area of the image where you place the transition. If you get the screw on circular type graduated filter, the transition is always going to be in the center of your photo. For this reason, I think the hassle of the square filters is worth it. With the square filters, you can put the transition anywhere you want. Split ND filters are used to darken an area of an image in order to keep detail when the contrast in the scene is too great for the sensor of film to capture. A common use is to darken a sky to keep it from blowing out while exposing for the foreground.

Both filters have their uses depending on what you want to do with them. For me, I would rather have a solid ND filter to get those slow shutterspeeds when I want them. I can duplicate a split ND filter in Photoshop with much better control than I can get with the filter in the field.

What do you want an ND filter for?

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Thanks for the help! I would probably be looking to do more of silky pictures of waterfalls so thus I would want a solid ND filter. What strength would i want 2x, 4x, 8x for that purpose? I have a canon xt with a 18-55mm canon lense and a 55-200mm canon lense.

Do you have a circular polarizer? If not, I would get one of those, before I got an ND filter. A polarizer will cut your exposure by 2 stops of light and give you a slower shutter speed. Plus you can use it to cut reflections and darken skies.

Here is a chart to help you determine what an ND filter will do.

http://gallery.photographyreview.com...&ppuser=237118

I use the Cokin system all of the time. For landscape photography you really need it. IMO. That and a good polarizer. If you want a screw on ND, I use to use a Heliopan before I went to the Cokin system and got good results from that type. If you get the Cokin I use the 2 stop grad more than anything else. The Cokin system will save you big bucks in the long run because you can change from lens to lens and all that is needed is a different size adaptor. If you buy a new lens you won't have to buy a different size filter to fit it. Just the adaptor.

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Originally Posted by bearski

I am looking to buy a Neutral Density Filter and I am wondering which brand to buy to get the best bang for your buck? Is it Hoya (as usual)? Also which filter strength is the most common to use (especially for landscape shots) 2x, 4x or 8x?

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What is a neutral density filter? I have a Canon Pro1 and it has a button which puts ND in the LCD screen. I assume that means Neutral Density.
I can't tell what it does.