 Charley Andrisano |
Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filters Hi, I do a lot of outdoor landscape shooting. What situations are necessary when you want to use a 2-stop or 3-stop graduated neutral-density filter? Are they most effective when you want the separation of sky and land? And what would you recommend - the 2-stop, or the 3-stop? Thank you for your time and patience.
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Michael H. Cothran |
Charley, Graduated neutral density filters are most advantageous when a part of the scene (usually upper or lower portion) is considerably brighter or darker than the rest. You are correct in your assessment of sky and land. It is impossible to say for certain which strength to use, as it should be determined by metering the contrast of each scene. However, 3 stops is extreme, in my opinion, and would probably be used the least. I'd recommend a 2-stop if you could only afford one, and a 1-stop & 2-stop if you can afford two. BTW - to compound matters, you also have to decide between a hard edge and feathered edge graduated filter. If I had to choose between hard or feathered, I'd choose the feathered first. In a nutshell, the more of these you own, the more circumstances you can cover. It can be quite a financial investment in owning several graduates.
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George Anderson |
Depends on where you live and the type of light you encounter. Most people find 2-stop is most useful. One stop hardly makes much difference at all. You might need 3-stop in hard contrasty light such as found in the southwest deserts. Be advised that hard vs. soft edges varies greatly between brands. Some brands' "hard" edge might really be a "soft" when matched with a competitor.
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