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landscape filters
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I would appreciate any advice, in relation to filters for landscape photography, ie. what type of filter would be the most popular to start with. I would be using Canon 24 -70mm and a Sigma 17-35mm lens on a 5D.
regardsHi Fordem.
I don’t do landscapes, but from what I see, a polarising filter & ND (neutral density) seem to be the most popular ones. The filter sizes would depend on your lenses.Thanks for that, the two lenses I have are 77mm dia, I was wondering if the screw in type or if a filter holder would be a better option ?, I’m not really up to speed on filters..
Hi, screw-in types would be alright for polorising filters but not for ND filters….in fact it is Neutral Density Graduated filters
that you would be talking about…the top half of them are shaded and the bottom half clear…the shaded part comes in
different strengths…ie 1 stop, 2 stop, 3 stop or .3, .6. 9 ND Grads as they are called….you can combine a few of them
if the contrast is really too much in a scene..that is if the sky is 3 or 4 stop brighter than the foreground. The cameras meter
when you point it at a scene with a lot of sky in it will nearly always expose for the brightest part of the scene and underexpose
the foreground…this is where you ND Grad comes in…you take a reading say for the foreground which might be 1/60th sec at
f.11 and then take a reading from the sky which typically on a cloudy bright day might be 1/500th sec or more at f11… in this situation
to get the foreground exposed properly you would need to put the camera in manual and set it for your foreground reading..that is
1/60th at f11 and then put a 3 stop or .9 ND Grad on your lens….this will bring down the exposure of the sky by about 3 stops so
you will have a fairly well exposed sky and a well exposed foreground…any other adjustments can be done in software later.
You of course can combine two or more ND Grads to suit an even brighter scene but you can judge this when you look at your first shot.
Cokin have a good filter holder system but if you want the best and photos without any colour casts you should think about the Lee Filter
Holder system…they are costly but if looked after will last a lifetime.Hope this helps.
Noel Browne.
Thanks for the excellent advice Noel, plenty to work with there, throws a bit more light on the subject ….
I have a Cokin filter holding system and 3 ND grads with it. Works well. I don’t do enough landscape to fork out for Lee just yet! Brownie’s advice is spot on, so you could get yourself a 77mm sized Polarizer and maybe think of some ND grads. You can get Cokin kits, which are good to start off with.
I’d also advise in investing in UV filters for all your different dia lens. If for anything, to stop your lens getting scratched. a €35 filter costs a lot less than a new lens! :D
As your lenses are both 77mm diameter, your cheapest option is to buy a Circular Polariser from Ebay shops. I paid £5 for mine, though they’re available at prices up to £100+, and my £5 cheapo works OK. You don’t need any others, as Graduated filters can be dispensed with by the simple expedient of bracketing your exposures and combining them in HDR processing software such as Photomatix. Of course if you want to experiment with filtration, go ahead and do so! I have the Cokin P series with a couple of Graduated filters, which stay in my camera bag just in case the urge strikes me to use them! I’ve heard stories of vignetting being a problem with P series filters used on 77mm dia lenses, so the Z series might be better in your case. Which costs more. 10 stop filters are popular for blurring water in daytime photography, and for showing blur in wind turbine blades. They are expensive and I believe there is a lengthy waiting list for them. Welding mask glass is often mentioned as an alternative, but it’s no good for colour, giving a heavy colour cast. Not too bad for mono work though. Something I’m thinking of trying is buying another Circular Polariser (lash out another fiver!) and using two together. Theoretically it’s possible to rotate one in front of the other to the point of complete light exclusion. A bit of trial and error should establish exposure time. If you think I’m a cheapskate, you would be right! I’m out of work (medically retired) and can’t throw money at my hobby like I used to! Hope this helps, Alex.
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