Lee filters

• naja

  Participant

  May 18, 2011 at 10:24 am

  hi guys i would love to hear ideas on lee filters what would be a must have filter for the modern day photographer to have as i am looking to buy some but not sure what 2 get as they are so expensive i want 2 get it right any help would be gr8 thx :shock:
  phillip

  Member

  May 19, 2011 at 2:36 pm

  personally i dont see the need for nd grad filters anymore in the digital age , i only use nd filters, i either screw in or just hold in front of lens for long exposures . i bracket my shots and blend them later in photoshop or other editing programs. save you money and try out bracketing first, if that is not to your liking i would go for ND8 grad, one with soft edge and hard edge.

  phillip
  naja

  Participant

  May 19, 2011 at 3:01 pm

  thanks for that phillip i will try the bracketing god i did not think they where so expencive conns want €400 to get me started so i will have to get this bracketing down thx
  phillip

  Member

  May 19, 2011 at 3:59 pm

  lee are the pro’s choice, but you can get cheaper on the web from the uk, Ireland is still over charging and ripping us off!!!
  some cheap filters on ebay, but i would avoid these as they will reduce the quality of the image
  pelagic

  Member

  May 20, 2011 at 9:53 am

  It really depends on what image you are trying to create. At a recent meeting of our local club a member’s excellent slideshow and discussion brought this out very clearly.

  Here’s my take on lens filters vs. exposure blending: But first let’s put aside the “in camera” or “on computer” debate. Neither is better. It’s all about how you want to work and the end result that pleases you. If one of those philosophies guides your photography you already have made a choice. (But it doesn’t seem so.)

  Choice A: On lens filtering
  * High quality, non-color altering filters are expensive
  * Steep learning curve, but quick once learned
  * Satisfaction of having high field craft
  * Quite predictable results
  * View the final image while still on site
  * Longer exposures capture cloud movement and smooth water (what’s your preference)
  * Easy to achieve natural looking images
  * Very mature technology
  * Mostly requires a tripod, you have to carry and setup holders and filters
  * Capture and store a single image
  * Traditional approach

  Choice B: Post processing
  * Most of us own some photo editing software and HDR, blending, etc
  * Software is less expensive than good filters
  * Easy to learn if your software creates the look you wish and hard to learn if it doesn’t
  * Satisfaction in constructing an image of your choosing
  * Often unpredictable if you are after an “unprocessed” look
  * Requires, depending on your skill, more or less processing time
  * Hard to smooth water or record movement
  * Current software is having trouble repeatedly producing natural looking results
  * Great for creating special effects
  * Newish technology which will mature
  * Mostly requires a tripod but no other field gear
  * Capture and store multiple images
  * New emerging technology

  Putting aside the philosophical issues grads and multiple exposure blending are different experiences for the photographer and only occasionally create the same result.

  You pays your money and makes your choice. Maybe you do both.

  Personally I’m learning both. Trialing software has been very time consuming, but I’m retired and that’s no problem for me. I purchased a screw on nd grad and can’t adequately position the transition. But it was an inexpensive way to understand how grads work. I’ll be buying Lees when I can.

  BTW – Can someone suggest how to get an nd grad to record moving clouds without fuzzy water? :D
  The Fine Print

  Member

  May 21, 2011 at 8:31 am

  re: Pelagic Ted’s question: “BTW – Can someone suggest how to get an nd grad to record moving clouds without fuzzy water? :D”
  If you use film I would just use your normal ND grad for the clouds and a dark-slide (e.g. piece of cardboard) on the area that has the water. I.e. double exposure in-camera if you have film. digital: Take a second pic for the water and post-process. Another cool effect is to work at dusk/dawn and using diffuse flash on the water during a long time cloud exposure, bearing in mind that you only have foreground reach commensurate with your guide number and that your flash ideally needs to be (very) elevated.

  PS: Lee does make more than just grads…. I’m always on the lookout to find a good affordable range of rectangular ND, grad and/or color 4″ GLASS filters (heck, even 84mm ones at a pinch) as I often work in dusty and salty environments and am over the “optical resin” tendency to scratch so easily…..