graduated ND filters with 4x5

[brian steinberger]

Last night I was shooting a scene where I wanted to use my newly aquired singh-ray 2-stop ND grad. I've used it on my Nikon F4 with luck previously. I know that to view the graduation you should stop down your lens to see it better. Well last night I was using it at sunset with a 90/8 lens and I couldn't see the line to place it on the horizon. I stopped down but it got very dark and it was still tough to see where I was placing it. Anyone have any suggestions on success with neutral density grads?

[Scott Rosenberg]

try putting a post-it note over the line of gradiation.

[Eric Leppanen]

I second the post-it note technique. Another possibility is to improve the light-tightness of your darkcloth. If you are using a horseblanket-type darkcloth then you might get improved results using a darkcloth which uses an elastic band to fit snugly onto the rear standard. Examples of such darkcloths are the BTZS and BlackJacket.

[james mickelson]

Trying to see anything on the GG when using a 90/8 is problamatic at best. I don't use a grad, I just do what I saw Sexton do once and it works fairly well most of the time. Of course this is with black and white emulsions. He used his dark slide and just used it to block out the light he wanted to modify. He lengthened the exposure and then just waved the dark slide in front of the lens. I saw the neg and it seemed to work well. If you want to use a grad, then you will need to get a good dark cloth. And you want to adjust it with the lens wide open. Stopping down the lens darkens the image on the GG so that makes it harder to see anyway.

[Ian Swarbrick]

I had the same problem and actually gave up trying to do it. Instead I photographed a white wall with a Lee 9 hard filter on the Lee holder. I now know that for a correct division of clear and dark in the middle of the photo, the top edge of the filter has to be about 2mm above the level of the metal release knob on the holder for a 67mm thread lens, and 2mm below the level of the metal knob for a 77mm thread lens. Other positions are varied around this position. It works for me.

[Graeme Hird]

I'll add another vote for the Post-it note method.

[Scott Rosenberg]

if you don't want to use a post it note and have one of the slip in lens caps for your holder, you use that to clearly show the line.