I won't bore you with the list, but I carry a large number of Lee GND's. The quality is superb, and they're well worth the money. A set of three standard GND's in the U.K. is around £110.
Prior to switching to Lee, I used Hitech for my LF work, and I've kept hold of them to use with my DSLR. They're great value for money, but the range isn't as extensive as Lee, and they're a little thinner and less robust. HTH.
Last edited by SteveL; 5-Jul-2006 at 13:30.
Seems like it makes sense to get some soft edges from Hitech then. Lee's may be good, but for $79.95? That is glass price. I still think Hitech is overpriced, but doesn't seem there are better choice. I have couple Cokins, didn't check if the ND is neutral or not, but I will do a little test and will post the result after I am done.
Is the hard edges (Lee's or Hitech) too hard for landscape for you guys' taste?
Hard-edge NDs are nice for ocean or prairie shots, where the horizon line is actually flat. For most other landscapes, though, even grads can be problematic sometimes.
ND grads can be problematic, as Ralph indicates. Using them takes practice, it's not as easy as you think at first. I use the Lee system, with some Galen Singh Ray's, too. I like the Lee holder. Resin is better than glass. That's why mine are not broken !
I use the Cokin P holder but Singh-Ray filters. I have been generally pleased with this set up. The Cokin P holder is very inexpensive and works pretty good. It is 84mm wide, so if you have alot of lenses with 77mm fronts, you might want the wider Lee system. With smaller lens fronts you are probably fine.
I generally do not like the High-Tech filters in the P holder because the High Tech filters are 85mm wide and that extra 1mm cause them to be dificult to slide in sometimes (and can lead to dropping a filter or getting a fingerprint on it). But otherwise the HT filters are good.
FWIW-I like the P holder but the only actual Cokin filters I use are a red and yellow for the rare day I do B+W. All my grads are Singh-Ray.
I'm happy to use a hard edge with wider lenses, say up to 120mm. Above this I'm more likely to use the softer transition grads, but I will use these on the wider lenses in some circumstances. It's all down to a little experience and judgement.Originally Posted by 400d
I have been switching from the Lee filter system size to the Cokin P size. As has been pointed out the Cokin Grad ND filters are not very neutral.
I have and have used the Hitech filters, they are high quality and have a softer gradation than say the Singh Ray ND Grads. However, they are 85mm and 1 1/2mm thick. The holder is designed to accept 84mm 2mm thick filters. It will accept the Hitech, but with a little difficulty.
I have been switching to the Lee and Singh Ray P size filters (both 84mm and 2mm thick). Both are very nice and fit the Cokin P holder very well. The Singh Ray filters are even more expensive than the Lee. Having spoken with one of the reps at Lee Filters, they have also informed me that they will special order any of their larger filters in the Cokin P size.
Rich
I use Singh Rays. For the most part soft edge ones are best. You can turn them upside down to get a reverse ND. You won't see the edge as they are too close to the lens. Hard edge ones make the whole sky dark and usually you only need the effect at the horizon where the sun is.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks