Help buying ND grads

[MrScott]

Hi all,

I've just got myself a cokin P filter holder, so I'm now after a couple of filters to go in it. I'm getting an ND8, I've already decided that, but I need some help with getting an ND grad. My 2 questions are:

1) What density would be best to go for? I know it will depend on the shot, I'll mainly be using it for sunsets / rises but probably some daytime landscape stuff too. I was thinking ND4 grad, from what I've read that should leave the sky a little bit brighter than the foreground in most sun rise/set kinda shots (I don't know if I'm generalising too much there). Anyway.

2) I've also read that none of Cokin's grad filters are actually proper ND, just graduated grey which might have a slight colour tinge. I'm wondering would it be noticable in the colour of the image if I were to get something like a Cokin P121M instead of a proper ND, and also if anyone could recommend any filters which are true ND grads.

Also if anyone has any shots taken with ND grads and could tell me the filters they used I'd very much like to see them. As you can see I'm quite new to this stuff, feel free to point out anything I might not know about.

 

[Sysagent]

Whatever you do do not buy Cokin ones as they are not very good and tend to leave a browny reddish cast to your shots...

HiTech are very highly rated and the do a 85 series that will fit into a Coin P holder, I bought some the other day to replace my Cokin NDGrads and I must say they are indeed very well constructed and have no visible cast on the shot.

(rumour has it that the Hitech filters are manufactured in the same factory as the Lee ones)

If you are going to buy NDGrads get them in 0.3, 0.6 & 0.9 densitys with a soft graduation.

This was taken with a NDGrad and if you look on my Photoblog there are some more shots with them used, they really are vital in Landscape photography.

 

[MrScott]

Hmm ok thanks, I'll probably go for HiTech's ND Grad Kit (0.3, 0.6 and 0.9) and a standard HiTech ND .9 while I'm here.