# Filters



## B2ONGO (May 5, 2011)

I've had my camera for about 6 months now and find that I'm taking more landscape shots whilst out and about with the dog and kids. 

One of the biggest problems I have is getting an exposure right for both the sky and foreground. I've tried exposure blending in PS etc but to be honest I'd rather try to get the best shot I can in camera. 

I've been looking at ND grad filters and wondered if anyone could give some advice / feedback on any of the brands out there. From my reading I've kind of narrowed down to three brands and my understanding of popular opinion on each is as follows; 

Cokin - Cheap, decent quality but lots of colour cast. 

Lee - Mega expensive, great quality. 

HiTech - Somewhere between the above? 

I dont want to be spending big money on Lee filters if there isnt much difference. I know you usually get what you pay for but are the cokin ones really that bad? I'm swaying towards the Hitech ones but struggling to find much opinion on them in forums etc. 

What say the more experienced guys? Worth paying more? If I get the cokin ones will I regret it? Are Hitech decent enough for a relative beginner like me? 

Thanks in advance


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

I have hi-tech hard nd grads.

At the time I purchased them they were half the price of the lee equivalents. Now the 1,2,3 stop kit is only £50 less than the Lee. When I get my soft grads ill get lee filters.


I bought the lee holders and adapters originally so that if I decided to upgrade then I knew it would all fit.

Pm gizto as I'm sure Phil has used hi-tech and lee. 

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2


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## B2ONGO (May 5, 2011)

Cheers Ed. 

I've spent the past hour scouring websites etc for prices and you're right. The Lee foundation kit with 3 soft grads and an adapter is only £50 more expensive than the HiTech. I think I just go with those and hide the receipt from the Mrs lol. 

I made the mistake of buying some cheap stuff on ebay when I first bough the camera (tripod, screw in filters etc) and quickly discovered they were cheap for a reason!!

Nearly every site I've read recommends the Lee kit. :thumb:


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Michael I use the cokin p system. Haven't yet come across this colour cast you talk about though!


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## Andy_Wigan (Jan 4, 2008)

I use Hitech Hard Grad ND's too and find them great. Im still unsure wether to go for Hitech or Lee soft grads though.


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## B2ONGO (May 5, 2011)

Thanks Brazo.

I suppose that was the reason behind my post. I read some stuff on talk photography and wasn't sure if it was just snobbish disregard for cheaper products. 

I know I'll get honest feedback on here :thumb:

I'm quite close to ffordes so I think I'll pop round for a chat with them, thet are usually very helpful and don't mind getting stuff out for you to have a look / try.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

My Hitech 10 Stopper has a truly awful cast. Cokin Ps scratch really easily but are relatively cheap (and almost unbreakable). They're also available, so you might do well with the Z holder and a couple of Ps to start with to learn handling and limitations. 

- Bret


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## Andy_Wigan (Jan 4, 2008)

Remember too, that if your shooting landscapes (or anything with a wide angle lens) that the filters will have to be wide enough to accomodate this to prevent vignetting.

I could be wrong, but the cokin P system are smaller filters than the Hitech/Lee 100mm ones. It might be worth spending a little bit more to get the Hitech/Lee 100mm filters if you are shooting, or intend to in the future, wide angles.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

yes, you're right; Ps are "only" 82mm. Zs are 100.

- Bret


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

P will do 10mm lens with a wide angle holder, the cost of cokin is so low that I just experiemented. If I was starting again on a better budget I would get the lee system, but so far I am left wondering why it's worth spending more!


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

I started with the /cokin P system and it is a fantastic introduction to using filters without spending lots of money.

I have gradually moved to Lee Filters (literally buying one at a time 2nd hand) and now have a full set except for the Big Stopper as I refuse to spend the silly money they command.

They are a better filter in terms of clarity/colour cast than the Cokin (I always found a slight purple hue to my shots - albeit easily corrected if shooting RAW) but then I'd expect that due to the price.

If I was starting out I think I'd still go for the Cokins and build my knowledge/understanding rather than wading in with a few £100 on the Lee filters.


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

bretti_kivi said:


> My Hitech 10 Stopper has a truly awful cast. Cokin Ps scratch really easily but are relatively cheap (and almost unbreakable). They're also available, so you might do well with the Z holder and a couple of Ps to start with to learn handling and limitations.
> 
> - Bret


My 10 stopper isn't tooo bad - easily corrected in Lightroom.

Phil was telling me that Hitech released a new 10 stop which resolved the colour cast from original 10 stop. Maybe you have an older 10 stop?


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## B2ONGO (May 5, 2011)

So I popped over to FFordes on Friday and as luck would have it someone had just traded in a full set of cokin grad filters for some Lee ones. I managed to get a wide angle holder, some adaptors and 6 filter for under £30 - all in great nick. Figured I'd give these a go before spending big money on anything else.

Ffordes have a great website and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.

These are the first two shots I've managed using the grad filters.


Ardersier Beach - Scottish Highlands by Michael & Ashley, on Flickr


Posts by Michael & Ashley, on Flickr


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

the last one shows - IMO, of course - either some scratches or dirt on the bottom right of the filter... I'd also suggest moving the horizon so it's more > than < ... but this ain't too shabby for a first outing, really it's not 

- Bret


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## B2ONGO (May 5, 2011)

Thanks Bretti, 

I put the marks down to the flare off the lens but will check it out later.


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## buckas (Jun 13, 2008)

nice fella, good job getting the LEEs!

I tried with hitechs for a while but got fed up with nasty colour casts, the old adage buy cheap buy twice 

drew


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Nice shots mate, I suspect you will always get some flare when shooting into the sun with multiple filters stacked up. Have been thinking about grads and the continued increase in dynamic range in cameras and I suspect in 10 years time the DR of cameras will have increased to the point where grads are no longer needed.


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## buckas (Jun 13, 2008)

Brazo said:


> Nice shots mate, I suspect you will always get some flare when shooting into the sun with multiple filters stacked up. Have been thinking about grads and the continued increase in dynamic range in cameras and I suspect in 10 years time the DR of cameras will have increased to the point where grads are no longer needed.


yeh probably right the way things are going, still love the fact though that it's all done in camera and i'm a real purist for that :thumb:

polarisers and ND though can never be technology driven, still good old filters in the field 

drew


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## rob28 (Nov 7, 2008)

I've just taken delivery of some Cokin P series adapter rings, a holder and a circular polariser. The ND4 filter is in the post.

I'm off to waterfall heaven soon (Yosemite Park) so wanted to play about a bit and see what I can come up with - and from what people have said, the Cokin range is a good place to start.

Sods law says it's overcast here so the polariser isn't doing much just now.


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## B2ONGO (May 5, 2011)

rob28 said:


> I've just taken delivery of some Cokin P series adapter rings, a holder and a circular polariser. The ND4 filter is in the post.
> 
> I'm off to waterfall heaven soon (Yosemite Park) so wanted to play about a bit and see what I can come up with - and from what people have said, the Cokin range is a good place to start.
> 
> Sods law says it's overcast here so the polariser isn't doing much just now.


Good stuff. You haven't mentioned what lens you will be using the filters with but if you are shooting wide angle with short focal lenths - anything below say 14mm, you'll need the wide angle holder. I tried both holders with my Sigma 10-20mm and the standard holder showed up quite badly around the sides of the frame - no problems with the wide angle version though.


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## rob28 (Nov 7, 2008)

I've only got 3 lenses. The kit 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm and a Canon 50mm f1.8 prime, so I shouldn't have too many issues with vignetting.
I've been offered a 12-24 to try out while on vacation but probably won't use any filters with this.
So far, I'm blown away with how much difference the circular polariser makes - so much more intensity to the photos..


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

I use the cheapest plastic £3 filter holder off ebay, it works!

For wide angle usage I hacksaw off the last two sections of each holder and am good at 11mm but not 10mm!


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

Brazo said:


> I use the cheapest plastic £3 filter holder off ebay, it works!
> 
> For wide angle usage I hacksaw off the last two sections of each holder and am good at 11mm but not 10mm!


Thats what I did Mark! Worked a treat!


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## buckas (Jun 13, 2008)

rob28 said:


> I've just taken delivery of some Cokin P series adapter rings, a holder and a circular polariser. The ND4 filter is in the post.
> 
> I'm off to waterfall heaven soon (Yosemite Park) so wanted to play about a bit and see what I can come up with - and from what people have said, the Cokin range is a good place to start.
> 
> Sods law says it's overcast here so the polariser isn't doing much just now.


You'll still get great results from removing water reflections with the polariser even if it is overcast, this shot was taken when it was raining and the sky was just white (just remember to shoot tight if the sky isn't up to much)

http://www.drewbuckleyphotography.com/photography/lakedistrict/content/Water_Under_the_Bridge.html

CPL helped in three aspects on this : lose reflections from water and foliage, warm up the overall scene and reduce shutter by two stops due to it acting like a ND

pretty much straight out of camera, gotta love polarisers down at the river on dull days :thumb:


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## rob28 (Nov 7, 2008)

Superb shot there Drew - just the type of results I'd love to get out of my photography.


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

I have been through this whole scenario myself after starting out with the Cokin P holder and the full set of Hitech Soft, Hard & ND 85mm filters. I then bought a Sigma 10-20 and found i needed to upgrade due to vignetting so bought the Lee Foundation Kit with a Lee 3 Stop Soft Grad and a Hitech 2 Stop Hard Grad. I also bought a Kood ND4 2 Stop Filter which is great and only £18 from Premier Ink & Cartridge. I have since bought a 3 Stop Hitech Reverse Grad for Sunsets etc. I find the cast can add a nice touch to some shots. As mentioned the Hitechs have shot up in price probs because Formatt knew Lee were so hard to come by. Im happy with what ive got but will add a 3 Stop hard Lee when i can. I would love the polariser but its so expensive! I also have the newer Pro 10 Stop by Hitech.


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