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  #41  
Old 16-03-2012, 03:41 PM
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Octane (Humayun)
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lol, you guys.

Darcy, I have a very, very sturdy tripod with a big head (shush, Troy!).

It really doesn't take all that much of a push back against the lens.And, in actuality, what I'm doing is sitting the filter flush upagainst the lens just prior to taking the exposure. One of my filtershas curved slightly from sitting in my bag pushed upa gainst otherequpiment, and, even then, I still don't rock the camera when exposing.

You just have to be gentle. If you have a solid tripod with a solidhead, dithering the filter across the front of the lens will/should belike brushing a tissue past the lens. It shouldn't move at all.

Give it a go!

H
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  #42  
Old 17-03-2012, 11:49 AM
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Another thing worth a look is doing similar in software.

Topaz Labs - lens effects has a free trial. One of presets is ND filters.

Its not the same as filtering the data as it goes into the camera but you can emulate these effects.

Its worth a look. Its certainly cheaper at US$79.99 (about AUD$75).

Greg.
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  #43  
Old 17-03-2012, 11:53 AM
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Or, you could just use the gradient tool in Photoshop with a little customising, for free!

Getting it right in-camera first time is way different to fixing stuff in post.

Once you get your shiny new camera, you'll see.

H
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  #44  
Old 17-03-2012, 03:10 PM
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Yeah I figured that. Same with astrophotography. Shadows/highlights tool can recover some blown highlights but its really quite limited otherwise we'd all be doing 10 minute M42 exposures with core details.

Greg.
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  #45  
Old 20-03-2012, 12:38 PM
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iceman (Mike)
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Is it worth getting the "ProGlass ND" filters from Lee, or the standard ND's (resin)?

The graduated ND's are resin anyway, so I wonder how much difference the ProGlass would make anyway..

MediaVision have stock. I'll be getting some from them shortly.

I can't afford to get a circular polariser yet.. that'll have to wait a little longer.

I'll probably just start easy and get the:
- 77mm Wide Angle Adaptor Ring
- Digital SLR Starter Kit (contains the filter holder, 0.6 hard grad, 0.6 ND)
for now.

I can add 0.9's and CP's on later.
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  #46  
Old 20-03-2012, 03:54 PM
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Octane (Humayun)
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I use resin filters. It's plenty good.

H
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  #47  
Old 20-03-2012, 04:00 PM
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The CP is $429! Ouch!
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  #48  
Old 20-03-2012, 04:28 PM
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Octane (Humayun)
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You get what you pay for.

Go the Hoya Pro1D one. It's plenty good.

H
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  #49  
Old 21-03-2012, 05:53 AM
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Ok so I'm getting:

- 77mm wide angle adapter ring
- Foundation Kit
- 0.9 soft graduated ND
- 0.9 standard ND resin
- cleaning kit
- 10 filter pouch

Next will be:
- 82mm wide angle adapter (for when I can afford to get the 16-35).
- 0.6's of the above (maybe)
- 10 stop ND (maybe)
- Circular Polariser

and of course the 430 ex II external flash, and.. and.. Never ends!

Thanks everyone for your help and advice in this thread. I've learnt a lot!
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  #50  
Old 21-03-2012, 06:24 AM
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Mike, got an idea for you. Wanna borrow my filters to give you an idea of what you like better in terms of hard vs soft, and 2 stops vs 3 etc? I think you'll like the 3 stop hard more than the soft, but best to test? I can do without them for a few weeks.
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  #51  
Old 21-03-2012, 06:52 AM
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That's a lovely offer, thanks Troy.

I'll PM you.
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  #52  
Old 21-03-2012, 06:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Octane View Post
You get what you pay for.

Go the Hoya Pro1D one. It's plenty good.

H
What sort of improvement in performance do you see H? I have 2 circular polarisers and both seem much the same. They weren't that expensive though, more like about $40 or so.

Greg.
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  #53  
Old 21-03-2012, 07:00 AM
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While we're on the subject of filters, do you guys still use UV filters on the front of the lens?

Do you use it for any sort of noticeable effect, or really just to protect the glass?

Again though, how much is quality degraded when you have a $40 piece of glass in front of a $1000 lens.
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  #54  
Old 21-03-2012, 08:04 AM
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Using UV filters on the front of lenses is the biggest con, ever.

You're effectively adding another layer of glass to however many layers of glass are already in the lens. It's another cause for internal reflections. Most of them are cheap pieces of junk to begin with.

Don't worry about getting your lenses dirty. They can be wiped clean. I've had my L-series lenses out at the beach, under thundering waterfalls, deep in forests, and they've managed to survive without a scratch. You just have to be sensible. The lenses were meant to be used. Don't let a cheap filter adversely affect your images. Never used one, never will.

If you're really concerned, just leave a good quality polariser on the front -- at least a polariser makes a visible difference to your images. I don't use them for people photography.

Greg, I can't comment on cheap polarisers as I've never used them. I've always felt that I have good gear, and, it should be treated with good accessories. It does not make sense to me to skimp out on accessories when I've already spent thousands on the rest of the kit.

The Hoya Pro1D is multicoated, to reduce reflections, and has a slight warming effect which I like. It means I don't need to add saturation in post. I let it all be done in camera.

These are just things that work for /me/. Other people's mileage may vary.

H
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  #55  
Old 21-03-2012, 08:04 AM
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I bought UV filters for all of my lenses when I first got DSLRs. Shortly afterwards I did some testing with and without, and much preferred the images without. No I never use UV filters, but always use a hood. Only exception is for macro, and of course you can't use a hood with the GND filter kit on the front of lens.

I'm very careful with the glass, keep it regularly cleaned free of grit and marks. The hood offers protection, better contrast, and protection from flares just out of frame.
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  #56  
Old 21-03-2012, 08:05 AM
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+1 to what Troy said.

H
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  #57  
Old 21-03-2012, 08:14 AM
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+1 to what H said.

T
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  #58  
Old 21-03-2012, 04:08 PM
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+1 to what H and T said

I'm also a strong advocate of using filters for filtering, not for protection. Lens hoods are much better at protecting the front of the lens.

Cheers
Steffen.
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  #59  
Old 10-04-2012, 04:15 AM
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Hi all

An update after my first sunrise shoot after receiving my Lee filters.

1. I took off the UV filter.
2. The lens hood doesn't fit with the filter holder so can't use the 'use the lens hood to protect the lens' line
3. Using filters is harder than I thought!

I did order my own Lee WA adapter ring, fundamentals kit (the holder) and a 0.6 standard ND, and Troy was kind enough to loan me his Lee filters so I could test out the soft grad vs hard grad.

It was a very clear morning yesterday, not a cloud in the sky and I was out at the beach so it was the usual very trying/difficult conditions trying to get the exposure right with a darker foreground and sky that gets light very quickly around a 'dome' where the sun is going to rise.

I tried the combination of 0.6 SND and 0.9 HND, and the HND (and even the 0.9) are much harder to use than the Soft.

When the light can change within minutes, it can be frustrating trying to 'see' where to put the HND on the horizon - too high and it's ruined, too low and it can look weird.

I also sometimes found myself composing the shot to take effect of the HND instead of the other way around. The 0.9 was also quite difficult to get the exposure right at times.

The 0.6 soft was a lot easier, as it wasn't as essential where it was placed. But it also didn't have as big as an effect - and in those pre-dawn conditions sometimes the 0.6 SND wasn't enough.

I tried both of them at once too and seemed to work ok but once I process the photos will probably find the sky is too dark and unnatural looking when the Sun was just over the horizon.

So, conclusions:
1. SND is easier, but may not have enough of the desired effect at times
2. 0.9 is harder than 0.6
3. I can see why 'hand holding' and 'dithering' may be useful - would allow you to concentrate on composing the shot and not get distracted by where the HND is sitting.
4. More practise is needed!!

Suggestions or comments?
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  #60  
Old 12-04-2012, 10:57 AM
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I made a variable filter by simply fitting 2 polarisers on top of each other. Rotate one and they vary to almost black (mine goes a dark blue at the extreme end).

I have only done this once on a daytime shot of a fast moving stream to create motion blur.

The image looked fine on the viewfinder. I'll process it and see how it turned out.

I also ordered a cheapie variable nd filter. Not sure if vignetting is an issue with full frame. I am using a 40D for now.

Greg.
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