Good GND filter to go with new Lee system

[neuroanatomist]

FYI, Lee also make glass filters for their system; I believe that they are made to order.

But those are solid NDs, not graduated.  AFAIK, Schneider (and now their subsidiary, B+W) are the only ones the make grad NDs in glass.

Is 3 stop really necessary NA? I live in a perennially sunny part of California where a ND is required for landscape shots, I'm getting good results with a 1 & 2.

It's not really about how much knockdown you need overall, but rather the exposure difference between sky and ground.  Most of the time, that's in the 2-3 stop range (often higher).  I can see combining a grad ND with the Big Stopper, for example, to achieve a long exposure but also allow more of the scene DR to be captured.

[jrh]

I have a Singh-Ray 3 stop soft grad and a 2 stop hard grad and find this to be a very versatile combination.

[Elias Silva]

According to this site, there are 0.9 and even 1.2 gradual ND glass filters from Schneider. They seem to be 4mm thick and two of them can be mounted on a Lee holder.

http://www.2filter.com/schneider/SCHNEIDER44filterholder.html

I don't know how much this information can be trusted, but I figure it is worth mentioning.

BTW, I've been following this forum for quite some time now and it is amazing how much knowledge can be found here ...

Greetings from Brazil!

-- Elias.

[neuroanatomist]

According to this site, there are 0.9 and even 1.2 gradual ND glass filters from Schneider. They seem to be 4mm thick and two of them can be mounted on a Lee holder.

http://www.2filter.com/schneider/SCHNEIDER44filterholder.html

I don't know how much this information can be trusted, but I figure it is worth mentioning.

Yes, Schneider Optics has an excellent selection of glass grad NDs.  If you look at their MPTV line (motion picture television) they've got even more. 

Just to clarify, though - the 'Lee holder' mentioned on the 2filter page is not the holder the OP has.  Lee collaborated with Schneider to make a filter for their glass plates that holds two 4mm filters.  The Lee Foundation Kit is different, designed to hold three 2mm filters.

[96Brigadier]

Personally I wouldn't waste your time with a 1-stop GND filter.

I have the Lee 2-stop and 3-stop in both hard and soft edge.  My most used for landscapes are the 3-stop, which is why when I decided to get a reverse GND filter I bought the 3-stop (in that specific case Singh-Ray).

The Lee resin filters are good and at ~$100 each a lot cheaper than the glass ones.

If I were only buying one GND filter it would definitely be the 3-stop.  Hard or soft edge depends on whether the bulk of your shots have an object in the foreground extending into the sky or not (like trees).

[wayno]

Agree in the 3 stop. I use my Cokin Z pro size 3 stop almost always vs my 2 or 1. The Australian light puts paid to that also.

[FunPhotons]

Personally I wouldn't waste your time with a 1-stop GND filter.

I have the Lee 2-stop and 3-stop in both hard and soft edge.  My most used for landscapes are the 3-stop, which is why when I decided to get a reverse GND filter I bought the 3-stop (in that specific case Singh-Ray).

The Lee resin filters are good and at ~$100 each a lot cheaper than the glass ones.

If I were only buying one GND filter it would definitely be the 3-stop.  Hard or soft edge depends on whether the bulk of your shots have an object in the foreground extending into the sky or not (like trees).

So when would you use a hard and when a soft exactly?

[neuroanatomist]

So when would you use a hard and when a soft exactly?

Hard is for when you have an even, unbroken horizon line (the ocean, for example).  Soft is for when the horizon is uneven (mountains, trees, buildings, etc.).  Personally, I suspect I'll have more use for the soft grads than the hard grads. 

[FunPhotons]

NA, any suggestions for a soft 3 stop then? I like the idea of Glass of course, resin is find too I guess.

[scrappydog]

NA, any suggestions for a soft 3 stop then? I like the idea of Glass of course, resin is find too I guess.

Glass can break, resin can scratch.  It's a toss up, but I prefer resin.

If you shoot a lot of sunrises and sunsets, you may want to consider a reverse ND grad, which is a hard edge that is darkest in the center of the grad and lightens as it goes up.  I would definitely consider it a secondary filter, not a primary filter, unless you intend to only shoot sunrises or sunsets on a horizon line.

[neuroanatomist]

NA, any suggestions for a soft 3 stop then? I like the idea of Glass of course, resin is find too I guess.

Personally, I plan to get a 4" CPL and 3-stop grad hard and soft from Lee, and a 3-stop reverse grad from Singh-Ray.

[bigmag13]

try www.2filter.com they say as a byline that they only sell quality products and wont carry stuff that doesnt cut the mustard. service desk is great too! I got a set of lee grads W/holder and a 9 stop for under three. they seem to work well for my water blur and landscapes but i'm not very experienced in that style of shooting.

[FunPhotons]

NA, any suggestions for a soft 3 stop then? I like the idea of Glass of course, resin is find too I guess.

Personally, I plan to get a 4" CPL and 3-stop grad hard and soft from Lee, and a 3-stop reverse grad from Singh-Ray.

That sounds good, except I don't need the CPL I think. These guys?

3 stop Lee hard edge
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/745895-REG/LEE_Filters_SW150_9NDG_S_150_x_170mm_0_9.html

3 stop Lee soft edge
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/745895-REG/LEE_Filters_SW150_9NDG_S_150_x_170mm_0_9.html

3 stop S-R reverse grad
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/615228-REG/Singh_Ray_R_63_Daryl_Benson_4x6_Reverse.html

[neuroanatomist]

The 4x6" Lee (100x150mm), the 150x170mm are too big for the holder. That's the right S-R, though.

[scrappydog]

I recommend the 4" x 6" (or 100mm x 150mm) sized ND grads.  You can hand-hold them, even with gloves, and use them in either the Lee or Cokin Z-Pro holders.

Below are links to the filters I have:

3-stop hard (4x6):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/87388-REG/LEE_Filters_9NDGH_4x6_Graduated_Neutral_Density.html

2-stop soft (4x6):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/87380-REG/LEE_Filters_6NDG_S_4x6_Graduated_Neutral_Density.html

Here's a link to the Formatt 3-stop reverse ND grad (4x6):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/811292-REG/Hitech_HT150NDRG0_9_4_x_6_Reverse.html