ND GRAD FILTERS - Why I've sold mine?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- I've sold all my Neutral Density Graduated Filters and in this video I explain my thought process behind this significant decision looking at the pros and cons of using these filters. It is important to make clear this is a very subjective area with no right or wrong approaches. ND grads are widely and successfully used for controling exposures in landscape photography but I'm personally waving goodbye to them as I move to exclusively using bracketing and exposure blending moving forwards. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on graduated ND filters down in the comments as I think this is a really facinating topic within the landscape photography community. As always thanks very much for watching and if you have not yet subscribed please smash that button! Cheers 🙂
#filters #NDgrads #bracketing
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James. Food for thought.......maybe you could do a video on how you exposure blend your images?
Yes James. Please do this.
Yes, James, please do it.
Yes I will be doing this soon - I want to help illustrate just how easy it actually is 👍
@@JamesBrewphoto Yeah I am all for bracketing! But I haven't yet mastered the art of Exposure Blending. Really looking forward to your Exposure Blending videos. Can you please show your workflow how do you exposure blend using Luminosity Masks 3, 5 or even 7 bracketed exposures in high dynamic range scenes?
Excellent presentation ! Honest and respecfull. Love the way you share this topic. Your talent is not only from you pictures but also by the way you talk and present this interesting subject ! Good job my friend !
Totally agree never bought a graduated filter because I actually enjoy blending bracketed exposures 👍
I have a caught a few of your videos now, like your approach and just subscribed. Like the journey you are on!
Great take! You literally saved me space and money with your practical approach on landscape photography. Thank you!
Informative and well balanced vlog James. Thank you.
Totally agree with every word spoken, I had a full set of grads, and rarely did I come across a scene that I could use many of them -
I bracket and post process, you have pretty much spoke my work flow...
Awesome video
Great video, very balanced and carefully thought through and presented. You've certainly helped me make my mind up. I've had a set of 3 Lee Filters ND grads that I have hardly ever used. I had them in the film days when I used them occasionally, but was always disappointed in those shots with "troublesome" horizons like you mention. Armed with a D850, and luminosity masking etc, I agree. There is little justification for owning these, so it's time to sell and save some weight and space in my camera bag!! Thanks for a great video, and I am certainly looking forward to your post-processing content :-)
That's the best video I have seen on the subject matter. I find that I use them less and less as I become more proficient in blending. Like others have said, I enjoy the post process element of my photography.
I have just found your channel...... and subbed. 👍
Very well articulated James - thanks for sharing
Awesome explanation and I love that you are still open-minded regarding using ND gradient filters. Personally, I don't use them and I have the same mindset. However, it always catches my eye when I see others using them.
really great vid, man. I still love my 10 stop for long expos but, anytime i can get away with bracketing, i take full advantage of it! 👍
Hi James. Thanks for this video. I was shooting the other day and came to a very similar realisation. I took a shot with filters and without and preferred the result without filters. Subscribed. 😃
I did it the other way round actually. For years I didn’t go near them and only ever did exposure blending. Then I started buying and using them. Now I do both,
i am a longexposure photographer and always need nd grads on seascapes but you are right , exposure blending is best method for landscapes and many situation.Great video and taking about photography gear.
Thank you - with seascapes I tend to find it depends where the exposure graduation is created, if its at distance close to the horizon, then the movement in the scene is no problem for bracketing. If its closer to the shore line, then yes, ND grads will do a better job.
Thanks for this, mate. I was on the fence about dropping $160 on a 3-stop GND but you’ve now helped me decide on the multiple exposure route. I really enjoy your videos, by the way.
Cheers Colin, glad I saved you some dosh 👍
Not a single dislike?? on this topic? Well done, James. Perfectly delivered.
Agreed. Since modern camera's can even do exposure bracketing in camera, I can get my instant gratification using that and since they save the originals also, I can manually blend them later.
Another great clip i have saved for my second view. Thanks.
You covered that key point about graduated ND filters darkening parts of an upper image that you don't want darkened. These filters really are a holdover from analog photography. Thanks for the vid.
Hey James! I recently got back into photography after about a 6 year hiatus and these past two weeks I've been binge watching your channel. I've found your videos so incredibly helpful in catching me up and sparking my passion again. I have a D3100 and like to shoot landscape and wildlife photography. So finding your channel, shooting Nikon and landscapes, was perfect. Last weekend I picked up a Z7 and 14-30mm f/4. The upgrade is out of this world as you can imagine.
I've been watching your videos non-chronologically, some going back years, so I'm not entirely sure what lenses you're using now. Last I remember was the 14-30 f/4 and a 70-200 f/2.8. Someday, I will get a 70-200 f/2.8, but after reading and watching reviews, as well as looking at samples, I decided to save some money and pick up the 24-200 f/4-6.3. Sure it's slow, but if it's not on your radar, I feel like you might really like this lens. It's small, light, and amazingly sharp through its entire focal range.
Anyways, just wanted to say thank you for your videos and I'm looking forward to your new uploads.
Thanks for your kind words. The 24-200 looks like a beautiful travel lens. What I’m waiting for is the 24-105 and 100-400 lenses. Depending on prices weight and quality, those might be the long end lenses I go for. Will have to wait and see 👍 the z system will serve you well. The Z7 and 14-30 is a dream combo 🙌
I think it makes excellent sense what you are saying, I sold all my heavy gear some years ago, and now shoot exclusively with Olympus OMD MK2/MK3- 4/3rds and although I have a full complement of Lee and Kase filters, I do not use them that much, I use a 0.9 soft and 0.9 hard grad, polariser and 10 stop filters, as you probably know the OMD system enables you to produce processed results better than most full frame cameras, sadly the system is not as good in low light as full frame is, great video and its nice to discuss something different for a change, Regards, Colin.
just a thought :- loved the images you put up, beautiful compositions.
Thanks Colin - I was very impressed with the EM1 from my time with the camera. I think the LiveND feature is superb - if they could expand it to 10 stops then it would be perfect in my opinion. I suspect we'll see most manufactures adopt systems like this in future and I'll be making a similar video about regular ND filters and how I've sold them in due course 👍
Absolutely excellent and well balanced verbal essay
Great video James!! I only ever invested in a .09 graduated ND and a 10 stop ND. I've considered selling them, I rarely use them. If anything id keep the 10 stop for super long exposures. Either way wonderful video, very insightful.
Thanks Geremy - I have kept my regular ND filters (like 10 stop). It is only ND graduated filters that I have sold.
Totally agree with your approach ... The only filters I carry are a CPL and 2 ND’s (4 and 10 stop) ... all screw in ... with a screw cap on either side of the stack and it is tiny .... ND Grads not needed. My landscape gear is getting very minimal, and I like not having all the distractions of gear in the field.
You make valid points. I find I make nice sky edits in post. I almost ordered ND Grad filters yesterday after watching other videos but your reasoning about objects penetrating the horizon such as Mountain peaks and man made structures make a valid point. I find sky enhancement in Luminar works for me (beginner photographer) Thanks for your thoughts
Also agree on bracketing. I prefer to travel light and seldom use my pack opting to take only what I need. I love bracketing sometimes use all sometimes only 1. Good video thanks.
great point, thanks
Sensible decision, I only use 4 magnetic filters now, 3 6 and 10 stop & polariser (quick and easy to swap).
Freewell magnetic filters are great.
Excellent info. Thanks.
Was happy to see you in Photography Online series! :)
Glad you watched it - they have a great channel going there 👍
Thanks so much it has helped me decide, its been a journey I must say
Very valid points!
really good call, i'm at the stage of looking at getting some filters, i predominantly do wildlife and creative studio photography, yes they are certainly expensive, at least a decent lens worth.
thanks for the heads up.
i'm one of those people that does photography for the fun of it so doing as much in camera is something i like, but when it comes to a big cost its defiantly food for thought.
Great video, very much enjoyed it. I have been toying with reducing my load as I carry 10 x glass filters and it’s surprising just how much they weigh.
I too have graduated away from grad filters. Pretty much just CPL and full ND filters. All circular, also slowly adding Xume magnetic adapters from Manfrotto to my filters.
I totally agree, I manually braket and it realy works fine, and now lightroom has the graduated tool that has the lumanosit slider a lot of the time that is all I need, so quick to loose. I am a fairly clumsy person and would be sure to get brakedges. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Cheers...... Peter
Points well made, balanced, and illustrated, James! To pic viewers, final image outcome is top consideration - much less so the route ‘tog took to arrive at final destination. In field “ritual” factor and habit may be keeping some away from in-post methods. Looks like you added hair accent lighting to your set-up; works well. Stay cool.
Yeah I agree Paul - I think some get scared by the post processing but honestly simple exposure blends using a gradient between two aligned photoshop layers takes about 1 minute to do - simplistic method (that I don't use) but it basically achieves exactly what the ND grad does. I hope to do a video soon showing people how to do it. No extra lighting in this...I think its just my hair has got so big its capturing the light like a giant reflector now 😂
Hi James, just seen you on Photography Online channel testing the Olympus with in camera NDs. Great to see you on there. Please give us the heads up when you are on again. 👍 I agree with you on this. But I love my 6 and 10 stops. I only have one grad and that is enough. 👍👍
Hi Chris, I think I will be doing a segment in next months show too. Glad you spotted me there! They have a great channel there I think. I still have my regular ND filters btw - I will probably do another video clarifying exactly what filters I have kept 👍
Great vid James
Thanks Stuart 👍
Ive done the same but i havent sold them just yet but when i switched to fuji i bought the 18-55 kit lens and the 14mm as they both are 58mm and then bought the gobe 58mm kit with a polariser 3,6 and 10 stop screw in filters, and been honest the weight of my bag has been dramatically reduced which was the whole point while i dont think my photos have suffered, well apart from covid keeping us indoors. The grad tool in lightroom is a game changer 👍
Very well balanced and honest vid. I virtually never us ND grads..unlike solid ND filters.
15 years of taking landscape photos i ditched my grad ND when i finally learned how to exposure bracket and use luminosity masking. The only filters a landscape photographer neeed this digital age are the 6-10 stops ND for long exposures and a polarizer.
I am just a hobbyist but I'm right there with you. I can remember when I first started out. I put Lightroom mobile on my phone and edited on it. I would raise the shadows and lower the highlights to get the results I needed. Then I bought filters. The first set was cheap so I had a lot of color cast I had trouble correcting on my phone. Then I built a computer to edit on and got Lightroom and Photoshop. Then I started using the HDR merge with bracketed shots. I've been getting good results without using my grads. Right now I'm currently trying to learn Photoshop and how to blend my exposures. Photoshop is much harder to learn but I think once I do I will be producing my best images. I rarely get my grads out anymore. I had the same issue you had with uneven horizons. I can't use my reverse grad unless I have a straight horizon or if I'm willing to drop the line down lower to the bottom of things like mountains and then try to lighten them back up which isn't easy. HDR is ok but I feel that exposure blending it's better. The only draw back to bracketing is putting more shutter clicks on your camera and keeping your pictures organized when you edit them. But landscape photographers don't take as many shots as a wildlife or sports photographer usually.
Some good points there Carl - Lightrooms HDR Photomerge is actually pretty good and provided the files are edited well, it will produce great results more often than not
Adorei o seu video. Parabéns.
Agree completely and rarely use my ND grad filters. But, I don’t like bracketing either. I still believe in trying to get it in one shot and take pride in it. I prefer shooting a single exposure and using the ND grads in Lightroom, if needed to bring back highlights or shadows.
Yeah I'm totally with you there Steve - always feels good to get it done in one shot. The only danger with always sticking to that approach is the risk of clipping and also creating lots of noise when shadows have to be raised up significantly which is inevitable when trying to protect highlights in a high dynamic range scene
Absolutely agree with your conclusions. I hate them and am always getting them covered in fingerprints. I gave them up when I discovered how good modern sensors are and how versatile some of the newer post-processing software is. I am thinking Luminar 4 here. I still use them when using film cameras of course!
Good point on the finger prints David 👍
I agree about bulk, weight and fragility - although you can manage with one 3-stop medium grad filter given that you would almost always be doing some rebalancing in post anyway. I still feel grads are superior with moving elements like foliage, which can make it impossible to achieve a good clean blend in some circumstances. But like you, I find I can actually get good results with a single unfiltered or unblended exposure most of the time with my Z7. This was the real push for me to ditch my grads. Also, the ease of use and extreme lightness/compactness of newer magnetic systems (Kase circular magnetic filters are brilliant) is very appealing. 1kg or more of ND filters, holders, etc can be replaced with a couple of hundred grams of a circular magnetic system that take up a fraction of the space. And I've yet to break or scratch a circular filter (famous last words)!
Some good points - thanks for watching Simon 👍
Thanks, this is really a good video.
Just saved me a fortune James, not to mention the bulk, as a fellow Z7 shooter I want to reduce my baggage, thanks
"Anyways"? I thought you were a Manxman! ;) Great upload - esp with respect to lazy folk like me who, given today's broad dynamic range RAW sensor output, rely instead on PP - along with bracketing, if needed. Best wishes.
Awesome video james I can honestly say I’ve never done a blend in Lightroom I use nisi Nd grads on my x100f they’re small and work a treat. I do enjoy the process of slipping a grad into the holder and seeing the results. Having said that I might actually give blending a nudge. Ya never know til ya try. Great vid mate lovely images throughout and my bald heads heart bleeds for ya with all that covi hair 😏
Cheers Paul - my next video will be showing some simple methods for exposure blending, so that might be interesting for you :-)
Great no holes barred honest approach James and commendable. Dare I assume it’s only the graduated filters you have parted with and not the little,big stoppers? In your vlog you demonstrated some editing and you were using or appeared to be using a third party pre set software in PS, was it? However you rally do need a haircut mate 😂😂😂great vlog and honest mate and a decent bit of camera kit now in your kit bag....good luck mate🇬🇧✅💯📸❤️🤓👍
Thanks Chris - yes just the ND grads. I still have my regular ND filters. The software I was using is called Raya Pro - its a photoshop plugin for luminosity masking. I will be covering it in my next video. Sorry to say my hair will still be awful in the next upload but the hair clippers will soon be coming out to play 😂
After upgrading from Aps-c to Full frame (i love Canon but worst dynamic range than Nikon) I've bought an Haida set of square filter (1 ND, 1 ND grad and polarizer) and the graduate filter help me with all seascapes (I live in a small island) due to the bright sky in normal or long exposure shots. But you're are in true, bracketing is better, more work in post production, more wasted space on disk, but more control on post production and better results. Using Affinity Photo, after stacking, for avoid alignment problems, I use layer mask to obtain the right exposed image, this let me control every part of the photo. Thanks for share your opinion.
I do agree with you James, the only filter that you cannot really replicate in post processing or different shooting styles, is the polarizer. Even the non-grad filters you can replicate by stacking shots (although with long exposures it might get to the point of a ridiculous amount of shots)
I will do another video soon looking at the filters I have kept - only 3 of them!
6:06 Spot-on. The most salient point in your video.
Good point talking about these ND grads. Atleast the CPL makes a lot of sense.
Absolutely - I still have my polariser and regular ND filters
Hi James, I enjoyed your video as it is of particularly relevance to me after a recent gut wrenching experience. Firstly I'll let you know that I purchased a full set of Lee ND Grad hard and a full set of Lee ND Grad soft - at considerable expense. And I also purchased a Lee field pouch to keep them safe. But...but ...but OMG I recently went on a landscape shoot - My first for a while - obviously. I was experiencing a beautiful sunset photographing Cotton Grass in the Peak District and needed to employ my Lee Grads. I selected the Lee 9ND GH from the Lee field pouch and was shocked to discover the bottom clear half of the filter was stained with dark dye which wouldn't wipe off. I checked another filter and another...They are all ruined by dye staining that can only have come from the sleeves in the pouch. Let met point out that the filters were not and never have been returned to the pouch wet/damp. They are not stored in a damp room. In fact I am fastidious in the care I take of all of my equipment. James can you please warn your viewers if they store their filters in one of these Lee Field pouches to remove them before the same thing happens to them. The dye will not come off even with optical lens cleaner. I have emailed Lee.com and will let you know their response.
Oh wow that sounds awful! I can't believe that official Lee pouches would do that - have you heard back from them yet?
@@JamesBrewphoto Hi James, Yes it is awful and I am gutted. I upgraded to Lee from my Cokin ND filters, or so I'd thought. And yes I have heard back from Lee. And I'm not too happy. I have spent hundreds and hundreds on Lee products. Lee have suggested it's probably the age of the filters and the dye could had migrated. Kind of not doing themselves any favours with that one because my Cokin set are yeas older, have more miles on them and are in great condition. I even spent six months with the Cokin set on a volcanic island in the South Atlantic photographing the endangered Green Sea Turtles coming ashore, digging nests in the sand and laying their eggs - Not the kindest of conditions for photographic equipment. Anyhow I have sent yet more images of the dye stained filters including two lens cloths which my Lee Big Stopper and Pro-glass 9ND filters were wrapped in inside the Lee Field Pouch. The dye from the Field Pouch has stained these cloths too - So it is obviously NOT the age of the filters but the dye used on the field pouch. Except for the dye staining the filters are in 'as new' condition, totally unmarked. I have enjoyed supporting Lee as a British company based in Andover (it feels good, doesn't it?) and I do hope they make this right. But I am now wondering where the Field Pouch is made - any one know. I will let you know how Lee respond.
Thanks James, take care.
@@JamesBrewphoto Hi James, I am returning to this post to let you and your subscribers (who may have read my post) know the outcome of my Filter issues. I am glad to report that LEE Filters have been absolutely fantastic. Customer services' Lisa and Cath were brilliant quickly responding to my emails and keeping me appraised of any progress. On the 3rd Of August I received an email from Cath to let me know that their technicians had inspected my six ND Grads and the Field Pouch and they were sending me Brand New replacements by next day courier service - Fantastic. LEE FILTERS Customer Service and their After Sales Service equal the quality of their products. 👍
The DR is so good in cameras now, that you only have to process your 'best' bracketed shot in a lot of cases.
I only use a polariser - ND combo now for water, if I want to freeze the action and reduce the glare.
I suppose the logic of shooting through expensive lenses with glass filters in front is crazy.
Agree with your analysis James but again to each their own 👍
Yes a good point on reducing filters in front of the lens - cheers Eltin 👍
I watch youtube channels of frototripper, nick page, Thomas Heaton, Brendan Van Son and only nick page does use filters. I do admire their work and appreciate their experience and skill. For me I can not carry big filter bag around as I normally travel carry on luggage only so space is a premium. So bracketing for me is the best option to use especially in cathedrals, city scape as well as landscapes. I am going to keep using exposure blending as the way forward.
Word!👍
Great video and sensible opinion. Could you explain how you do long exposure photos such as waterfalls and tidal?
Thanks Jim - I still have my regular ND filters for long exposures, it's just ND grads which I have ditched 👍
James Brew - thanks for the response ... much appreciated.
Wow! I like your content!!
Great video, so filter wise, do you still use polarizing filters on shots with water? I guess that long exposures too, do you do many and use an ND filter?
I was considering a grad, but may instead resort to bracketing. Even in single long exposures, I find my Lumix S5ii can retrieve highlights really will.
3:48 "the power of shooting film in this digital age". As someone who was a landscape & architectural photographer I pine for the days of my 4x5, my dark cloth and my sheetfilm holders. And, the only filter I ever used was a daylight filter to protect my glass. The manipulation happened in the darkroom, and that took some skill.
Owning a D750 for years, I’ve never understood the need for ND grads - it was probably the first FF to have such an enormous latitude to bring down highlights & raise shadows that in most cases only a single raw file was needed - you will soon find in the near future that computational software will do it all automatically for example Luminar - I use Nik software & use HDR blending from a single file which can produce some amazing results
Really, it is like when we are exposing color transparency film or B&W film: expose for the highlights then bring up the shadows.
Quite agree .... I use a Lumix S1R and gave up ND grads a couple of years ago ...... now I hardly ever need to use bracketed images and can process from a single file. On the S1R I have bracketing assigned to a switch ... so I can just toggle it on or off as required anyway. The one other issue you forget to mention is use in rain and particularly sea spray .... you cannot use a lens hood or cover and constant wiping is a pain ... particularly salt spray which smears and needs alcohol wipes to remove. I take a set of Kase magnetic ND's and polariser now which take up minimal room, weighs nothing and takes seconds to use.
Yes very good point Steve - large surface area to the filter increases risk of water droplets too!
Hey! thanks for the video! question please what’s the filter kit you have? i believe you have a cpl at the front?
I made the decision not to buy grads when I got my first Olympus OM1. I looked at the price of a starter set of Lee filters, plus holder and I'd have had to stump up over £500. With a dynamic range of 11-12 stops, auto bracketing and modern software (I use Affinity and DXO) filters just didn't seem necessary. I still have and use 6 and 10 stop full NDs, a polariser and a 0.6 ND grad for very simple scenes.
I'm looking forward to the exposure blending tutorials.
The last time I used grads is at least 5 years ago. Since I switched to mirror less I always have enough dynamic range to do a gradient in lightroom. My main problem with grads is that you never have a straight horizon (except sea scapes) and the mountains get unnaturally dark. And I ended up adding the exposure back. With LR and can add a far better grad and get better results.
I use my old trusty d850s with nisi 150x170mm grads , you can under expose the sky by 3 -5 stops and lift the foreground in camera using nikon D lighting , great if you hate being stuck behind a laptop , when simple in camera tweeks are plenty
Interesting video, but there will always be a space in my camera bag for ND grads. it's nice to be able to bag all the exposure in one shot if possible, and like you say for some really long exposures, they will save you time. Also not everybody is comfortable with Photoshop and prefers to be in one environment such as Lightroom, where editing is done in a far more intuitive and comfortable workspace. I've only recently done some exposure blending and experimented with luminosity masks, but it is still a bit of a 'dark art' for me, and does take me well out of my comfort zone. I think many, like me, still find Photoshop a little daunting and it can be a very steep learning curve which requires lots of time and effort. I agree that in some circumstance you can achieve some much better results by exposure blending, but to do that with fitness certainly does takes more time. I intend to do attempt more exposure blends in future, but would never sell my grads.
Please... "steep learning curve" does *not* mean what you seem to think.
We learned in high school when we are plotting a graph that effort is the vertical and time is the horizontal.
What you are saying in effect is that much is gained in a short amount of time.
Please click:
www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch07-cognition/motor-activity.html#learningcurve
Part of me tends to agree with you James. Good bracketing and mastering of luminosity masking is the solution for most instances. However, as you mentioned, when there is movement in the scene there is very little you can do to get a good image without the filters, there will always be imperfections that can be a real pain or even impossible to rectify in post processing. Despite that I don't use the GND filters in most circumstances, I still believe that having them gives me enough reassurance that I will leave the scene with the image I want. Maybe if cameras develop in the future in such a manner that you can either see the bracketed results immediately or those imperfections/ghosting could be eliminated, then these filters will be totally obsolete in my opinion.
Hi Thanos, Yeah of all the strengths to ND grads that I highlighted it is only really movement in the scene which concerns me. Hopefully with post processing I should be able to deal with any issues as they arise...well that's the plan anyways 😂 I guess we'll find out soon enough
You can always shoot a single frame or two with a faster shutter speed to freeze the motion and blend that in post. Adam Gibbs did a video on that subject recently.
I use digi for snapshots as the lenses deform the subject.. I enjoy 4 X 5 "and 8 X 10" analog.
I love my Z7 too
So, Photography Online have got a new member of the team? Nice one James!
Not selling the ND grads to fund an Olympus though? 😃
Haha yeah kind of - I'll be contributing stuff to their channel from time to time. Lol nah, the dosh went towards the Z7 😂
That's really cool. I've been watching it from the start. It's a good show. Hope to see you on there more often👍
There are valid arguments for and against pre and post shooting intervention in photography.To me the deciding factor would be the size of the print, if your ultimate requirement is printing .Otherwise the digital solution rules. If you can afford it keep the NDs for the big statement shots
Never used my graduated ND filters in digital photography after getting the A7R. Pushing shadows and applying graduation in PP is the easiest here with best results. Only use them now for film photography.
I bought the Lee 10 stop and have not used it yet even though I have had it for a while. Blending is okay but it is always better to have more than one option.
Note the video is about ND graduated filters not regular ND filters - I still have my 10 stop filter 👍
Great topic to cover James. I was seriously considering investing in a new filter system but chose to spend my money on a new vlogging camera. I've also just started to use Lr and Ps which has blown my mind, mainly because I should have been using this ages ago!!! Cheers for sharing and take care, 👍📸
Hi again James, just watched you on Photography Online, and I found it quite uncanny that in this episode you were reviewing Olympus bearing in mind you seemed too be agreeing with my comments below, regards.
I own a polariser along with 2 and 3 stop soft and hard grad filters and 6 and 10 stop ND filters. The polariser is irreplaceable. I find the grads are only really necessary for long exposures like you mention.
One reason I do like to use them though is that I don’t like futzing around in photoshop or Lightroom more than I have to. If I can reduce my post processing time by using a filter, I’d rather do that.
Yeah, couldn't live without the polariser! I'll do a video soon on the exposure blending processing - hopefully that will help illustrate that exposure blends can actually be done in less than 1 minute in some situations. The increases in post processing time are actually pretty minimal / non existent with simple exposure blending methodologies.
James Brew that would be great, looking forward to it. I do some exposure blending but am always looking for ways to do things better and more quickly.
Grads are neat, but not a deal breaker. It’s not like the day is ruined if you arrive on location without them.
But arrive without the circular polarizer... may as well have forgotten the camera too lol.
I have a canon 7d mii and the dynamic range is truly rubbish, its a constant battle to stop blowing out those highlights. A bit of research has shown me that canon cameras in general have low dynamic range, they are not landscape photographer friendly. My £160 motorola phone camera has better dynamic rage than a dedicated camera which costs ten times more. I will try this exposure bracketing rather than spend pounds on over priced glass
Photoshop and Lightroom cost £120 per annum. The cost of one decent grad filter... So for a set of grads you could run the software for maybe 5 years. Something to think about if you’re just starting out..
I found your thoughts valuable, so thank you. A question: At 11.36 you show a photo saying it was taken in a single exposure. However, it seems that we see the photo you took at 11.52, which needed editing to appear as it was at 11.36. So, unless my eyes are fooling me, then it seems misleading to claim that the photo at 11.36 was taken in a single exposure. It was the photo it 11.52 which was taken in a single exposure, right?
Hi Stefan, that image was taken in a single exposure but required simple lightroom editing to pull the highlights back. The key point I was making is that the highlight detail was present, captured by the high dynamic range sensor, therefore nullifying the need for an ND grad filter completely. Cheers 👍
@@JamesBrewphoto Thanks for clarifying. Trying to shot sunsets without the need for post processing (which is what I am currently experimenting with) I just wanted to make sure, since I would have been surprised if it was the photo as shown at 11.36 which was SOOC.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on Gradient NDs. I sold mine a few months ago too. Would you mine sharing your workflow, maybe as a video demo? Be very much appreciated 👍🏻
Should have a video tomorrow on exposure blending 👍
@@JamesBrewphoto look forward to it. Thanks! 👍🏻
Interesting
Hi James - what's the extension you're using on photoshop to blend your bktg shots ?
Best
Martin
Raya Pro 👍
Would be great to see a video on how you edit your photos James, I have to admit to being the worlds worst in photoshop so always use my filters.
I should have a video on that topic for you tomorrow Stu 👍
Fantastic, look forward to watching that. Cheers James 👍
Nail head. I have a boat load of grads as well 😬 cheers.
Hi James,
Interesting topic, a well known brand L**, cost me a fortune with their non locking system over the years, now been resolved I think.
I use Kase filter which are gorilla glass, the holder is lockable and the polariser attaches with a magnet.
I agree about the frustrations, but having shot scenes where I should have used an ND, and spent literally hours on the
PC in post.
As you say it is subjective, and there is no way I will sell mine, you obviously are enjoying the Z7.
I take it you have kept your ND10??
Ron
Hi Ron, Yeah I have kept my regular ND filters. I will do another video looking at what I have kept and why. Only have 3 filters now 👍
Many Years ago the Cinematographic fraternity and sometimes photographers used what was commonly know and as a Wedges, these filters allow the photographers follow the contours of
the tree line rather than using a straight Graduation Filter, it was quite a lengthy process for the
filter manufacturer to produce this Wedges,often made after a 35mm negative was produced in
the first instance ,the filter technician could follow the contour of the scene
I've always hated using ND grads. its always seems a pain to me and personally find it detracts from the enjoyment of photography. Given most scenes I would now shoot have no clear sky to land divide, using an ND grad looks horrid. Also I think there is some snobbery from various old guard photographers on the use of filters, so well done on the video.
Yes I agree Julian - the snobbery is very real and very annoying. Can't stand people who look down on others like this!
Thanks man, I think you helped me save a few hundred $
@james brew how do we do bracketing for a long exposure scene?
I am planing to buy nd Grad. Thx for your thought. Do you still use ND and CPL?
Yes I still use those filters - just ND grads I've sold
I have only grad filters, you can also use it for regular nd filter
Why i didnt watch this video after?.I lost by the sea my first grade filters and bought others ,a few days ago.But iḿ quiet,i bougth they of second hand ,and three Lee filters,(in good conditions) i paid with the prize of one .In long exposure i help me with a black card ,and if i have a big motive in foreground i use a black paper cutting it with the form of the motive.An artisan work influenced by the laboratory work
I totally agree with you on this and I have been doing this for years, but because of shooting long exposure high contrast images in changing light I can't find myself selling mine. I have many times been thinking it should be possible for the camera engineers to implement a mode in the camera software to actually automatically produce 3, 5 or 7 bracketed images in one shoot. For instance, if I plan to shoot a 7 minute exposure, then why can't the software spit out an image for instance 2 stops underexposed at say 6 minutes, but keep on taking the image, then at 7 minutes it will make the normal exposed image, but still continue until say 8 minutes and spit out the last image, now 2 stops overexposed, the end result is then 3 bracketed long exposure images. Just an idea I have, please someone steal it and put it in my next camera software update.
They probably have. It´s more then likely in the latest Mobile phone. All done by using algorithm´s making people think that they can take good pictures.