Filters

Hi All

I'm interested in getting some ND Graduated & Neutral Density filters. I was wondering which are better Kood or Cokin. And why.

Richard

I have gone for the Cokin filters, though have been looking at a Kood circular polariser, mainly due to cost. From the people I have spoken to, the Cokin filters seem to be better quality, at least in optical terms.

Though having never used a Kood filter I can't really comment personally. The Cokin filters however, seem to be good quality and produce good results. Have a look on eBay, there are quite a few bargains to be had on there.

I have some Cokin "P" series filters, ND, ND Grads and IR. Chose them mainly on cost, I use the P series because they are larger than the A series and fit my wide lenses better, causing less vignetting. I don't have any experience of Kood, I am afraid.

I think i will stick to cokin as they seem to be more established but what is the best range to have in the filters that i mentioned earlier as i understand there are hard & soft options.

I have started off with the soft edge grads as the transition is a little less harsh and probably more suited to my type of landscape photography.

Hi anyone heard of Hitech Filters.

Yep - and just bought a set of 3 soft grads in the Cokin 'P' size (they do fit the Cokin holder). Seem to be ok, and I believe they are neutral as opposed to grey. The 'grey' version can leave a pink tint, certainly on slide film (not sure whether it does the same on digital

Andy

Just curious about this pink tint on the Cokin filters i keep hearing about is it just on the grey ND grads or does it also affect the N Density filters. I'm rather concerned as i wish to buy a set of both. If so then i will probably look at Hitech or another brand can't afford Lee.

Sorry to burst the bubble...
Both Cokin P and Hitech filters have a red/magenta "tinge" to them. It's most noticeable when you stack two of them together.
The Cokin Z-Pro are better, but the tinge is there still (not a great deal though).

AFAIK, the Lees are the only ones that don't

It's not difficult to correct for in digital, and sometimes (I might add) the tinge is quite welcome - adds a slight autumnal feel

Matt

Fortunately, I haven't noticed the pink tinge yet with the K10D - might that be 'cos the AWB takes it out?
And as you say, can easily be tweaked out amyway if necessary

Andy

Thanks, that means I'll get the Lee when I can. Shame about the tint as the Cokin ND set comes with a case. But then when you include everything in the package the glass (or other material) must be cheaper.

many filters fit standard cd wallets/cases.

One Cokin Z-Pro is usually enough to bring the dynamic range in check - especially with the K10D. I don't have any perceivable tint problems with a single Cokin Z-Pro. (I did hear that the Cokin's were better at rendering blue skies, whereas the Lees are better for moody grey skies. Of course the Lees are fully twice the price of the Cokin's :shock

If that's not enough I've been using HDR techniques to get the extra range (with Silkypix+Artizen+Photoshop).

Best place for filter sets is www.speedgraphic.co.uk - set of three ND grads for £66. I also bought the Lee 3 filter holder which is very well made. My only gripe was I managed to slip two Cokins into one bay (in a hurry) and marked them both

Matt

I am looking at ND grads as well, but it is not quite clear to me what I should buy.

I see Cokin sets which feature 3 ND-grads and there are normal ND filters.
But I don't fully get which holder and adaptor rings I need.
I will probably use it mostly with my 16-45 (67mm) and possibly with my 50-200 (52mm) and with the 28-200 I have which has a 72mm diameter.

@mattmatic I just downloaded the artizen software. That is really great with HDR images. Normally I wasn't really satisfied with how photoshop cs2 handles HDR but the options you have in Artizen for tone mapping are really great. And this piece of software isn't that expensive either.

Golfdiesel,
As I see it you have these options:
1) Get the P-sized filters. The holders and rings are pretty cheap. www.srbfilm.co.uk have good stocks of it all.

2) If you anticipate getting a 12-24 in the future, then go for the Lee Foundation holder plus a set of Cokin Z-Pro.

3) If you have money to burn, just go 100% Lee

I did use option (1) with the 12-24 - just hacked the front of a Cokin plastic holder and it only vignettes slightly. Option 1 is a better approach if you want to use a polariser - the 105mm polariser alone will cost you at least €150 (and then there's the adapter ring which is more expense still).

Having used both, I really do prefer the Lee sized stuff - especially on landscapes. But the P was pretty good (And I still got some top drawer shots with them!)

Matt