btw, I am a proponent of square ND's for the same reason, I can transfer them to any of my lenses.
I was considering getting step down rings for my other lenses but I also want to be able to stack, which is why I'm making the switch. I've also read of people getting step up/down rings stuck to their lens.
I would start slowly with GND's to see if you like them. I made the mistake of getting a few at once..... bad mistake
Haha well I'm very adamant about getting the GND's. I've been shooting without them for a while now and I definitely prefer to get it done in camera rather than relying on my skills in post.
IMO filters should be bought in this order: 10 stop, 3 stop, 0.9 GND SE. Everything else can be bought down the line. If you light sunsets/sunrise, a reverse GND may be for you. I generally shoot sunrise/sunset simply because there's no better time, and I'de rather have 1 nice shot than 100 mediocre ones. My biggest issue with GND's are the fact that I hardly ever shoot with straight horizons, and post processed blends usually look better. It's a really good idea to learn to process that method because chances are, you'll have to fix GND's using a similar method.... so might as well skip it.
Funny you say that because I'm actually considering getting the Little Stopper first. I like doing exposures between 2-4 mins so I always have to shoot when it is still bright. If I have the 6 stop, I can shoot closer to dusk/dawn which would be better for when I do my cityscapes. I will definitely get the Big Stopper once I sell my circular 10 stop, but I think starting with the Little Stopper, 0.9 and 0.6 soft would suit my shooting style best.
I do know how to blend bracketed shots together, I also find it to be a smoother process in PS CC (when it comes to selecting specific areas). I don't usually shoot flat horizons which is why I'd prefer the soft over the hards. I've also been told from people who shoot a lot of seascapes that the softs still work great.
that said, I do carry a set of GND's, 0.9 SE, 0.9 HE, 0.9 RGND. I stick with Haida whenever possible, since they produce the best quality. Too bad they dont produce a 0.9 HE/RGND, so I use LEE and Hitech respectively. My hard ND's are Haida, and my square polarizer is by LEE. Haida just happens to cost the least and best quality: http://www.achim-sieger.de …itech-prostop-irnd-haida/
(I had similar results to that site, bought lee first but wasnt satisfied with the cast, then bought haida...)Yeah I was looking at the Haida filters before when I first read about them. Their quality is definitely impressive. Surprisingly a blue color cast from the Lee filters wouldn't bother me since I would always prefer a cool look over a warm one, I can also easily adjust it in post either way. I'm thinking of eventually getting the Lee square Polarizer too.
