A question for the landscape photo - split ND filters

I'm looking to buy a split ND filter but am a little confused as to whether I should be looking at a soft or hard split on the filter.

Can anyone explain the difference and why someone may choose one over the other?

Since arriving in Africa I have not taken too many landscape shots. The skies can be so bright and harsh that it makes it difficult. A split ND filter would assist with evening out the scene.

Thanks a million.

A hard filter has a very well defined graduation line, whereas a soft filter has quite the opposite. Hard filters are generally used in situations where you have an unbroken horizon line (seascapes, plains, etc). Soft filters are often used when the horizon is "broken" by trees, mountains, or other objects.

OK, maybe I'll look at some soft filters. Most of the landscapes here have some kind of hills or trees in it. I've used coloured filters with B&W film and a polarizer, but I have never worked with ND Grads before.

GND's are really easy. Just stay away from round ones. The screw on the lens and have a fixed line. I really like my Lee 4x6" filters, they are soft edged and cause they are so big they can be used as ND's too!

mleone wrote in post #5880131
GND's are really easy. Just stay away from round ones. The screw on the lens and have a fixed line. I really like my Lee 4x6" filters, they are soft edged and cause they are so big they can be used as ND's too!

I never thought about using the larger ones as a regular ND. I'm looking at the singh-ray that fit into the cokin P holder

jaybird wrote in post #5877306
I'm looking to buy a split ND filter but am a little confused as to whether I should be looking at a soft or hard split on the filter.

Can anyone explain the difference and why someone may choose one over the other?

Since arriving in Africa I have not taken too many landscape shots. The skies can be so bright and harsh that it makes it difficult. A split ND filter would assist with evening out the scene.

Thanks a million.

IMO....there are only two essential filters in today's digital world.

The Circular Polarizer, which is needed to cut reflections...whether from water or leaves, etc. Not for deeper blue in the sky, which on an ultra wide is normally uneven....and the deeper blue can easily be done in PP.

The other is an ND, preferably a Variable ND (I have a DIY), which allows 2 to 8+ stops reduction.

Split ND, which use to be invaluable in film are really not needed any more. Taking two 0r three exposures and blending in PS is much easier....and more reliable...than properly possitioning a Split ND filter.

Anyway....my 2 cents....

jrsforums wrote in post #5885209
IMO....Split ND, which use to be invaluable in film are really not needed any more. Taking two 0r three exposures and blending in PS is much easier....and more reliable...than properly possitioning a Split ND filter.

Anyway....my 2 cents....

I tend to agree with you that the blending of images or HDR will lessen the need for a split GND filter but, it will definitely not eliminate the need.

Blending tends not to be a choice then there is noticible movement within the image. Waves, boats moving on the tide, foliage moving in the breeze, etc., all detract from the quality of a blended image by making the moving portions of the subject look unsharp.

On the other hand, there is a sharp learning curve between just using a GND filter and the "proper use" of that type of filter. The steepness of the learning curve would depend on your acceptance of noticeable GND use. This is a personal decision and varies tremendously from photographer to photographer and from person viewing the image to other persons viewing that image.

As an example, my wife has comment numerous times about the "beauty" of a landscape which has obviously been shot with a colored GND filter to enhance the sky (especially in a sunset image) while I, with a very low tolerance of visible GND use, thought that the image looked contrived and phony.

RPCrowe wrote in post #5885583
I tend to agree with you that the blending of images or HDR will lessen the need for a split GND filter but, it will definitely not eliminate the need.

Blending tends not to be a choice then there is noticible movement within the image. Waves, boats moving on the tide, foliage moving in the breeze, etc., all detract from the quality of a blended image by making the moving portions of the subject look unsharp.

If you do it properly, you will not notice it....in most cases...as it depends on the image and what you are blending.

However, I am not talking about HDR, where you are normally "blending" and tome mapping complete images together. I am talking about selective blending. For example, you would expose for the boats on the water and separately for the sky...and then blend the sky (or other differently exposed areas) with the boats on the water. Makes for a very realistic image vs. the surreal, other worldly look most people achieve with HDR.

jrsforums wrote in post #5885209
IMO....there are only two essential filters in today's digital world.


The other is an ND, preferably a Variable ND (I have a DIY), which allows 2 to 8+ stops reduction.

I have never seen a variable ND filter before. Where did you find one/make one?

jaybird wrote in post #5890248
I have never seen a variable ND filter before. Where did you find one/make one?

Singh-Ray sells them for ~#350.

Using a Circular Polarizer (CPL) and Linear Polarizer (LP) will create a Variable ND.

The CPL must be closest to the lens and have threads so the LP can be screwed on. Depending on sourcing you should be able to do it for ~$200. for 77mm.

Quality, as always with filters, is important. I would recommend either Hoya Pro1 (5mm think) or B+W F-Pro (6mm)....both multi-coated. LPs are getting harder to find. I think Hoya's is not multi-coated. B+W has an MRC version on B&H.

With quality filters, you should have no color cast....except at almost total darkness ( mark the two nodal darkness and two lightest ares...they will remain consistent) when some blue/purple cast comes through with the strong light getting through....can't help that as these are slight variations in polarizing effect.

Graduated ND filters provide much more realistic looking images than most people can attain by attempting to blend a series of exposures. Using ND grads is just as valuable a technique today as it ever was with film. Like has been previously mentioned, a good grad can actually be adjusted to work as a full ND filter as well.