Getting a GND, but only 1, should I get 1 stop or 2 stops?

All in the title, but I am going to get a GND filter to play around. I am debating whether I should get a filter that is 1 stop at the top, or 2 stops.

Thoughts?

I prefer 3 stop soft edge. 1 stop is relatively little difference, so if the sky is bright, your foreground will still be underexposed or the foreground will be fine and the sky will be blown out.

Thanks for the help!

What's a decent brand, I usually buy b+w but there aren't too many GND's apparently?

lee / hitech / Singray

you will need a holder for either though they are only square type

www.teamworkphoto.com
www.2filter.com

I can't recommend this setup and this business enough http://www.2filter.com​/prices/htpackages.htm​l

You can get 2 - both a hard and a soft step, with the holder for less than $100. That's cheaper than buying one of the other brands. They work great. I actually handhold mine a lot of the time anyway, so the holder isn't that important to me. Just give them a call. They'll probably recommend a 2 step soft and a 3 step hard or the other way around - can't remember.

Thanks for the help, I'll give them a call tomorrow.

The thing with the square one is they seem harder to carry? I don't know.

They work better. You can slide the transition up and down to match your composition. Try that with a screw-on one.

I carry mine in this little pouch http://www.caselogic.c​om …l/index.cfm?mod​elid=65859

You just take the little plastic ring out and you have a nice flat neoprene case. I bought a bunch of the old style, all black. They work great for small lenses too for storage inside packs.

1)So in theory, you can keep buying Conkin P Adapter Rings and then keep using the same filters?
2) Soft edge or hard edge?

1) Yes.
2) Depends on where you're shooting. Hard edges are for crisp, level horizons. Soft work better if the horizon's uneven.

All you need to buy is a 77mm Cokin P ring and then just buy the step up adapters for the ring size. I think that would be a lot cheaper.

3-stop soft edge here also

I hardly ever used my Cokin holder. I just found it more convenient to hold the GND in front of the lens since the exposures were relatively short. But yes, you can buy different size rings for your different size lenses. They just snap into the back of the cokin holder.

I tended to use the soft edge more than hard, but both serve their own purpose.

Thanks for all the advice, so why are the numbered .3, .6, .9, 1.2. If I understand that's 1 stop, 2 stops, 3 stops, 4 stops respectively?

Yes