Anyone use Cokin (or similar) filters these days with digital?

Railphotog · Apr 1, 2012

Curious if anyone makes use of these resin filters anymore? Asking because there is a listing on a local online sales site for around 50 Cokin filters and various holders and adapters - list or anything to identify which ones are included. All the seller wants for the lot is $450.00. No interest in them myself.

Seems to me the seller is dreaming and/or is uninformed. I assume many out there like me stlll have a bunch of the filters somewhere in a drawer, unused. I think I have around 18-10, mostly left over from my film shooting days. Even then I didn't use them very much. I think the only ones I've used in the past while were the graduated density ones, but they didn't really make a whole lot of difference. Probably could use denser ones.

Alex_B · Apr 1, 2012

in particular with digital sensors, the gradients became even more important to me!

one90guy · Apr 1, 2012

I use them some with digital and all the time with film. I normally carry 5 or 6 with me all the time, on b/w I use the red a lot.

Buckster · Apr 1, 2012

I used to use them all the time. It all started way back in my film days. When I made the jump to digital, I kept using them for awhile, till I'd finished taking beginner, intermediate and finally advanced Photoshop courses. Since then, I only put NDs and polarizers in front of my glass. The rest is done in PS because there's just WAY more control that way.

The last major thing I did with a stack of Cokin filters in front of my glass was this shot of the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach:

That's a graduated sunset on top, graduated sky blue on bottom, graduated mauve to about 3/4 down, a polarizer and a couple stops of ND to turn the waves into a mist. Shot it right after the lights on the bridge came on, which was one of the key elements I wanted.

I saw the whole setup, including which filters to use, in a dream. A month later, I still couldn't stop thinking about that dream, so I went and shot it.

Anyway, now I've got a couple of boxes of Cokin filters, rings and whatnot that I haven't used in years as well. I'll keep them with my antique cameras for nostalgic purposes.