Looking for advice on ND filters

[Msteelio91]

I'd really like to get a set of ND filters, but I'm on a budget. Would I be wasting my time with a set like this?

Amazon.com: IMAGE® 6pcs ND2 ND4 ND8 Gradual ND2 4 8 Filter Set + 9pcs Ring Adapter for Cokin P LF6: Camera & Photo

 

[ronlane]

Matt, I am going to be watching this too.

 

[tirediron]

In my opinion, yes, pretty much. Gel filters can suffer horribly from colour casts and sun flares. This tends to be worse the cheaper the filter. Ideally, save up and spend the money for Lee or Singh-Ray filters, but failing, that, Cokin is a decent, medium-range filter.

 

[ronlane]

In my opinion, yes, pretty much. Gel filters can suffer horribly from colour casts and sun flares. This tends to be worse the cheaper the filter. Ideally, save up and spend the money for Lee or Singh-Ray filters, but failing, that, Cokin is a decent, medium-range filter.

John, I understand what you are saying about the difference in filters, but there is $20 worth of step rings in this set and then you could buy the better cokin filters to fit in this couldn't you?

 

[Msteelio91]

In my opinion, yes, pretty much. Gel filters can suffer horribly from colour casts and sun flares. This tends to be worse the cheaper the filter. Ideally, save up and spend the money for Lee or Singh-Ray filters, but failing, that, Cokin is a decent, medium-range filter.

John, I understand what you are saying about the difference in filters, but there is $20 worth of step rings in this set and then you could buy the better cokin filters to fit in this couldn't you?

Even something like this is a better solution to me. I'm having a REALLY hard time justifying spending over $150 for a filter... That said, I love IQ... So I'm really looking for that "sweet spot" between affordability and quality here.

 

[tirediron]

John, I understand what you are saying about the difference in filters, but there is $20 worth of step rings in this set and then you could buy the better cokin filters to fit in this couldn't you?

Looks like that should work, BUT... do you need all those step-rings? Chances are, 99% of people are going to use or two at the most.

 

[480sparky]

They may well be worth the money to find out if you will even use them.

 

[Dillard]

They may well be worth the money to find out if you will even use them.

Buy a piece of welding glass from amazon for around ~$5. I was looking at a ND filter, thinking I would use one a lot. Turns out that I just don't use it enough to justify dropping $100+, and the welding glass does just fine. If you have a LED flashlight, you can set a custom white balance profile and almost completely eliminate the color tint (mines green), and the rest can be normalized in post. Definitely the best $5 i've ever spent, and made me realize that I don't need anything more

 

[ronlane]

John, I understand what you are saying about the difference in filters, but there is $20 worth of step rings in this set and then you could buy the better cokin filters to fit in this couldn't you?

Looks like that should work, BUT... do you need all those step-rings? Chances are, 99% of people are going to use or two at the most.

True, you may not need 2 or so but even at that, most of the cokin rings on B&H are about $15.00, so that is a savings and you have pretty much any you need. Plus as Sparky said, you can find out if you would use them or not.

 

[Msteelio91]

They may well be worth the money to find out if you will even use them.

Buy a piece of welding glass from amazon for around ~$5. I was looking at a ND filter, thinking I would use one a lot. Turns out that I just don't use it enough to justify dropping $100+, and the welding glass does just fine. If you have a LED flashlight, you can set a custom white balance profile and almost completely eliminate the color tint (mines green), and the rest can be normalized in post. Definitely the best $5 i've ever spent, and made me realize that I don't need anything more

Do you have any examples of shots taken with the welding glass? I wonder if you can get a sheet that isn't tinted green haha

 

[Light Guru]

John, I understand what you are saying about the difference in filters, but there is $20 worth of step rings in this set and then you could buy the better cokin filters to fit in this couldn't you?

Looks like that should work, BUT... do you need all those step-rings? Chances are, 99% of people are going to use or two at the most.

True, you may not need 2 or so but even at that, most of the cokin rings on B&H are about $15.00, so that is a savings and you have pretty much any you need. Plus as Sparky said, you can find out if you would use them or not.

Step rings are dirt cheep on eBay.

 

[Dillard]

Edit: Click on the images to view them full size...







These are two of the first shots I ever took using the welding glass. While the tint was kind of a pain at first, once I learned how to overcome it with a custom white balance setting, its painless. Ironically, these were probably the last two shots I took with it as well (just shows how much I truly used it once I got it). But for $5, I can't really complain!

 

[bratkinson]

I would have no problem buying that set on Amazon as a 'starter set'. It's an economical way to effectively handle any lens filter size as well as having the ability to experiment with various ND filters.

But...Like the dirt-cheap screw on tele-converter and macro-converter I bought on ebay some years back, (they were so bad my Canon EF-S lens could not auto focus), I would expect some loss of IQ when using them. While it's highly unlikely that the ND filters on Amazon are as bad as the ebay converters I bought, recognize they are not the same quality (or price) as comparable Lee or Singh Ray filters.

Once you find what ND filters you use the most, you may decide to splurge and go for 'the good stuff' to keep a high level of IQ.

By the way...I've been toying with getting some ND filters myself. I may even buy a set of these for myself.

 

[EOV]

Jake gave some good advice on filters and the reasons for buying good filters in this thread:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...uated-neutral-density-action.html#post3227767

 

[minicoop1985]

You need a 58mm solid ND filter? I have one and have zero use for it-no 58mm filter threads. I'm thinking it's 10 stops or so, but it isn't marked. If you want it, it's yours, just send me your address.