Newbie Guide to Filters

[thoongeng]

Hi, a very noob question:
For Circular Polarizers :Which mode should we use and should not use?
ND Grads- Which mode should we use and should not use?
Cuz dunno if auto mode will cause pic to be normal (ie without the filter)

chanced upon this question and just helping mod dd123 answer this

the exposure metering of the camera (how it measures the amount of light) does not change in the different exposure modes (Auto/scene modes/PASM)
the main difference is the amount of control you have over the camera's metering, if the camera's metering is fooled by the various conditions

one example I can think of is that in Auto mode and CPL filter on, it may be too dark and flash will be turned on automatically (depending on your camera you may not be able to turn off flash in Auto mode), and then the background of the picture (which is usually were the important things are) will be underexposed

Another example is when using a ND grad, and if the exposure did not turn out as you like, you cannot do exposure compensation in Auto mode

At the end of the day if your camera is spot-on for metering, then I don't think there is any difference if you shot is Auto or full Manual mode

EDIT: wow daredevil 123 got up early and answered the question, during when I was typing this reply ;p

 

[wesleytan12345]

Oops it seems I wasn't clear... Sorry for confusion:
Rephrased:
(1)-->What mode ( Manual/AV/TV/Program/Auto+/the rest) is recommended for CPLs and ND Grad ( More dramatic Photos?)
(2)-->Will a specific mode(Manual/Av/Tv/P...) cause any different results for CPL/ND Grads?


Thanks,
W.T Ph.D

 

[thoongeng]

Oops it seems I wasn't clear... Sorry for confusion:
Rephrased:
(1)-->What mode ( Manual/AV/TV/Program/Auto+/the rest) is recommended for CPLs and ND Grad ( More dramatic Photos?)
(2)-->Will a specific mode(Manual/Av/Tv/P...) cause any different results for CPL/ND Grads?


Thanks,
W.T Ph.D

To answer you questions the picture will not look more dramatic / cause different results if you use manual exposure mode if the settings are the same as the full auto mode.

The 'modes' you are mentioning are Exposure Modes (btw there are 'auto modes' in many underlying workings of the camera, like auto focusing, auto white balancing, and I believe you are using the Canon system, auto picture styles)

For Exposure modes, the resultant exposure lies on the shutter speed, aperture and ISO (commonly referred as the 'exposure triangle'). If all 3 are the same, then the result does not change not matter which exposure mode you choose, be it full Auto or full Manual.

The only difference is that if you don't like the resulting picture, you can change the parameters in the more 'manual' modes compared to not being able to change anything in the full auto mode

If I remember correctly Canon's Auto+ mode also has 'auto picture style' (I'm using an older Canon system which does not have this), this might change the colours a bit so the picture may look different. However if you can also set the picture style yourself in the more advanced modes to get the same result, or tweak your picture style to get the result that you want

You might want to look at your camera's manual to see how to change these settings

 

[Fudgecakes]

Oops it seems I wasn't clear... Sorry for confusion:
Rephrased:
(1)-->What mode ( Manual/AV/TV/Program/Auto+/the rest) is recommended for CPLs and ND Grad ( More dramatic Photos?)
(2)-->Will a specific mode(Manual/Av/Tv/P...) cause any different results for CPL/ND Grads?

Thanks,
W.T Ph.D

IMO, you should do all exposures on manual when you're using ND grads. Experiment till you get it right. Cuz in any automatic exposure modes, if you do matrix/centre weighted metering, the iimages may not turn out nice due to the difference in light intensity at opposite ends if the frame.

When shooting using CPL, just shoot in any mode you usually shoot with

 

[daredevil123]

IMO, you should do all exposures on manual when you're using ND grads. Experiment till you get it right. Cuz in any automatic exposure modes, if you do matrix/centre weighted metering, the iimages may not turn out nice due to the difference in light intensity at opposite ends if the frame.

When shooting using CPL, just shoot in any mode you usually shoot with

I use automatic exposure modes sometimes with ND grad and the pics came out fine. So I am not sure what you are trying to say. Because automatic exposure modes (like P, A or S) has nothing to do with metering modes (spot, CW or Matrix/Evaluative).

When shooting using CPL, it is better not to use AWB.

 

[foxmoudle]

My new toy

 

[foxmoudle]

cpl on the ring

 

[foxmoudle]

 

[Edwan]

May I know how many stops is that ?

 

[SkyStrike]

May I know how many stops is that ?

If you are referring to the seascape,

All NDs and it's "effects" will depend on how much light you are working with.

E.g. On a bright sunny days with no clouds, maybe 6-10 stops, but on a heavy overcast day, maybe 3 stops may be "too much". So, it depends...

 

[foxmoudle]

May I know how many stops is that ?

I remember the first use a nd400, a green filter ,a lee gnd 0.3, the second use a marumi vari-nd with lee gnd 0.6 he.
SkyStrike is correct, but in most of the time, you will need a nd 400 to get enought exposure time to blur the water.
I always put a nd8, a vari-nd, and a nd400 in my bag

 

[red_ryder]

Hi,

I have a 72mm circular polarizer. Now that I switched to mirrorless, I want to attach it to a 49mm lens. Before I spend money to get the step down ring, will there by any vignetting or other issues by stepping down by such a large amount?

 

[daredevil123]

My new toy

Very nice.... I just got my Progrey G-100 as well.. 100mm holder.

 

[sadper]

that day I was looking for some square filter then this shop suggested me to use hercules filter.

So I want to ask is hercules filter better then tian ya filter? or this hercules filter does not exist?

 

[daredevil123]

that day I was looking for some square filter then this shop suggested me to use hercules filter.

So I want to ask is hercules filter better then tian ya filter? or this hercules filter does not exist?

Hercules filters are not impressive at all.

 

[sadper]

Hercules filters are not impressive at all.

Thanks for the reply. so tianya filter is better then hercules filter.
I try google for hercules filter but none show up.
Can tell me how to identify hercules filter or upload e pic of hercules filter packing?

 

[radonsg]

Try to avoid Hitech (1 to 3 stops) ND, GND and RGND filters. The recent ones I tried show some color cast when stacked. This is in contrast to my Hitech GNDs, which were made around 3-4 years ago, which are totally free from color casts even when stacked. Hitech pro NDs are still ok (4, 6, 10 stops) since they have always given a bluish cast from the beginning.

I am thinking of the the Hitech bundle kit from Tk photo before I see your this post.

HITECH ND GRAD KIT (Soft or Hard) 100mm
w/ Lee Foundation Kit Holder Bundle *New
$309.00

Might have to consider Lee bundle kit from Tk photo
LEE ND GRAD Kit (Soft or Hard) 100mm
w/ Lee Foundation Kit Holder Bundle *NEW
$439.00

Is it advisable to get these type of bundle kit or should I buy just separately?

Thanks

 

[daredevil123]

Thanks for the reply. so tianya filter is better then hercules filter.
I try google for hercules filter but none show up.
Can tell me how to identify hercules filter or upload e pic of hercules filter packing?

I think they are about the same. I am starting to think Hercules filters might be contract manufactured by Tianya.

 

[daredevil123]

I am thinking of the the Hitech bundle kit from Tk photo before I see your this post.

HITECH ND GRAD KIT (Soft or Hard) 100mm
w/ Lee Foundation Kit Holder Bundle *New
$309.00

Might have to consider Lee bundle kit from Tk photo
LEE ND GRAD Kit (Soft or Hard) 100mm
w/ Lee Foundation Kit Holder Bundle *NEW
$439.00

Is it advisable to get these type of bundle kit or should I buy just separately?

Thanks

Bundle kits can save you money and is a good buy.

As for Hitech color casting, I noticed it in a couple batches, but I am not sure if they are still giving color cast in the current batches. My old ones are perfectly fine. The thing about color casts, is that they are quite easy to remove in PP. Just a a couple quick swipes on the sliders will take care of it.

 

[sadper]

I am thinking of the the Hitech bundle kit from Tk photo before I see your this post.

HITECH ND GRAD KIT (Soft or Hard) 100mm
w/ Lee Foundation Kit Holder Bundle *New
$309.00

Might have to consider Lee bundle kit from Tk photo
LEE ND GRAD Kit (Soft or Hard) 100mm
w/ Lee Foundation Kit Holder Bundle *NEW
$439.00

Is it advisable to get these type of bundle kit or should I buy just separately?

Thanks

bundle is surely better then buying individual. but for me I am not taking landscape often so I don't invest too much on it. (hitech is doing fine for me) but I need some blue or sunset filter so I move to tianya since hitech does not have it