I\'ve used Neutral Density resin filters for several years now, for holding back skies in Landscape photography, and perhaps naively assumed that the term \"optical-resin\" and \"optically-pure\" meant just that, especially as all the \"top\" landscape photographers I knew were/are using them.
Recently however, whilst photographing a Landscape,(with a Tokina 100/2.8 macro), when inserting a filter whilst viewing the image on the LCD, I saw the fine twigs that I\'d used to focus on, on a distant tree, being finely distorted/mushed. (The filter in question was one from Hi-Tech, costing £30, in the 85mm size, over double that in 100mm size.)
I immediately checked my stock of ND Grad filters from Hi-Tech, and Cromatek and found that to a greater or lesser degree, they all degraded the image. I found one from Hi-Tech so bad that I got it exchanged.
I can\'t speak for Lee or Singh-Ray, as I only use the 85mm size. Perhaps they are better, for the price, they certainly ought to be!
It seems rather foolish to be buying the best quality/ most \"interesting\" lenses I can afford, and then shooting through a piece of distorting \"plastic\". What do others think?
Sorry, I had meant to shoot some with/without examples but haven\'t got round to it.
I\'d like to know if Lee/Singh-Ray have a similar effect or if \"exposure blending\" of some kind is a better way to go?
I\'ve used Neutral Density resin filters for several years now, for holding back skies in Landscape photography, and perhaps naively assumed that the term \"optical-resin\" and \"optically-pure\" meant just that, especially as all the \"top\" landscape photographers I knew were/are using them.
Recently however, whilst photographing a Landscape,(with a Tokina 100/2.8 macro), when inserting a filter whilst viewing the image on the LCD, I saw the fine twigs that I\'d used to focus on, on a distant tree, being finely distorted/mushed. (The filter in question was one from Hi-Tech, costing £30, in the 85mm size, over double that in 100mm size.)
I immediately checked my stock of ND Grad filters from Hi-Tech, and Cromatek and found that to a greater or lesser degree, they all degraded the image. I found one from Hi-Tech so bad that I got it exchanged.
I can\'t speak for Lee or Singh-Ray, as I only use the 85mm size. Perhaps they are better, for the price, they certainly ought to be!
It seems rather foolish to be buying the best quality/ most \"interesting\" lenses I can afford, and then shooting through a piece of distorting \"plastic\". What do others think?
Sorry, I had meant to shoot some with/without examples but haven\'t got round to it.
I\'d like to know if Lee/Singh-Ray have a similar effect or if \"exposure blending\" of some kind is a better way to go?
May 13, 2013 at 12:06 PM
Previous versions of timballic's message #11549851 « Using Resin ND Grad Filters degrades IQ. »
