Grad ND Filters

[rickp1]

Hey guys and gals,
I keep reading that people are using a reverse GND filter for sunrises and sunsets, but I've also read that some just use a regular GND filter to shoot the same. What are the advantages of shooting sunrises and sunsets with a reverse ND filter?

Thanks
R.

[OsmosisStudios]

What are you referring to with a "Reverse ND grad"?

[Windwalker]

What R. is referring to are grad filters that are basically upside down.
On a normal GND the shaded half of the filter starts from darker at the top and gets progressively darker towards the middle....a Reverse GND the darkest portion is in the middle and lighter towards the top.. They work exceptionally well when the sun very low to the horizon but you don't want to underexpose the rest of the sky.
Check out the singh-ray.com website and you'll see...look for reverse neutral grads on the left margin.

[rickp1]

That's correct guys. I can see were the reverse ND filter can be a bit more beneficial during sunset/sunrise shots, but is its that much of a difference over using a regular ND filter? I was under the impression that the ND filter was for the low sun situations.

The one situation I can see having a big advantage is with the sun right at the horizon.

R.

[dakwegmo]

When I first heard of these I thought I was being duped. Since most of the Graduated neutral density filters I had used start dark on one end and have a gradient to clear on the other. Reversing it would simply mean flipping a regular graduated filter over. Then I discovered these: Singh-Ray Filters: Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density Filters and realized that it was more than just reversing a regular grad nd filter.

[OsmosisStudios]

Thanks dakwegmo: That's certainly interesting, and makes perfect sense. The horizon (especially for sunsets) is the brightest spot!