Question about ND Filter

[MOmilkman]

For those of you that have had expierence with ND filters I have a question that has been troubling me.
I am considering buying this filter.

I have seen different configurations for ND filters like the Cokin, graduated, some you can manipulate for varying strengths

If your taking a shot of a nice sunset and you use a ND filter that is not graduated wont the foreground be underexposed? If you used a graduated ND on a sunset/rise I could see how it would be properly exposed but not if the whole filter is tinted dark.

Little confused on this...

[Biomech]

Pretty much right, but what you would get with a complete ND filter is just forced into longer shutter or wider aperture - unless you're on manual and use the same settings, then you'd get the underexposed forground.

The graduated ND filter you would use to stop down the skies but keep the land the same so getting a better exposure balance.

The complete/circular etc ND filters are often used to increase shutter times, for example if you wanted to take a shot of a waterfall in blinding sunlight and have the water blurry, normally you'd have an over exposed shot, with the ND filter you're looking out you could get the effect you're after

HTH

[Raoul Isidro]

ND filters are great for slowing down the shutter speed if you want that effect such as cascading streams, or using a very wide open aperture on a very bright day for bokeh effect.

Graduated ND filters were in vogue during the film era, to balance the extreme range of the forground and sky. With the advent of digital software, HDR programs, and layering techniques... you can achieve a more dynamic effect by bracketing the scene on a tripod and merging the perfect exposures on the PC/Mac screen rather than use a grad ND filter.

Here is a sample where I used an ND8 filter for effect.
It was high noon, very bright sunlight, no clouds, on the beach.
Aperture: F1.4

[MOmilkman]

Ok, so just to summarize, Circular ND Filters are for waterfalls (or similar bright exposures) and graduated are for Sunset/Sunrise exposures.

I'm wanting to get into some nice sunrise/sunset shots so I need to be looking for graduated filters with varying strengths.

I thought I was thinking correctly on that, I just wanted to be sure. Thank you

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by MOmilkman

Ok, so just to summarize, Circular ND Filters are for waterfalls (or similar bright exposures) and graduated are for Sunset/Sunrise exposures.

It's a detail, but... I think when you said "Circular ND", you meant just plain "ND". You had "Graduated" correct.

The reason I bring it up is because there is a type of filter called "Circular Polarizer", which is a different beast entirely (although it does have the effect of being a ND filter, sort-of, among other things -- but that's a side-effect). Asking for a "Circular ND" in a store may get you odd looks, or even the wrong item!

[spazoid1965]

Originally Posted by MOmilkman

....I have seen different configurations for ND filters like the Cokin, graduated, some you can manipulate for varying strengths...

You can get the same effect as the variable N/D filter by using 2 linear polarizers together.