Size "P" or 4x6 filter? Which one?

[haring]

I would like to buy a few natural density graduated filters. Lee or the Singh-Ray ones... I am not sure which size I should buy. I would like to use them with my Canon 17-40mm f/4 lens (filter size 77mm) or I can borrow my friends Nikon 14-24mm 2.8g lens.
Which filter size should I buy? The 4x6 is twice as much...
Thanks!

[Thunder_o_b]

Originally Posted by haring

I would like to buy a few natural density graduated filters. Lee or the Singh-Ray ones... I am not sure which size I should buy. I would like to use them with my Canon 17-40mm f/4 lens (filter size 77mm) or I can borrow my friends Nikon 14-24mm 2.8g lens.
Which filter size should I buy? The 4x6 is twice as much...
Thanks!

Crop or FF sensor?

[Elmo]

The bigger the better (within reason of course 24x24 might be a tad large), but must fit holder if you are planning on using one.

I do not think sensor size has much to do with it due to the front element size of some of the crop sensor lenses.

[Krusty79]

My only experience is with the Lee 4x6 filter. I never have any problem fitting the image into my shot, but I only have the 18-55 kit lens on a crop body. If you plan to use an ultrawide lens, you might have to get the 4x6, or if you plan to use multiple filters at once, because the farther from your lens, the wider they will have to be. I don't know if that P size is going to be big enough if you're using that 14-24 Nikon.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Elmo

The bigger the better (within reason of course 24x24 might be a tad large), but must fit holder if you are planning on using one.

I do not think sensor size has much to do with it due to the front element size of some of the crop sensor lenses.

Full-frame on a wide angle lens runs the risk of vignetting/blockage: not so with the same lens at the same focal length on a crop.

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Full-frame on a wide angle lens runs the risk of vignetting/blockage: not so with the same lens at the same focal length on a crop.

If'n it don't cover the front element with room to spare you are asking for trouble, regardless of sensor size..

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Elmo

If'n it don't cover the front element with room to spare you are asking for trouble, regardless of sensor size..

Not necessarily. On a DX (or APS-C) sensor, there are some lenses that dont need to have the entire front element for the image to still be vignette free. Not suggested, but not totally necessary

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Not necessarily. On a DX (or APS-C) sensor, there are some lenses that dont need to have the entire front element for the image to still be vignette free. Not suggested, but not totally necessary

OK here is one incidence. I have a image with flowing water and to get some water motion and a super wide depth of field I need f:22. The water flow is very narrow and framing require close up therefore focus will be near MFD. The grad line needs to be very near the edge of the frame, therefore with a small filter the edge of the filter be very near the center of the lens. What about the line across the image caused by the edge of the filter?

Next reason:. As one grows in photography lenses will likely change and possibly that will include larger front elements. Now the smaller filters become even more useless.

So why recommend something that might work on rare occasions but have a high likely hood of failing a lot more often.

[Krusty79]

That's a big reason why I purchased the 4x6. Now, I don't have to worry about vignetting no matter what equipment I upgrade to eventually (of course, excluding fisheye lenses).

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Elmo

OK here is one incidence. I have a image with flowing water and to get some water motion and a super wide depth of field I need f:22. The water flow is very narrow and framing require close up therefore focus will be near MFD. The grad line needs to be very near the edge of the frame, therefore with a small filter the edge of the filter be very near the center of the lens. What about the line across the image caused by the edge of the filter?

That's a different phenomenon than what I was referring to. I was more concerned with blockage from the mounting system, not the edge of the filter itself. Width, not length.