Wide angle lens & ND Grad filters

[Cage]

Hi

I've just acquired the Pentax-DA 15mm f4 Ltd.

One of my main areas of interest is shooting sunrise/sunsets so I investigated my options for a ND Grad filter. Wow, what a can of worms I seem to have opened, the main issue being vignetting.

My Cokin 'A' series holder won't cut the mustard and the 'P' series wont either.
So it's either the Cokin Z-PRO or the basic Lee set up. Where does it stop?

Maybe I'll just hold a filter in front like another member suggested.

Any suggestions appreciated as I'm now broke after the recent bout of LBA.

Cheers

Kevin

[Dylfish]

i know it shall differ lens and holder even body, but i was told my sigma 10-20 on my 40d would get vingetting from 16mm and wider. I purchased a cokin P series with a wide angle holder and so far no issue whatsoever.

my suggestion is to go to your local shop and see if you can try one in store to see the effect.

[Cage]

i know it shall differ lens and holder even body, but i was told my sigma 10-20 on my 40d would get vingetting from 16mm and wider. I purchased a cokin P series with a wide angle holder and so far no issue whatsoever.

my suggestion is to go to your local shop and see if you can try one in store to see the effect.

Thanks for that.

I just discovered the Cokin P Wide Angle Holder which is supposed to be good for down to 20mm in 35mm format so hopefully my 15mm being 22.5mm in 35mm format should be OK.
I've tracked one down in Newcastle (about 30 mins away) so I can try before I buy. I guess if you're having no problems at 10mm I should be fine.

What filters have you tried?

Cheers

Kevin

[old dog]

let us know about it Kevin. I`m keen on filters as well.

[Lance B]

Hi Kevin,

Firstly, the Cokin P Series Wide Angle Holder will be fine and will not vignet down to about a 14mm on APS C. I know as it doesn't vignet on my DA14. :-)

Secondly, if I'd known that you were going to use the Cokin set on the DA15, I could have warned you about that. I tried to use the Cokin P Series Wide Angle Holder on the DA15 but it did vignet, but not because of the Holder, but because of the Adaptor Ring. The only thing I can recommend is that you try a step up ring from 49mm to 52 or even better 55mm or 58mm and then use a 52/55/58mm Adaptor ring. It may or may not work, I do not know.

[Cage]

Graeme, I'll let you know how it all pans out.

Lance, you sure do know how to wreck a bloke's arvo. I thought I had it all sussed out.

That's quite bizarre that you had a problem with the 15 but not the 14.

I'll take my camera and lens with me to see if I can work out the cause of the problem.

Thanks

Kevin

[David]

Dont get me started on GNDs and vignetting and catching the outside edges of the filter holder when the 17 -40 is wide open on my full frame camera and the cost...sheeskas.

I started out with the Cokin P series and adaptor rings for 3 different diameter lenses and this and that and scratched GNDs from not caring for them properly and replacements and ..lots of money wasted on stuff I could not use with my gear and very very clunky and annoying trying to deal with vignetting in post processing etc.

At the end of the day I decided that landscapes and seascapes etc is MY main thing, so I got rid of all the lenses I do not need for that, dumped the crappy el cheapo CPL, square NDs and GNDs, and started over again.

Now I have a collection of B e W screw on NDs *1/2/3/6/10 stops* and their CPL and went down the Cokin Z Pro fiter holder, 1 adaptor ring that fits my 3 lenses, and a set of Hard GNDs from HiTech *1/2/3 stop* and waiting on delivery of a reverse GND in the mail. I am eyeing of Lee GNDs in the future but cachiing caching, expensive buggers.

My point is that you get what you pay for most of the time with photography so make sure you get what you need ...people say its more like what you want.. but to get good quality results on a regular basis and NOT have to horse around in Photoshop to correct vignetting and so on I think get what you NEED NOW and save yourself some money and time wasted stuffing around with crappy, second rate gear that will get you by maybe but piss you off as often.

Good luck

[Cage]

Thanks David, I hear what you are saying.

Being retired, I've spent the best part of today researching this, and coincidentally have bookmarked a mob in the states who have a Cokin Z-Pro package with with a choice of Hitech GND filters and includes the adaptor ring, for $US146.61. Should land here for under $AU200.00. Need to go to Hi-tech's site to see what all the various filters do.

Cheers

Kevin

[old dog]

that sounds a pretty reasonable price Kevin. Will be eager to see what you think of the set.

[Cage]

that sounds a pretty reasonable price Kevin. Will be eager to see what you think of the set.

Graeme, I'm still shell-shocked from lashing out on the DA 15 Ltd and the DA* 300 yesterday.

I was trying to get a filter to do the Catho Bay thing on the weekend, but I will have to pull my head in for a few weeks.

The money I've just forked out to pay my Staffy's fine would have covered it nicely. All she did was get out for about 10 mins, and got 'arrested' by the ranger.

Keep you informed.

Kevin

PS: I'm thinking of doing the Botanical Gardens again, maybe next week, when this wind drops off. Give me a yell if you are interested.

[old dog]

which bot gardens......at Raymond Terrace or Sydney. I`d love to go on a shoot with you. Later in the week would be better for me as I`m building a bathroom vanity with/for my son.

[Cage]

Sydney ? Sheesh, I don't go that far for my holidays.

The one at Heatherbrae will do and later in the week is good. We'll see how the weather goes.

[old dog]

sounds good kevin. Will talk about it next week.

[tim71]

G'day Kevin,

well done on the new additions.

I am keen to hear what you think of the DA*300mm and the 15mm LTD.

I have just bought a 70mm LTD and am enjoying the IQ and colour rendition of the lens, which has helped improved my portrait photography no end. I am also learning the ropes on my new sigma 8-16, its a bit harder to drive than the 70mm but has heaps of creative potential.

not sure I will be allowed to go near the camera stores for a while though! but I have enough new toys to stay out of trouble for a while.

can you get a 1.5x tele converter for the DA* 300mm?

cheers,

Tim

[Cage]

Hi Tim

When this bloody wind dies down I'll be able to try them out. It's been so gusty here that I couldn't even shoot static subjects because the gusts would move me around.

I have the Tamron 1.4 AF teleconverter which from all reports works quite well on the 300.

Hopefully tomorrow will be not so windy.

Glad to hear about your new toys. I know my 40 is as sharp as a tack and all the 'Ltd' lens seem to have outstanding colour rendition. That 8-16 sure is one wide lens. How do you keep your feet out of the frame?

Cheers

Kevin

[David]

Thanks David, I hear what you are saying.

Being retired, I've spent the best part of today researching this, and coincidentally have bookmarked a mob in the states who have a Cokin Z-Pro package with with a choice of Hitech GND filters and includes the adaptor ring, for $US146.61. Should land here for under $AU200.00. Need to go to Hi-tech's site to see what all the various filters do.

Cheers

Kevin

Mate I am not retired but I get that you have to watch your pennies: a deal which brings home the Z Pro Filter holder and an adaptor ring and 3 GND filters for under 200.00 seems to me to be a good deal given what I shelled out recently to get there. IF they offer a choice and you can get the HiTech HARD 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 GNDs for one stop, two stop and three stop GND value you are on a good thing.

For most of the conditions where a GND is used for me (sunrise) I find myself reaching for the 0.9 3 stop GND filter most of the time and stacking with the 1 one or 2 stop GNDs if necessary. You want the exposure in the area above the horizon where the dark part of the GND is used to be ONE STOP over the difference between the two areas.

So, for example, if the exposure difference between the sky where the sun is doing its thing and the foreground below the horizon is four stops, you use the three stop GND.

I assume you know to point the spot meter at the sky, get an exposure time for that, then point the spot meter at the foreground area, get an exposure time for that, work out the stop difference (how many stops of time between the two exposures) and that tells you what GND/s you need to load up into the Filter Holder in order to create a one stop difference between the sky and foreground areas.

If I got ONE GND it would be the 0.9 three stop HARD GND. I have used two GNDs at the same time on occasion, but most of the time the 3 stop GND does the trick with most sunrise conditions.

For Sunsets, and I do not have one yet, they recommend a reverse GND, but that is another story.

Hope you get it sorted out soon and have some great success with your investment.

[Cage]

Thanks for the info David, and no, I didn't know about the methods of working out the which GND to use.
So do you meter off a bright section of sky using multi segment metering and then a darkish part of the foreground ?

The package I mentioned was for only one Hitech filter and you've helped me again there with the suggestion of the 0.9 hard. I really had no idea.

Once again, thanks for the help.

Kevin

[David]

Thanks for the info David, and no, I didn't know about the methods of working out the which GND to use.
So do you meter off a bright section of sky using multi segment metering and then a darkish part of the foreground ?

The package I mentioned was for only one Hitech filter and you've helped me again there with the suggestion of the 0.9 hard. I really had no idea.

Once again, thanks for the help.

Kevin

Yes mate, meter for the sky section first (not at the sun directly mind you -keep the sun itself out of the frame for metering) and then a dark/shadows section and go with that. IF you get just one GND to start with the 0.9 Hard would be my first choice. Good luck with it all.

[Cage]

Well my Chinese knock-off of the Cokin 'P' holder arrived today along with a metal 49mm adapter. Quality wise I can't see any noticeable difference to the Cokin 'A' holder that I have.

First up it wouldn't attach to the 15mm Ltd because of the fixed hood. I had an old 49mm filter that I knocked the glass out of and attached that to the lens to get clearance above the hood, and the holder then went on with no problems.

Put it on the camera and did a few test shots. I could only see the slightest bit of vignetting on 1 of 8 shots I took (see attached). To say I'm chuffed would be an understatement.

I'd like to claim this clever trick as my own, but I picked up the idea from another forum. I'm thinking of taking to the adaptor with some emery paper to increase the chamfer a tad but the little bit of vignetting I saw was easily corrected in PS.

Now for a good quality GND slide in filter.

Cheers

Kevin