GND Question

[Ed Vatza]

So I went to B&H today. I walked up to the counter and asked the guy about the Cokin Filter System and Singh Ray GND. He agreed with the Cokin system but talked me into a Lee 3-stop GND filter instead of the Singh Ray. OK, so far, so good I guess. Then he thoroughly confused me. I also asked him about a regular cokin 4-stop ND filter and he went off about the GND I just bought.

This is what it comes down to. My assumption re: GND. The top of the filter is 3-stop ND and as you move south you move toward clear glass or shall I say 0-stop ND. He said no, the bottom is 3-stop ND and as you move north it gets darker. A swear I am right but he is supposedly the filter "expert". Maybe after that conversation I should have backed off the Lee and went with my original choice of the Singh Ray.

Your thoughts? Am I just flat out wrong? And should I keep the Lee for P or return it for the Singh Ray?

[James Shadle]

I'm not sure if I get it.
A graduated neutral density filter in the 3 stop range, the way I understand it, will be three stops darker at it's darkest area with lightest area being close to clear.
James

[Ed Vatza]

I'm not sure if I get it.
A graduated neutral density filter in the 3 stop range, the way I understand it, will be three stops darker at it's darkest area with lightest area being close to clear.
James

This is exactly what I think but even after I offered the explanation, the employee at B&H insisted it was three stops darker at the bottom and even darker (like say six stops) at the top. Doesn't make sense to me.

I just read the box on the Lee 3-stop GND Filter and I am even more certain that I am correct. Oh man, maybe I shouldn't have lsitened to him about the Lee filter.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Ed Why don't you send Roman a PM?

We can give you the tech info but might want to see from a heavy users point of view !!

[Mike Tracy]

That's always been my belief as well. You sure you weren't at a Ritz ?

[William Malacarne]

Maybe he had it upside down....:)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduat...density_filter

Bill

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ed,
Don't know where this guy is from........mars maybe......but you are correct......if in fact you have the Grad ND......soft stop. I owned the Lee........and was very happy with it.......until I scratched the 5th one through my carelessness (never been one to treat equip. great).....changed to Singh Ray........se no visible difference......so if you see clear at the bottom....with gradation from the middle to top.........that is the one you want! A solid ND..........is a different animal..........and I know of no filter.......that is tinted on the bottom and top. Must be a self imposed title of "filter expert". PM me if you have any more questions.

[Ed Vatza]

Thanks Roman and everyone else.

I got the right filter but got a bad story. I kept thinking this guy is saying the same thing I am only using different words then he said "its three stop at the bottom and maybe 10 at the top." Nope, not the same thing at all!