Graduated neutral - density filter ??

I have a canon 20D and a canon 17 -40 mm F4L .
I am looking at getting a G.N.D filter and not sure what brand to get . Any recommendations would be appreciated !!!

Thanks in advance -

RobK

Search for "GND" or "graduated filter" Rob and you can probably find some threads that deal with this already.

I have always like Galen Rowell ND's or the Lepp ND's...both are high quality. You also might consider blending multiple exposures using layers and masks in Photoshop. It is a little more post processing work, but it is easier in the field, you can save money on equipment, and once you learn how to do it, I believe you have a bit more control than using filters. I am no expert on it, but that has been my experience. Here is a link to an article about the blending in PS..there are also plenty of books availabe. I am sure there others who know more than me, so I will watch the post and probably learn something myself . All the best...Nate

http://www.naturescapes.net/022008/tg0208.htm

There are quite a few discussions on GND versus blending exposures on here too...same search parameters.

Natan

I know i am lame but , using layers and masks in Photo-shop , i don't have a clue how to do that .

I use gnds and blends, sometimes in combo sometimes seperately, depending on the situation. SIngh Rays have the best reputation, but im poor so i use cheap Hitechs.

You can't go wrong with Singh-Ray grads. Expensive but top notch products. I prefer the 4x6 size which are easier to handhold.

mike

Hi Rob; There are several levels of grads on the market. Budget level are the ones from Cokin. Above that you will find Lee, Singh Ray (called Galen Rowell or Daryl Benson depending on the grad). If you can, put your money into the better grads as the transition is less visibvle in the image. As noted above, make sure you buy the 4" 100 mm size. You should also plan on buying a holder as it is an art to try and hold a grad in the correct location while taking the image, especially if the exposure is longer than 1/2 second. There is a trick to positioning the grad - stop down the lens and the grad will be visible trough the view finder; position it and then shoot. You need to stop down because the grad will appear differently when wide open compared to stopped down. keep in mind that grads are difficult to handle in the mountains as it is very tricky, sometimes impossible, to position the grad so that it is not noticeable. In this instance it is better to shoot three exposures and blend in Photoshop. This is an art but that's what we are - artists. There are many sites to learn from and Steve Kelby's books are always a great help. Cheers,
Steve