zone5 Posted June 5, 2009 Share #1 Posted June 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi I purchased Lee RF 75 holder and 0.6 Neutral Density Hard Graduated filter. I wanted Soft cut but that is back ordered. As you know I came from SLR world to RF world recently. So far I love M8 and D-lux4. Soon after i got this filter delivery I realized that I can not see this filter through the lens. I laughed at myself. haha..... Now I have to learn how to use this filter on my M8. Would you please share your techniques with me. Thanks Hyunchul Jung http://www.thefocusedlight.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 5, 2009 Posted June 5, 2009 Hi zone5, Take a look here How to use Graduated Filter on M8?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted June 5, 2009 Share #2 Posted June 5, 2009 Trial and error. And a tripod makes things easier. And plenty of chimping, if you are using it on an M8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2009 Share #3 Posted June 5, 2009 HiI purchased Lee RF 75 holder and 0.6 Neutral Density Hard Graduated filter. I wanted Soft cut but that is back ordered. As you know I came from SLR world to RF world recently. So far I love M8 and D-lux4. Soon after i got this filter delivery I realized that I can not see this filter through the lens. I laughed at myself. haha..... Now I have to learn how to use this filter on my M8. Would you please share your techniques with me. Thanks Hyunchul Jung http://www.thefocusedlight.com An alternative would be to use the colour effex plug in from Nik.I am playing around with a trial copy . Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Negative Posted June 5, 2009 Share #4 Posted June 5, 2009 Trial and error. And a tripod makes things easier. And plenty of chimping, if you are using it on an M8. Pretty much. RFs don't lend themselves to using most filters, unfortunately. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicar7 Posted June 5, 2009 Share #5 Posted June 5, 2009 I recommend sticking to an SLR if your photography really requires a graduated filter. Nothing about an RF camera is designed to enable the use of such a filter. Using a polarizer is bad enough as Rube Goldberg solutions go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zone5 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted June 5, 2009 Well I do not plan to use filter a lot with my M8 but since M8 will be my main traveling camera, I want to know how to use GD filter for a certain light situation. I know the strength and weakness of RF and SLR. But saying just stay with your SLR if you want to use filter will be similar statement as saying just stay with your RF if you want to carry camera around. I want to use my Leica system as much as I can use whatever possible way since I fell in love with this Leica look. Thanks Hyunchul Jung http://www.thefocusedlight.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted June 5, 2009 Share #7 Posted June 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) The "Leica look" comes from using a Leica. Grad filters + Leica just don't go well together. Therefore, the Leica look comes from NOT using grad filters. I bet that you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who post photographs here, who use grad filters. I'd leave them at home, if I were you, and if I were looking for the "Leica look". Don't try and use an M in the same way as you used to use your digital SLR, is my advice. Just a thought... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanhulsenbeek Posted June 5, 2009 Share #8 Posted June 5, 2009 Hyunchul, I sympathise with you. I bought the same set from Lee (through Robert White) and tried to use it for vertival panorama shooting, but the holder was in the way of my pano set-up. Now I have a Nodal Ninja 3MkII, and when my M8 is back form its yearly cleaning in Solms, I will sure try it. I feel it will be great for carefull pano-tripod shooting, and I am not sure any PP filter will do the same trick for that kind of photography. Let's see! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Pope Posted June 5, 2009 Share #9 Posted June 5, 2009 The RF-75 filter holder has markings on the front to help with positioning the filters. I have the standard 'hard' graduated filter set and I don't have any real problems with positioning the filter. As Andy pointed out, it is necessary to chimp to double-check the position of the filter. Cheers Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 5, 2009 Share #10 Posted June 5, 2009 The "Leica look" comes from using a Leica. Grad filters + Leica just don't go well together. Therefore, the Leica look comes from NOT using grad filters. I bet that you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who post photographs here, who use grad filters. I'd leave them at home, if I were you, and if I were looking for the "Leica look". Don't try and use an M in the same way as you used to use your digital SLR, is my advice. Just a thought... Interesting Andy, I kind of agree with you. I only use filters with my SLR's, the rangefinders are usually filterless! Just seems the right way. Filters for B&W film are great on the rangefinder though - its not easy viewing a green or red image in an SLR! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted June 6, 2009 Share #11 Posted June 6, 2009 Sander, I do agree, if you for landscape photography must control a hot sky, there really is no digital filter to do the same. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zone5 Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted June 6, 2009 hello Bo I enjoyed your excellent photos. I understand filter is not favorite thing for Leica. But I do not understand why some people does not try to understand what is real question. FIlter is not best thing for any camera system especially RF. I got that since I researched a little bit before I jumped to RF ship. I think majority of people who is using M8 is using UV/IR filter anyway. I know that is leica filter and that is non avoidable. My question was how to use GD filter properly with M8 if any person had experience. I know filter is not the best thing but as we use UV/IR filter with non avoidable reason, some landscape situation demand GD filter no matter what system I use. From reading some article I understood Leica Look is possibly coming from micro sharpness from leica lens but I do not know this is quite true or not. I do not want to kill leica look with filter but some light situation without GD filter I have to give up the shot I imagine. No PP program filter will do same quality job. Again, I got that filter is not ideal thing for RF system but my question was how to use filter if I have to use it? Hyunchul Jung, http://www.thefocusedlight.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darvin2138 Posted June 6, 2009 Share #13 Posted June 6, 2009 Thanks for starting this thread, I'll wait for the result because I myself is planning to purchase Lee filters or any equivalent that can be used for M8, the same way I used for DSLR ( CPL, ND, etc). But the way I see it, only few can answer your question since most of the Leica users are not into these filters, as mentioned above. Let's see... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 6, 2009 Share #14 Posted June 6, 2009 The only practical way is by chimping as mentioned earlier. 1. Set your M8 on a tripod (so that when your adjusting the Grad ND against the horizon the camera doesn't move as well and spoil your adjustment) 2. attach the filter 3. compose through the viewfinder 4. estimate where you want the ND/clear margin to fall on the image and adjust filter 5. set focus 6. set exposure 7. shoot 8. review picture on LCD 9. if the Grad ND needs adjustment, adjust and repeat from step 4 until satisfied. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted June 6, 2009 Share #15 Posted June 6, 2009 The "Leica look" comes from using a Leica. Grad filters + Leica just don't go well together. Therefore, the Leica look comes from NOT using grad filters. I bet that you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who post photographs here, who use grad filters. I'd leave them at home, if I were you, and if I were looking for the "Leica look". Don't try and use an M in the same way as you used to use your digital SLR, is my advice. Just a thought... Heh, I could say the same thing about using your Leica (M) on a tripod... if you're using a tripod you probably should be shooting 4x5 (I do have a tripod, and I do occasionally use it, but it has the same sense to me as using a grad filter on an M - a neccessary evil). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicar7 Posted June 6, 2009 Share #16 Posted June 6, 2009 Perhaps a method to avoid a "need" for a GD filter might be to take advantage of the digital aspect of the M8 and make two exposures, one for the sky and one for the ground. Merge the two later in PS or some other program. Seems less Rubeish to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 6, 2009 Share #17 Posted June 6, 2009 Perhaps a method to avoid a "need" for a GD filter might be to take advantage of the digital aspect of the M8 and make two exposures, one for the sky and one for the ground. Merge the two later in PS or some other program. Seems less Rubeish to me. Ah, but then you'll upset the HDR bashers ... Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 6, 2009 Share #18 Posted June 6, 2009 Hyunchul Jung - Here's my technique: Leave the filters at home. Shoot good files. Apply 'graduations' on a duplicate layer in Photoshop using the Gradient Tool in Photoshop set [usually] to Colour Burn, with the 'Foreground/Background colours set to Black/White, and Opacity around 5%. Fine tune the 'graduated' layer as necessary, and commend yourself for using a better process than the clunky hit-or-miss rangefinder-with-filters technique. ................ Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 6, 2009 Share #19 Posted June 6, 2009 Hyunchul Jung - Here's my technique: Leave the filters at home. Shoot good files. Apply 'graduations' on a duplicate layer in Photoshop using the Gradient Tool in Photoshop set [usually] to Colour Burn, with the 'Foreground/Background colours set to Black/White, and Opacity around 5%. Fine tune the 'graduated' layer as necessary, and commend yourself for using a better process than the clunky hit-or-miss rangefinder-with-filters technique. ................ Chris And resign yourself to losing pictures. There are situations, like townscapes under skies with a light cloud cover, or an indoor shot against a large window, that demand a tonal range that taxes negative film (and your manipulating skills in the darkroom) and are beyond the capacity of digital capture. There are simply just so many photons that a pixel can absorb, and if you pour in more, you get burned-out highlights. Expose less, and the foreground falls under the noise floor. There is NO post-processing wizardry that can 'recover' detail that simply isn't there anymore. The only option is to compress subject tonal range with a grad filter. (Or you may be bloody-minded enough to use fill flash, but that doesn't usually work for townscapes ...) As for use, that is no problem. If you can use a RF camera, then you see the picture already before you raise the camera to your eye. Position the filter accordingly. Most SLR photographers on the other hand 'find' the picture in the finder, after much fiddling around, so they must see the filter effect directly on the focusing screen. Poor things. The old man from the Filter Age Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
csg Posted June 9, 2009 Share #20 Posted June 9, 2009 You may want to check out this blog -- The Art of Adventure Photography He uses a medium format RF with graduated filters, both hand held and tripod based photography. In a couple of blog posts he discusses his technique, which seems simple enough. If you want more info, you could contact him and ask for advice/tips. His excellent results certainly suggest that your idea has merit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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