Getting started with ND and ND grad filters...

[Disastrous]

Firstly, I know there have been many threads on the subject, and I have done a lot of reading but still have some questions of my own I'm hoping the collective wisdom on here can help with...

I'd like to get a bit more creative with my photography and living on the West Coast of Scotland, find myself taking more pictures of seascapes/sunsets/mountains than anything else. And I'd like to try a few of those silky water type pictures too.

I also live in the city and have been experimenting a lot with night shots with long exposure times, pull up to my bumper baby style car headlights and so on.

Additionally, I've been loving my new EOS M to bits, and in all honesty, given the size of it, I can get see it getting chucked in a rucksack far more often than a big camera, meaning more opportunity for use. But I'd like to be able to get some filters I can use on both the EOS M lenses and the bigger EF lenses I have, so I have all options covered.

So I'm trying to work out what I need and I have a couple of questions:

1). To my mind it sounds like I need both ND and Grads (the former for the silky water/headlights, the latter for landscapes) - is that right?

2). Assuming yes, would you ever combine both? For example, an ND to give a long exposure and an ND grad to control the sky?

3). Can anyone recommend a starter kit? I'm thinking I need a holder that will take an adapter so I can use it on the dinky M series lenses as well as the bigger ones?

4). Money IS an object (at least whilst I'm learning). I'd like to sort of dip my toe in and experiment cheaply, find out what I like and then spend more on something more focussed. Is there a good 'bag o filters' that gives a broad mix of types and stops, will adapt to all my lenses and let me practice?

Thanks in advance. - that turned out much longer than planned!

[Disastrous]

The_Jackal said:

This should give you a taster and decide if you want more expensive filters later on.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Full-Graduated-ND-Filter...
Bargain for £13

@The_Jackal: Surely not! That looks astonishing value!

Am I reading that correctly, that the holder will come with adaptor rings to fit all those lens diameters? Amazing if so! Ordering at once

@DavidY: Mark Mullen's blog was funnily enough one of the first places I started - very useful reading. I should have said, I have tripod etc etc. I've got a good manfrotto for the work camera (I ought to have explained I do video production but stills is relatively new to me. Plus the DoP just tells me what he wants to hire filter wise and I let him get on with it!) and the medium gorilla pod which when combined with the 2 sec timer on huge EOS M, is perfect!

[Disastrous]

As a supplemental question, assuming I'm shooting RAW, what would happen if I exposed for the sky (or brightest highlights) and then brought the underexposed areas up in processing?

How feasible is that, assuming I could be arsed (I can't) and would it get you the visually 'same' result, or a I missing the theory somewhere?

[Disastrous]

Mine was apparently dispatched on the 14th but hasn't arrived yet. Hoping it gets here before the weekend as I'm off to the Highlands and weather permitting should be able to give them a decent test...

Glad to hear they're worth the money. Cokin filters seem quite well regarded so good to know it will all fit should I upgrade.

[Disastrous]

MysteryLemon said:

I ordered mine on the 13th and they just arrived yesterday (collected them from post office this morning) so hopefully you'll get today

Also just to ask, the filter mount allows you to stack 3 filters in a row. Would it be as simple as stacking the 4,3 and 2 stop filters to effectively make a 9 stop filter? Or does the light reduction with stacking filters not work like that?

Edited by MysteryLemon on Thursday 21st August 09:58

My understanding is that yes, it should be exactly as simple as that! Not sure if cheaper filters stacked might introduce any wrongness but in theory it should be fine.

[Disastrous]

Not bad!

Mine arrived today but I only had five minutes to open the package...honestly can't tell a couple of the grads apart, oddly. Need to figure them out tomorrow - wish they were labelled!