Customer Reviews

B+W 72mm Grad ND 0.6-4X (502)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'm not going to get into why one would want this specific type of filter - there are books on the subject that will go into a lot more detail - here is one example - there are many: The Photographer's Guide to Filters (Photographers Guide).

I will comment on the quality of this product. B+W filters are made in Germany. Germany is consistenly one of the best producers of high end glass and optics. I have been told the reason the quality of these filters is better than most is that they don't make them as separate units, but instead they build a cylinder of glass and cut each filter off of it. Consistent quality. Screw ring is hard metal, so it is very difficult to strip the threads. I have messed up the threads on cheaper brands by accident.

In my experience, buying filters falls into the category of you get what you pay for. Cheaper brands are out there, but if you want a very high quality filter, that is durable and consistent with what you want to achieve with it... you can't go wrong with B+W filters.

Be sure to choose the right size - for example, Nikon prints the size on the back of the lens cap.

These days many effects that old school filters used to be required for can now be done via software, alas there are a few that cannot be replicated. One is the graduated neutral density filter, such as this one. Sure you can darken part of an image in Photoshop, but you're missing the real benefit of having that ability at exposure on the lens. Sunsets or other scenes where bright lighting in part of the image can hinder the ability of the sensor to capture and record details in darker parts of the scene. This is also true of film, but most of you who are still using film probably already know this.

To be honest, most users will probably benefit from a setup like this Cokin U961 Z-Pro Grad Filter Kit, SQ/ Z Pro Filters, but I needed something compact that could work on my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras without vignietting. It did the trick, and I never regretted going with a round grad ND vs a square one (which you can slide to adjust the horizon as needed). My only real complaint is that it does scratch quite easily.

For those of you debating between a 1 stop (B + W 77mm #501 Color Graduated Filter - Light Dark Grey Neutral Density (ND)) and 2 stop grad ND (such as this one, the 502), I strongly suggest a 2 or maybe 3 stop one.

This filter is very hard to use because even with the depth of field preview button you struggle to see the gradation line. Also, you can't move the line up and down as the scene demands. I really recommend, and have personally gone to, the 4X6 rectangular graduated ND filters and the results are far superior. Hitech also makes an acceptable resin filter in both the 4X6 and Cokin P sizes (go for the 4X6 if you can). Singh Ray's are the absolute best as they are glass. A bit pricey though. Don't bother with the circular ones at all.

B+W 501 and 502 graduated neutral density filters vary tremendously in color and density. They have a serious quality control problem.

My needs for 3D filming left me with no alternative but to find a matched pair of B+W 502 filters - it took three months to come up with a pair that had the same density and color and even then, they have a slight blue-green cast. It's next to impossible to find a B+W 502 that's actually grey (neutral) like it's supposed to be.

[...]

If you are using a rangefinder or any other camera that does not allow you to examine the effect of the filter through the camera lens, there is unfortunately no alternative to the B+W 501 and 502 in a round, screw-in mount other than the Heliopan graduated ND filters, but these are ridiculously low in density for their rating. The Heliopan graduated ND filters are all but useless.

If you are using an SLR, DSLR, or some other design that allows you to look through the camera lens (such as a view camera with ground glass), you should seriously consider the use of a rectangular graduated ND filter in an ajustable holder (instead of a round screw-in filter). Have a look at those made by Singh Ray, Lee Filters, Formatt, or Schneider Optics. They are all offered in both hard and soft edge gradients - the soft edge gradients are best for wide angle lenses, hard edge for normal or telephoto lenses.

Mike

I'm not going to get into why one would want this specific type of filter - there are books on the subject that will go into a lot more detail - here is one example - there are many: The Photographer's Guide to Filters (Photographers Guide).

I will comment on the other review here in that this filter works fine if you use it as it was designed to be used, in most cases its to filter down a bright sky and keep your exposure correct for the rest of the shot (landscape). It is a round filter, so yes, you are limited on some of the choices compared to external plate filters, but that doesn't mean this filter is a flop.

B+W filters are made in Germany. Germany is consistenly one of the best producers of high end glass and optics. I have been told the reason the quality of these filters is better than most is that they don't make them as separate units, but instead they build a cylinder of glass and cut each filter off of it. Consistent quality. Screw ring is hard metal, so it is very difficult to strip the threads. I have messed up the threads on cheaper brands by accident.

In my experience, buying filters falls into the category of you get what you pay for. Cheaper brands are out there, but if you want a very high quality filter, that is durable and consistent with what you want to achieve with it... you can't go wrong with B+W filters.

Be sure to choose the right size - for example, Nikon prints the size on the back of the lens cap.

I'm not going to get into why one would want this specific type of filter - there are books on the subject that will go into a lot more detail - here is one example - there are many: The Photographer's Guide to Filters (Photographers Guide).

What I will review is quality of this product. B+W filters are made in Germany. Germany is consistenly one of the best producers of high end glass and optics. I have been told the reason the quality of these filters is better than most is that they don't make them as separate units, but instead they build a cylinder of glass and cut each filter off of it. Consistent quality. Screw ring is hard metal, so it is very difficult to strip the threads. I have messed up the threads on cheaper brands by accident.

In my experience, buying filters falls into the category of you get what you pay for. Cheaper brands are out there, but if you want a very high quality filter, that is durable and consistent with what you want to achieve with it... you can't go wrong with B+W filters.

Be sure to choose the right size - for example, Nikon prints the size on the back of the lens cap.

I purchased the 77mm graduated ND filter #501 and used it with my Canon 40D. Although this is advertised as a one stop filter, I did not achieve that result. It was neither darker, nor were colors in the sky or elsewhere noticeably improved at all. The graduation is so subtle, and the full effect is so far to the edge of the filter (this is not a hard edge in the center of the filter), that I could only notice the difference if I aligned the dark edge of the filter with the narrow side of my image and it was only 1/3 stop darker. Even when aligned with the corner, I did not see much more than 1/3 of a stop difference. I used a tripod, and set my camera to manual when testing this. Perhaps a full frame sensor camera would achieve closer to the advertised one stop, but I would recommend you purchase the two stop at least (#502) or go a store and try a few of these out before purchasing.
This was a very disappointing purchase, which I immediately returned.

If you're reading this then you already know what a GND filter does, so I'll skip the documentation.

When you first hold the filter, you feel the weight of quality glass in your hands and not some cheap plastic. The graduation is fine and evenly spread out, and the transition is smooth.
However, and that's the reason I gave this 4 stars, once the filter is attached it's really difficult to see where the clear and the dark sections are. I looked in the viewfinder, and I kept rotating and I could barely notice any difference.
The best way to do this is to look at the front of your lens while attaching it and make sure it's where you want it to be.
But don't let this dissapoint you, it's worth the money, you'll see the results on the picture after you take it, it's unmissable.

This Grad filter was a tad bit too light. Eventually probably get a deeper ND level. But it is pretty good for a sky that is *almost there, but needs a little more help.

I know a lot of people like bayonet graduated ND filters. And I agree, they allow you more creative latitude. But they come at a huge price. I shott the Canon L series lenses, I have the best glass there is. Why should I put a $20 pieco of plastic in fornt of a $1500 lens? It totally degrades IQ.

Yes, with a screw in graduated ND you are limited in the angle, and you are required to work around that limitation, but at least you don't degrade IQ. And if you have ever owed a B&W filter, you know there is no degredation of IQ with their fileters (vs Sunpack or Tiffen).

You may have to play a bit in Photoshop to maximise the the photo's exposure, but you can modify dynamic range...you can't modify IQ.