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The dynamic range of output devices like camera sensor, monitor or photo printing paper is quite different form the human eye. That being said, there are cases when these device are limited in the ability to reproduce that impressive dynamic range of shadows and light exciting in our visual world in one image. This mostly concerns compositions where light and dark areas coexist. For example, sunrise or sunset landscape, or bright sky and dark shadows of the mountains. In this cases the dynamic range from bright to shadows is too wide for these output devices or file formats we usaully the final image to. As a result, light areas get overexposed while the exposure is adjusted to dark parts of the image. Graduated ND filters help to overcome this issue by balancing the luminosity of a bright sky with the terrain below and by this reason are highly demanded by photographers.
Have you ever experienced difficulties in adjusting proper exposure over the entire image?
When the exposure is measured over the ground - the sky gets blown out,
when you adjust EV to the sky - the ground gets back.
Graduated ND filter will help you to overcome this problem!
For JPEG users it is a crucial output. Graduated filter helped to adjust the luminosity of a bright sky with the terrain and as a result we have exellent, overall wetll exposed ready-to-go image.
Below is and example of the situation where the sky got blown out once the exposition was adjusted to the ground.
For professional photographers who work with RAW data, graduated filter will help to preserve rich pixel data in bright areas. That will make further post-editing process easy and time-samving. Especially this issue concerns bright areas, where pixel rescue is the most difficult process.
There are several filter brands that offer graduated ND filters. The majority of them offer square graduated ND filters with several types of gradation - from hard to soft edge. Square graduated ND filters require filter adapter system that allows to adjust gradation edge vertically or by rotating the filter to fit the composition or photographer’s intention. But this square filter system is usually bulky and expensive.
Another type of graduated ND filters that is less presented on the market is screw-on rotating round filters. These filters cannot allow vertical adjustment but is very handy, compact, easy to carry and more acceptable in price.
With the development of digital post-processing technologies, photographers currently have the option to reproduce the graduated ND filter effect either inside the camera or using HDR effects in post-processing software like Lightroom, This method is a matter of personal preference, but will require rich pixel data preserved in adjusting area.
For those photographers who prefer to achieve desired results in the field, more natural look of the image and a compact solution, HOYA releases top quality blender type PROND GRAD line, featuring HOYA PROND16 GRAD and PROND32 GRAD filters.
HOYA PROND GRAD filters feature blender type graduated round filters marketed and designed to offer solution to overexposed issues especially to those photographers who are specializing mainly in landscape photography. HOYA PROND GRAD filters incorporate ACCU-ND technology, providing the best experience for the photographer.
Unlike soft edge or hard edge GRAD filters, HOYA PROND GRAD filters belong to the blender type of graduated filters featuring transition over the entire area of the filter, from top to bottom.
Hard edge
Soft edge
Blender type
Blenders can be used for a variety of scenes especially when the scenery and horizon are too complex to hide the transition of a soft edge filter. Blender type HOYA PROND GRAD filters are extremely versatile and easy to use.
Hilight
HOYA PROND GRAD adopts ND deposition process technology that allows gradation to be distributed equally through the entire filter glass surface. However, to maintain true density value inside the image area we adjusted the effective blending area in the way that the specified density would start and fade out inside that image area. That will help photographers to apply the required density to the image in the most effective way
Main Features
HOYA PROND FILTER is a high technological product targeted for both still photography and HDSLR video markets. The PROND filters use HOYA’s exclusive clear optical glass that incorporates a metallic coating on front and back side to equally reduce almost all range of the light spectrum even in the IR area. The ACCU-ND technology used in the coating process perform a truly neutral color balance that will not add any noticeable color cast to your images.
