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Cokin Filters – Gear Review and tests

Posted on September 3, 2008 | No Comments

Hello again, has been a while since I last posted.

I thought i’d write a little about Cokin filters I’ve been using for the last 8 months or so with my Canon 40D, primarily attached to my Sigma 10-20mm lens, which I love – it’s hardly been off my camera since I bought it many months ago.

The Cokin filter system

If you don’t know anything about Cokin, they are a simple range of filters that fit on the front of your camera, with a screw in plate which you can get in any size to go on the front of any sized lens. you then slot the plastic filter holder over the metal screw in plate, and then slot your desired filter into that. (See pic)

I’ve been using the cokin filters pretty much non stop when i’ve been taking outdoor landscape shots, especially when trying to add definition to clouds and sky. The main use for Cokin filter for me, is for using the ND range of filters, which allow you to control the exposure of the upper end of the photograph. By using the graduated neutral density filters, it effectively knocks down a few stops (depending on the strength of the filter you use) so you get more range of exposure within the same picture. The filters allow the photographer to have greater control over the aperture and the actual exposure time – which can allow you to have much more creative control.

A great example would be if you wanted to show some motion blur, such as a stream, waterfall, waves etc, as I have done in this picture on the right. It allows you to use a slower shutter speed as it is knocking out the light which would have forced you to use a faster shutter speed without the filters on. You could use a non graduated filter here.

For times when you want to expose the land and sky at the sane time, you would use a graduated filter – one that is darker one end that the other, and for scenes when you want to have an even knockdown – ie a waterfall, you would use a non graduated filter…. if that makes sense!

There are some examples of use here:

Using a standard ND4 (Non Grad)

Graduated ND4

Grad ND8

Another more obvious examples would be here:

Personally I really enjoy using them, but there are many other ways of getting that effect, and many other manufacturers of filters, the next step up would probably be the LEE series of filters, but Cokin are are a great set to learn with, and see what filters you actually use a lot. I primarily use the GRAD ND8, GRAD ND4 and standard ND2, ND4 and ND8. I’ve never used the coloured filters, even though I do have a few of them.

Oh and I should also mention that I use a polariser with them as well, for really bringing out the definition of the sky.

These are some of the Cokin filter I have been taking about here:

Thanks for taking the time to get all the way down here!
Let me know how you get on
Chris