Photographer Stephan Wiesner specializes in landscape photography and is known for his photos and explanatory videos on YouTube, Instagram and his blog. Now he has tested our Rollei F:X Pro (ND filter and gray gradient filter) and published an informative video about it on YouTube.
It offers some good tips and tricks on how to use the filters and landscape photography. Wiesner shows various test situations.
For example, how he does it with his cameralong exposures at the port in Hamburg and the Steinhuder Meer in Lower Saxony.
In the video he explains, among other things, that he oftensquare filter combined with each other, such as his at the port of HamburgND8 and ND1000 in the plug-in filter holder.
ND filter for a longer exposure time
ND stands for neutral density filter. You also will begray filter and are used when the light incident on the camera sensor is to be reduced. Depending on the strength of the gray filter, the exposure time can be extended by a few f-stops.n.
By darkening the ND filter, you are able to take magical photos with long exposure times and an impressive effect even in sunshine.
Moving elements of the image composition blur, for example, which, when recording a river, ensures that the water looks silky, but larger stones in the river are drawn sharply because they are not moving..
Gollinger water mill with theND1000 gray filter
Graduated gray filter, among other things, with a hard transition
However, it is not just a neutral density filter test, because the range of the F:X Pro series also includes neutral density filters.
Compared to ND filters, graduated filters offer abbreviated onlyGND filter are called (graduated neutral density) a transition from tint to transparency. They are used (unlike normal ND filters) for motifs in which the brightness conditions within the motif are different and therefore have to be adjusted differently for a good landscape image.
There are different types of gradient filters. For example the Hard GND with a hard course, as the name already suggests. It is particularly suitable for subjects that have a clear horizon line.
However, there are alsofilter with a soft gradient and those where the tint runs outwards from the center to one side (Reverse) or from the center to both sides (Center).
ND filters and gray gradient filters must be firmly seated in the holder
Anyone who knows Wiesner knows that he has a large and loyal fan base, which also comments gratefully and kindly on his videos.
This may be due to the fact that Wiesner explains the subject of his videos in an understandable way and occasionally throws in a joke. At the Elbphilharmonie, for example, when he repeatedly starts to speak, and the noise of traffic constantly intervenes from the background.
Hamburg Elbphilharmonie with theND8 gray filter +ND1000 gray filter
In his video, Wiesner also explains thatND filter andGraduated Gray Filter have to be particularly tight in the holder, which in turn means that you have to use a little force to remove them from the holder. It follows that fingerprints can sometimes end up on the glass, which is why he presents a little trick: because Wiesner always has a cleaning cloth up his sleeve when he is out taking photos in the countryside. This enables him to quickly clean the glass that sits in front of the lens in the filter holder system if necessary and then to tuck the cloth away up his sleeve.
He reports that cleaning was not always so easy with other manufacturers. Wiesner explains that it has happened before, that he had to throw away products because they were so dirty that they could no longer be saved.
With the new F:X Pro, this problem is a thing of the past. Because of the particularly fine coating, fingerprints are no longer a problem because they can be easily removed. The new coating also results in even fewer light reflections.
Under the point of stability, he explains that glass filters can be a little problematic for landscape photographers. When you're out and about somewhere and your fingers get stiff in the morning, things sometimes fall down, says Wiesner.r.
Right at that moment he shows the high quality of the F:X Pro filters, which are made of Gorilla Glass and are extremely resistant. Because while the camera shows him in the middle of the picture, Wiesner simply throws a filter out of the picture to the right. After showing the intact Rollei filter, he dryly explains that he probably needs to vacuum again.
Steinhuder Sea with theND64 gray filter +GND8 gray gradient filter
In the comments under his YouTube video, his fans celebrate this moment. One writes humorously: I was shocked when the filter suddenly flew through the booth. I bet Rollei's sales department is now having a heart attack. Pretty brave, Stephan. (Note from us: We also laughed at this moment in the video.)t.)
Wiesner himself says:
„Please don't copy it, because this is laminate now, but if you take a picture by a creek, the filter might just be gone. That's probably more of a problem then that it would break.“
Jetty at the Steinhuder Meer with theND1000 gray filter +GND8 gray gradient filter
Conclusion: Wiesner can recommend the filters: I'm faster with them than with a round filter because I can simply leave the attachment on, says Wiesner. Take the attachment out of your pocket and click on it, done. By this he means the easy-lock system of the rectangular filter holder, which allows the filter holder to be separated from the base ring on the lens with just one hand movement.st.
Another part of the conclusion: Wiesner finds the accompanying bag with the filters very well organized and says that the practical thing about it is that you can simply spread out the bag and prepare the camera filters so that they are at hand when you need them.