LEE Filters SW150 System 0.9 Neutral Density Grad Very Hard Filter

The LEE Filters SW150 System 0.9 Neutral Density Grad Very Hard Filter enables the photographer to selectively adjust exposure across the frame by 3 Stops.

Compatible with both digital and film photography

Whatever format you shoot, ND Grads help cameras record scenes more like we see them – with a broad tonal range that's lost if not captured in the moment.

Precise creative control

There is a place in landscape photography for both hard and soft grads.

Which one you decide to use will depend mainly on the subject matter of your image.

The very hard ND grad is perfect for scenes such as seascapes that feature a defined horizon line.

The transition between the coated and clear sections of the filter is extremely sharp, allowing for precision separation between the filtered and unfiltered areas of the frame.

As a general rule, a hard grad would be used for images containing a horizon, or any hard transition between the sky and the foreground - even with jagged or mountainous horizons, the exposure can be controlled far easier with a hard grad.

LEE Filters has been manufacturing a bespoke medium ND grad to order for a number of years.

It proved so popular with professional photographers, it has now been made available to all.

This filter is ideal for use when elements of the scene protrude into the sky, be that the rooftops of buildings or the peaks of mountains.

The nature of the transition between coated and uncoated areas of the filter means that the sky can be filtered with minimal impact on the land beneath it.

Soft grads perform best in woodland, mist, or interiors.

Anywhere where there is no definite transition between sky and foreground, a soft grad will gently balance exposure across the image.

For example, when photographing a landscape in which the sky is much brighter than the foreground, placing the neutral density part of the filter onto the sky in the frame will reduce the sky exposure without affecting the foreground.

This enables cloud detail to be kept correctly exposed in the picture, and avoids the "white out" effect caused by exposing for the foreground.

Even with the advent of digital RAW capture and image manipulation, ND grads remain an important tool, as lost highlight detail (in the same way as a burnt out area in a transparency) cannot be recovered if above the maximum recording threshold.

Ultimate flexibility

ND Grads can be stacked together, or with other filters, so you can respond to almost any lighting situation.