Split Neutral Density Filter (c):kodak.comLandscape scenes often contain more dynamic range than our cameras can capture. Even though digital cameras have increased their resolution tremendously, the dynamic range they can capture has not changed much over the years. Fuji has introduced the Super CCD SR to extend the dynamic range, but the technology is expensive and has not been adapted throughout the industry.
Split Neutral Density filters are one solution to this problem. They regulate the amount of light hitting the image sensor. A Split Neutral Density filter works like graded sunglasses for your camera. The gradient will make sure that there is a smooth transition between the shaded and the clear area.
Usually one would use these filters with the darker area covering the sky, to reduce the brightness levels there and reduce the dynamic range of the scene to something the camera can manage.
I do not use these filters anymore for their many limitations. The transition is usually on a straight line, which works well for reasonably flat landscapes with a clear transition between sky and land. In other cases, this is not the case. I would not use a split neutral density filter to shoot an alley, a tunnel, or a city skyline (a fact that bit me in this shot).
Another big drawback is that you need too many of those filters, depending on your focal length. Wide-angle shots require a much smoother transition, since your lens covers a much wider area. Telephoto lenses require filters with a much harder edge.
These days I usually take multiple exposures or try to recover as much dynamic range by processing my RAW files through HDR software.
If a scene has no movement and there is plenty of time to set up a tripod, I always prefer to take multiple exposures. During post processing, I can create any kind of transition with any shape I want. Even easier is to run these images through the same HDR program. This is what I did for this image of False Kiva.

 

Boats photographed with the Tokina wide-angle lens
 

For quite some time I have been thinking about getting a wide-angle lens. I decided to start my Christmas season early by buying aTokina 12mm - 24mm f/4 PRO DX Autofocus Zoom Lens. The lens is suitable for Cameras with crop factor like the Canon Rebel and xxD series (e.g. 40D) and almost all Nikon Digital SLR.

Using a wide-angle glass on my camera brings many new possibilities to be creative. I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving, so I can put my new lens through its paces. I have already shot some pictures with it and feel comfortable enough to recommend the lens to my readers.  The picture of the beach and the boat picture demonstrate the impressive field of view that this lens offers.  Even more amazing than that is the low distortion. At 12mm, I had expected a lot of it, when there is hardly any. I did not correct the pictures with PTLens, so what you see here is pretty much what came out of my camera. I only ran a couple of scripts for color saturation and did not do anything else on these images.

The sharpness of this lens is just as impressive. It is comparable with other Canon Lenses I own and easily satisfies the needs of today’s Digital SLR lineup. The images are crisp and the color rendition is superb. I wish I had gotten this lens a bit earlier instead of missing the creative choices it offers me.

I did discover some vignetting on one of my shots but I believe it is due to the Tiffen Circular Polarizer Filter that I bought with the lens. I shot the photograph with an aperture of 7.1. I have shot other pictures with similar settings using the polarizing filter without seeing any vignetting. The effect was light enough so that I could fix it in post processing.

Have you ever edited a digital picture on your home computer, possibly with a discount LCD display, sent it off for printing just to realize all the colors were somehow differnt then they were on your screen? While most people may blame the results on the photo processing lab, here is a surprise for you. It may actually be your wrong doing that made the image look all wrong.

I have found that most commercially available LCD screens have a greenish or blueish cast and pictures usually look somewhat "cooler" than they should. Most of us are not used to the idea that what we see may not be a good representation of our picture. We tend to trust our LCD screens. Some of us may have spent a lot of money on expensive equipment and we have bought a software like photoshop to "get the most out of our pictures". Adjusting a picture with such a screen "to look better" may actually lead to a deterioration of image quality as we unknowingly make things worse. Welcome to the wonderful world of color calibration and color profiles.

There comes a time in the life of each Digital SLR owner, when he (she) starts to wonder about dust on the sensor of their expensive cameras. While Film cameras do not have too much of a problem with dust, since the film is transported after each exposure, the image sensor of a DSLR stays in place. Worse than that, due to its function it stores charge, which attracts dust.

A review of the Digital Partner Image Tank. An Image Tank lets you back up your Flash Cards while you are out in the field without access to a computer.

Highlights:

Drive Capacity	30GB
Dimensions	115x77x21mm
System Requirements	Windows 98, 2000, XP, MacOS 8.9,9.X, Mac-OSX, Linux 2.4
Connection	USB 2.0
Power Adapter	110-240 VAC in, 5V out
Battery Charge	13 1GB Flash Cards
Transfer Time for full 1GB flash Card	6min,43s
Automatic Off Time	55s
Conclusion	Best Bang for your Buck
Price paid	about $120