Do you really have to spend so much on filters in landscape photography? What can happen in using cheap alternatives?
Many landscape photographers will agree that while ND filters can be quite expensive, they are equipment that you should never compromise on. Some top quality ND filters can cost up to $200 individually, and filter kits with racks can run into the thousands of dollars. That’s why you always tend to look for cheaper alternatives, especially when you just want to try landscape photography. However, there is a sacred middle ground between being practical and preferring cheap accessories, and choosing the latter certainly comes at a price.
In this video, I went and bought the cheapest ND filter I could find for about $6 and compared the output to the image my trusty filter system would produce. . I certainly didn’t expect much from this cheap alternative, but it’s safe to say I was quite surprised by the output. Let’s take a look at how substandard filters can affect your image quality and identify both the reversible and irreversible effects you’ll have to deal with.
