Pentax Graduated Neutral Density Simulator Review

A software solution for Ansel Adams skies!

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Her lips a sweet surprise
Her hands are never cold
She's got Bette Davis eyes
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You won't have to think twice
She's pure as New York snow
She got Bette Davis eyes

Perfecting Equilibrium Volume Three, Issue 24

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in Pentax Forums.

The Sunday Reader, Nov 24, 2024

I’ve always been a fan of Ansel Adams's skies. You know the look; the big dramatic clouds crowning the landscape streaked with the rays of the sun. It’s a balancing act, getting that pop in the sky while correctly exposing the rest of the photo.

Pentax has just released a Graduated Neutral Density Simulator that makes it easy to capture those dramatic skyscapes. It’s available here as a software upgrade for $79.95 for the K-1, K-1 Mark II, K-3 Mark III, and K-3 Mark III Monochrome. Ricoh Imaging Americas provided a copy of the Graduated Neutral Density Simulator for this review on the K-3 Mark III Monochrome.

Installation

Installation is quite simple. First, you must ensure that you are running the latest version of your camera’s firmware. In my case, I had to update from version 2.0 to 2.2, which improves stability and adds the Astrophoto Assist limited function. Like the Variable ND, Astrophoto Assist and other limited functions are available for purchase. Astrophoto Assist is currently only available in Japan.

Next, in the Monochrome menu system navigate to the wrench; Screen 6-Maintenance; Limited Function; Grad ND Simulator, and use the Read Unlock Key to read the QR code you receive when you purchase the Graduated Neutral Density Simulator.

Here’s a quick video walkthrough of the installation:

Setting up the Graduated Neutral Density Simulator

Once you’ve finished the installation Grad ND Simulator will be an option in the Shooting Settings menu. Selecting it takes you to a menu with two options: Grad ND Simulator and Maximum Dimming Amount. Under the first you’ll find you can set the Grad ND Simulator to: Off; Normal, which darkens the area you select; Reverse, which darkens the area you select, but tapers the effect toward the edge of the image; and three Custom slots that let you save your settings for future use.

Under Maximum Dimming Amount, you can set the Neutral Density effect from -0.3EV to -5EV.

Using the Graduated Neutral Density Simulator

Shooting with the Graduated Neutral Density Simulator on is just like shooting normally. The camera takes two frames instead of one, but it’s so quick that I never had a problem, even hand-holding at lower shutter speeds.

The camera then immediately drops you into what is effectively a post-processing mode. Interestingly, you set the area to dim during this post-processing step, not before the shot. Pushing the Auto Exposure Lock button rotates the ND area 90 degrees per click. The Exposure Compensation button allows you to grow or shrink the affected area.

Here's a sequence showing the Graduated Neutral Density Simulator in action. All these shots are hand-held with the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome with the HD Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited, F8 at 1/80^th second. The photos were taken one after another, separated just by the time it took to change the settings.

No filter

-3 EV

-5 EV

The differences are quite dramatic. Both RAW and JPEGs are supported; I have my Monochrome set to RAW+JPEG, with RAW set to DNG.

Conclusion

Is the Pentax Graduated Neutral Density Simulator worth the $79.95 purchase price? That's not the right question. The right question is, does this fit your photography? It certainly fits mine. So it's a no-brainer for me and any other photographer who loves those Ansel Adams skies.

Can you do the same thing with a variable ND filter for your lens? Or a selection of ND filters? Sure. I have both. Good ones! If they work for you, that’s great. Mine sit in a bag that I rarely open. It's extra stuff to carry around; copies of the filters in different sizes for different lenses, step-up rings, or both. The Pentax Graduated Neutral Density Simulator works with everything on your camera. It's quick and easy to use, and just a no-brainer if it fits your photography.

Can you do this in Photoshop? Sure, if you have the skill. But by the time you're in Photoshop, you're back at your place and working on a computer.

The Pentax Graduated Neutral Density Simulator is a much better fit for the way I like to work a scene, shooting, changing the angle slightly, shooting again, rinse and repeat. It’s got a permanent place in my camera bag.

I've also done a video review.

Shouldn't this be free?

I find this question puzzling. My day job is working as a software engineer. Here's the thing: We like to get paid for our work. I'm sure you like to get paid for your work. So I'm not sure why anyone would think that software engineers would build new features into Pentax cameras and not want to get paid for it.

And don’t you want new features without having to buy entirely new cameras? And at the same time, don’t you want equipment costs to be as low as possible? For example, I'm not really interested in astrophotography; it just never caught my fancy. But if one of my grandchildren gets the itch in the next year or three, I'd much, much rather be able to upgrade my Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome by unlocking a couple of features and adding them to my existing camera, rather than having to buy a new body. As camera computing power ramps up, software upgrades and new apps become increasingly important and will extend the life of existing hardware by offering improved performance and new features.

If you don't need it, you can save money and not buy it. If you do want it, you can upgrade your camera for less than the price of pretty much any lens that you could buy. It's a win-win.

Next on Perfecting Equilibrium

All ya’ll have a Happy Thanksgiving!