I recently purchased a Cokin Z-Pro U960 ND Grad kit for my camera and some adapter rings, and I'm looking forward to using the filters on my camera.

Cokin Z-Pro U960 ND Grad Kit

mounted on a Canon 10-22mm lens

I wanted the Z-Pro kit primarily so I could use Neutral Density and Neutral Density Graduated filters (often referred to as "ND" and "ND Grad" filters) on my camera.

The purpose of an ND (neutral density) filter is to reduce the amount of light getting to the camera's sensor, without affecting the colour balance, contrast or colour temperature. ND filters are useful for allowing longer shutter speeds to be used (ie, for "smoothing" out water when taking photos of rivers and waterfalls). An ND Grad filter is a graduated ND filter, and has half the filter darkened, and half the filter clear. This allows you to darken a bright sky, to ensure both the sky and the subject are better exposed.



I first tried to get hold of a Cokin Z-Pro ND Grad Kit before my Tasmanian Holiday in May, but all the retailers were out of stock. B&H's website was (and still is) showing the Cokin Z-Pro U960 ND Grad Kit as being "back-ordered", with no estimated arrival date. Maxwell, the official Australian distributor, also confirmed that they were out of stock, but were hoping to get some in stock by the end of June.

In early July, I contacted Maxwell, and they confirmed they now had the ND Grad Kit in stock, however, they do not sell directly to end users, and I had to buy it through a retailer. I ordered my kit (including adapter rings) from Quality Camera Sales Australia, as I've bought gear before from Stu at Quality Camera, and have always found his service to be excellent.



The Cokin Z-Pro U960 ND Grad Kit includes the following:

• Z-Pro Filter Holder (Z100)
• Gradual Grey G2-Light Filter (Z121L) - ND2
• Gradual Grey G2-Medium Filter (Z121M) - ND4
• Gradual Grey G2-Soft Filter (Z121S) - ND8
• Z-Pro Filter Wallet (Z306)

The U960 kit was AUD$214, and in my view, is a bargain, as kit price is about half of the sum of the individual items in the kit.

I also bought a couple of adapter rings for mounting the filter holder onto various lenses:

• Cokin 67mm Z-Pro Adapter Ring (Z467)
• Cokin 77mm Z-Pro Adapter Ring (Z477)

Adapter rings were AUD$44 each, and you'll need to ensure you get the size that's appropriate for your lens(es).



I'm looking forward to an opportunity to use the ND Grad filters. However, due to other commitments (and rain last Saturday), I haven't yet had an opportunity to use them outdoors. I'll certainly be posting some photos taken with the ND Grad filters here on my blog when I get a chance.