Sony announces Digital Filter: in-camera graduated ND filter

Sony has announced “Digital Filter”, a new camera app that mimics the use of graduated ND filters. It allows you to divide the scene you’re shooting into two or three areas and set exposure and white balance for each of them separately. As a result, you can get an image with balanced light when shooting sunsets and other backlit landscape scenes.

In the video above, you can see how the app works. It’s well explained and it really doesn’t seem hard. Digital Filter allows you to achieve the effect of a graduated ND filter or reverse graduated ND filter directly in the camera. As far as I’m concerned, I see both good and bad sides to this approach.

On the plus side, using Digital Filter means you don’t need to buy the actual filters, as they can be more expensive than the app. Also, you can set different values of exposure and white balance, so it’s like having a set of different filters. Another advantage that it could save you the time you would spend editing the images afterward.

On the minus side, the app costs $30 and some filters are actually cheaper than it or cost the same. Also, some comments suggest than the app doesn’t really give great results as filters or post-processing would. I haven’t tried it myself, but I generally never had too much trust towards the built-in camera apps. I rely more on post-processing if I shoot in tricky lighting conditions. Of course, that’s just my point of view.

If you’re drawn by the good sides, you can get the app here. It comes with a price tag of $30, but you can get it for $20 if you already have Sky HDR app. So what do you think? Will you upgrade your Sony camera or stick to the good ol’ post-processing and filters?

[via Sony Alpha Rumors]