Tiffen 44CGN6S 4x4 CLR/ND.6 Grad SE Filter

Tiffen 44CGN6S 4x4 CLR/ND.6 Grad SE Filter | Balance a bright sky

The Tiffen 44CGN6S is a 4x4 clear-to-ND.6 graduated filter with a soft edge, made for photographers who need to balance a bright part of a scene against a darker foreground. Its graduated section reduces light by about two stops, while the clear area leaves the rest of the image unaffected. That makes it especially suited to landscapes with a bright sky and a comparatively even horizon, where you want to retain sky detail without making the land too dark. The soft transition is less abrupt than a hard-edged grad, which helps the adjustment blend across a natural skyline. It’s a practical tool for photographers working with graduated filtration who want to manage contrast at capture rather than rely entirely on editing. The 4x4 format is intended for a filter-holder setup sized for that format; the title doesn’t establish which specific holders it fits, so I’d match it by dimensions.

Where the gradation helps

For a landscape with bright cloud detail, position the darker portion over the sky and align the transition with the horizon. The two-stop reduction can bring the sky closer to the foreground’s exposure, helping preserve detail in the brighter area. A soft edge is particularly useful when the horizon isn’t a perfectly straight line. If a mountain, tree or building crosses the transition, though, the graduated effect may also darken it; placement matters, and some scenes won’t suit a grad filter as neatly as a flat horizon does.

Technical Specifications

• Brand: Tiffen
• Model: 44CGN6S
• Format: 4x4
• Filter type: CLR/ND.6 graduated, soft edge