[coigach]

When using transparency film, ND Grads are essential in my opinion.

You can use ND Grads on-camera to 'even up' the stop range to an amount more suited to the limited range of Velvia (4-6 stops). My 0.9 ND Grad (3 stops) is used very often in my landscape shots to ensure definition in the sky.

These links on metering with ND grads might also be useful:

http://www.nathangriffin.com/technic...aduated_nd.htm

http://www.brucepercy.co.uk/blog/category/nd-grads/

http://dougchinnery.blogspot.com/200...h-digital.html