Photography News 74

First test

PRICE: FROM£220

KASEFILTERS.COM

Kase Wolverine Circular Magnetic Filters

The new Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular filter system is a compact, lightweight and high-quality solution for still and video image makers. We took a set out for a coastal shoot

Kase Filters is rapidly making a name for itself in the world of camera filters with its superb quality, innovative and photographer- friendly products. Its success in particular is thanks to the way Kase has brought in magnetic filters and smoothly integrated them with how traditional slot filters are used. For this feature I had a Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular filter 82mm Professional kit which includes a circular polariser, 3EV ND, 6EV ND and 10EV ND, one

adapter ring, one lens cap (which comes free in the kits) and a lovely carrying case with individual pockets for each filter. An Entry kit is available too and you get everything in the Pro Kit except the 10EV ND. I had an extra 77mm adapter ring to suit my Fujifilm GFX 50R system and the Nikon D780 I was also testing. A 93mm kit will be avalable soon so shooters with a 82mm thread ultra wide-angle lens can enjoy the system without vignetting.

To use the system, all you do is screw a magnetic adapter ring on to your lens like any ring or filter and then just offer the filter mounted in a metal rim to the adapter and let nature take its course. The filters are held firmly in place and don't fall out as you move around. It also means filters can be stacked in use or when stored. With the extreme 10EV ND filter it also means that there is no risk of light leakage. Have adapter rings on all your lenses and filters can be rapidly moved from one lens to the other without worrying about issues like cross-threading the filter when you are hurrying to catch that fleeting instant of awesome light. The final link in the system is the magnetic lens cap. Once you have finished shooting, leave the adapter ring in place and fit the lens hood to protect the front element as normal. The first thing to say is how much more compact and light this Kase system is in comparison with my usual 100mm filter kit. Of course, I’m not comparing like with like here because the 100mm kit is physically bigger and includes slot-in graduate

filters. Kase will be bringing out graduate filters and while you can change its orientation you will not be able to slide the filter up and down as you can with a slot holder. I am not such a keen graduate user nowadays and I bracket or work the sky in post-processing but clearly not having fully adjustable grads will be an issue for many photographers. I started the test with each filter in place and shot with the camera in Raw and auto white-balance, and then with a range of manual Kelvin value to determine which preset to use should the camera’s AWB not deliver the goods. From this my simple test I decided the filters with AWB would be perfectly fine. There was a tendency towards warmth with the 10EV ND and circular polariser filters but that’s my preference anyway. I was using the filters at Kimmeridge on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. The tide was at its height when I got there and receding by the time I got on to the beach but the wind was still whipping up lots of sea spray. One of the key features

Unfiltered shot

3EV ND, AWB

6EV ND, AWB

10EV ND, AWB

ABOVE These comparison shots were shot using a Nikon D780 with a 24-120mm lens showing that auto white-balance can be used with these Kase filters with no problem at all if you want great out-of-the-camera JPEGs

46 Photography News | Issue 74

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