GEAR GROUP TEST
FORMATT-HITECH FIRECREST £190/$195 www.formatt-hitech.com
screws into that. You can then mount the holder using a clip mechanism and once secured it rotates easily. Adding filters is best done with the cover removed; if you’re using a 100x100mm filter you can then totally encase it by replacing the cover. The 100x150mm grads need slots in the cover to be fitted – they’re thin, but surprisingly durable. Filters start around £30/$45 for resin and slot in easily. It vignetted slightly at 18mm, and without the cover fractionally at 16mm. A padded nylon case is included as part of the package. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 Great design to eliminate light leaks Pros: Takes all common sizes of filter and polariser Cons: Some vignetting at wider than 18mm
The Firecrest 100mm filter holder is designed to prevent light leaks which can ruin a shot. What therefore marks the Firecrest out is its matte black two-part cover, which snaps neatly over the regular holder beneath. There’s also a foam gasket around the aperture. Thanks to this modular design, it can be used for ordinary shots by removing the cover. It has a bay for an included screw-in polarising filter behind two square filter bays and like any such system, a grooved adapter ring must be fitted to the lens; there’s an 82mm ring included in the kit, along with stepping rings, but to avoid pushing the filter forward and vignetting at wide angles, we used a separately available 77-82mm adapter. Being made of high-grade aluminium the ring mounts easily, and the 82mm polarising filter
Available in several kit forms and alone, Tiffen’s Pro100 Series Holder is a two-bay holder that takes the company’s 4mm thick 100x100mm and 100x150mm filters. It’s aluminium, with rubber and plastic filter blades, and is very strong and light. The kit comes with 77mm and 82mm adapting rings, which are similarly well made. Also available are 49-82mm rings. The holder mounts using a familiar spring-clip route, though this doesn’t pull out as far as some so is slightly more fiddly. Once installed it can be rotated freely and positioned accurately. Unlike some other solutions, there’s no spot for a screw-in polarising filter to be mounted. The holder has a gasket, but this comes separately and needs to be stuck on. Once you’ve got over the temptation to use the black felt strips as fake moustaches, it’s easy to apply. The included 4mm thick filters – an ND1.2 (4 stop) and graduated ND1.2 (4 stop) – slot in smoothly and are easy to reposition, probably the best action we tested. The range of Pro100 square filters
TIFFEN PRO100 ND STARTER KIT £259/$248 www.tiffen.com
is extensive. Prices start around £150/$199. The extra width does mean you can’t use thinner filters, and with most other suppliers using 2mm thickness there’s no way you can fit those without an accompanying smashing noise. The Pro100 two-bay holder did not vignette at all in our test, even at the minimum 16mm. The filters come in a padded nylon case, but the holder doesn’t fit in that so will need to be stored separately. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 Great kit froma legendary name Pros: Well built, comes with two adapter rings Cons: Not good for 2mmfilters
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PRO MOVIEMAKER AUTUMN 2018
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