Filters
Buyers’ guide
Filter tips
Picking the right filter is vital for successful photography, so to help you out, here are some of PN’s current favourites
PRICE: FROM£63
KENRO.CO.UK
Marumi DHG Super Neutral Density filters
Lee Filters’ Seven5 Deluxe kit Just as screw-on filters correspond to your lens’s filter thread, your choice of square filters can be tailored to the size of your lens and camera. Put simply, those with smaller sensors and lenses can use physically smaller filters and holders. Lee Filters’ Seven5 is a great example of this, built specifically for crop-sensored compact system systems like those in Fujifilm’s XSeries or Olympus’s OM-D range. Though all of its components can be bought separately, Lee’s Seven5 Deluxe kit contains all that’s needed for creative photography.You get the Seven5 filter holder, which takes 75x90mm filters, a clip on circular polariser, a 0.6ND hard grad, a 0.6ND soft grad, a 0.9ND hard grad and one Big Stopper 3.0ND or ten-stop filter. It’s a serious outlay, but a high-quality and very complete set, so likely to be all the filter kit you’ll need for a good stretch. A regular Lee Filters Seven5 Starter Kit is also available for around £105, which comes with the filter holder and one 0.6ND hard grad. The adapter ring needs to be purchased separately. Aneutral density (ND) filter helps control intensity of light, allowing a wider choice of shutter speeds or apertures than you’d get without one. For example, with an ND you’remore likely to get slow-shutter speed landscape scenes, or to be able to shoot portraits with a shallowdepth-of-field. Marumi’s DHGSuper NDs use high-quality glass so they won’t affect image sharpness, but they’re also tough, with a scratch-, water- and oil-repellent coating, and a thin but strong aluminium frame.The design also features a front thread, allowing you to stack them andmultiply the effect.The range of sizes and strengths is impressive, too, with 67mm, 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 86mm, 95mmand 105mm threads, and strengths of ND8, ND16, ND32, ND64, ND500, ND1000, ND4000 and a whopping ND32000, equating to 15 stops. PRICE: £419 LEEFILTERS.COM
CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY OFTEN relies on using filters – it’s the main way that we can control the intensity of light and its colour. Yes, you can do a lot in Photoshop or Lightroom, but many exposures rely on filters at the time of shooting; you can’t fake a long exposure, or the effect of a polariser. So now you know filters are vital, picking the right gear is also a must. But, of course, there are loads of photographic filters out there spanning huge ranges in price and application. What do you need to buy and howmuch should you spend? Tackling spend first, you’ll do well not to go for bargain basement filters. Remember, this is glass or resin that you’re putting between your lens and the subject, so it can and will affect image quality. There’s no point in spending big
on high-quality cameras and lenses if you then thrown it all down the drain with low-quality filters. But it’s not just outlay that’s important. You also need to buy the right filters for your type of photography. For instance, square filters are perfect for landscapers, as they allow you to change the position of a graduated filters, while screw-in filters are better for general photography as they are smaller, only very slightly adding length to the end of the lens. And what if you already have a suite of filters you rely on? Well, it’s always good to look at new products, as they may make your shooting easier, more efficient or improve the quality of your shots. Read on to see our top picks this month...
PRICE: FROM£220
KASEFILTERS.COM
PRICE: FROM£69
INTRO2020.CO.UK
KaseWolverine Magnetic Circular filters Entry kit
Cokin Nuances Clearsky range
Even if you already own a set of NDs, there can be great reasons to invest again. Advances in handling are one such reason, and filters don’t come much more easy to use than Kase’s
With the advent of digital processing, coloured filters have become less widely used by photographers, but some still do things that you can’t replicate in software. Cokin’s Nuances Clearsky is a great example.These filters are designed to reduce light pollution, specifically targeting and removing certain wavelengths of light produced by street lighting. So, if you shoot night-time images in or around towns and cities, they’re well worth your attention – even if you’remiles away froma conurbation, its light can still leave a cast on the clouds
Wolverine magnetic
circular range. After a magnetic adapter is screwed on to the end of your lens, the magnetic filters simply snap on to it, and are stackable, too. No more wasted seconds screwing in or twisted threads. Available as either an entry or professional kit, and in 77mm or 82mm fittings, the former comes with a ND8, ND64, circular polariser, magnetic adapter, a smart leather carry pouch and a magnetic lens cap. The Pro kit is £280 and has an additional ND1000 filter. Whether circular or square, Kase’s Wolverine filters are made from professional-grade toughened, colour-neutral glass for tip-top image quality and have hyrophobic coatings, which makes them easy to clean and dry if they get splashed.
or reduce the visibility of night sky objects. Clearsky filters are available as screw-on versions for 52mm to 95mm threads, and in 2mm thick squares in Cokin’sM, LandXL formats, with the latter topping out the pricing at £199. Like Cokin’s other Nuances range, Clearsky filtersminimise flare and ghosting, and have a scratch-, water- and oil-resistant coating.
Issue 73 | Photography News 33
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