Filters for use with a mirrorless (m4/3) system

[srhmoto]

As far as ND Grads go, and given the relatively diminutive size of the lenses (most of mine are currently 46mm), am I better off going for a hard or soft graduation for landscape use as far as managing where the transition is?

Any comments or feedback (particularly from existing m4/3 users) would be most welcome before I go out and buy into something like the Lee Seven5 system.

Cheers,

Simon.

 

[Steve B]

As far as ND Grads go, and given the relatively diminutive size of the lenses (most of mine are currently 46mm), am I better off going for a hard or soft graduation for landscape use as far as managing where the transition is?

Any comments or feedback (particularly from existing m4/3 users) would be most welcome before I go out and buy into something like the Lee Seven5 system.

Cheers,

Simon.

The angle of view from your widest lens will dictate the size of filter you need, more than the size of the filter thread or size of equipment. If you use an ultra wide lens, you will need wider filters to fit the angle of view produced. Hopefully there will be some m4/3 users who can help here.

As for hard or soft grads, it will depend what you shoot most that will effect this. For seascapes or flatish horizons, a hard grad will be beneficial, for mountainous or built up areas where objects go above the horizon, a soft grad would be my preferred option.

 

[srhmoto]

The angle of view from your widest lens will dictate the size of filter you need, more than the size of the filter thread or size of equipment. If you use an ultra wide lens, you will need wider filters to fit the angle of view produced. Hopefully there will be some m4/3 users who can help here.

As for hard or soft grads, it will depend what you shoot most that will effect this. For seascapes or flatish horizons, a hard grad will be beneficial, for mountainous or built up areas where objects go above the horizon, a soft grad would be my preferred option.

Thanks Steve.

I'm very unlikely to shoot with anything wider than a 24mm equivalent FoV, so I should be fine with the Lee Seven5 system. My question was driven as I know the graduation area on the Seven5 system is significantly smaller than on the bigger filters. I will predominantly shoot things with an irregular horizon, so soft grads would seem to be the best starting point.

On a separate point, the Lee system is expensive but of course for that you are getting top quality. How do the equivalent 67mm Formatt HiTech filters compare, particularly if stacking one or more together?

Cheers,

Simon.

 

[Steve B]

On a separate point, the Lee system is expensive but of course for that you are getting top quality. How do the equivalent 67mm Formatt HiTech filters compare, particularly if stacking one or more together?

Rather fond of my 67mm Hitech filters, especially their reverse grad for sunrise/sunset and low winter sun times. Colour cast is minimal when stacking 3 together, though the 6 stop can cause a bit of a magenta cast to shadows in high contrast area for some strange reason.
Not a fan of their filter holder though, I use an old Cokin A type in preference.
I use them on a Canon EOS-M which is a 1.6x crop and at 18mm (28mm equiv) there is no problem with the holder or vignetting.

 

[srhmoto]

Rather fond of my 67mm Hitech filters, especially their reverse grad for sunrise/sunset and low winter sun times. Colour cast is minimal when stacking 3 together, though the 6 stop can cause a bit of a magenta cast to shadows in high contrast area for some strange reason.
Not a fan of their filter holder though, I use an old Cokin A type in preference.
I use them on a Canon EOS-M which is a 1.6x crop and at 18mm (28mm equiv) there is no problem with the holder or vignetting.

Cheers Steve, that's good to know and may well save me a reasonable amount of money!

Cheers,

Simon.

 

[Steve B]

Cheers Steve, that's good to know and may well save me a reasonable amount of money!

Saving money is always a good thing
I'm hoping that someone using the Lee Seven5 system comes on to give the alternative view, rather than having my one sided opinion, just for a bit of balance.
If you do decide to go with the Hitech's I can recommend the Colby Brown Special Edition set. I picked up a bargain on ebay for £25 brand new, but a slightly damaged box. There were several others at the time for similar prices. Set consist of :-
Mount ring and holder
2 stop reverse grad
2 stop soft grad
6 stop ND

This one shows how neutral they are, using the reverse grad and the soft grad together
[url=https://flic.kr/p/EW99UF]Still Waters by Steve Bennett, on Flickr[/URL]
Very minor processing to the JPG straight from camera with no adjustment to colour balance or saturation.

 

[srhmoto]

That's very impressive and reassuring Steve. I'll keep an eye out for that boxed set!

Cheers,

Simon.

 

[srhmoto]

Anyone with the Lee Seven5 filters want to chip in?