Filters

[Christoph]

Hi ,does anyone use Hitech 85 mm neutral density filters on a sigma 10-20 lens, if so do they work without too much vignetting. There are so many differing views on the internet i'm getting confused. The other choice seems to be the Hitech 100mm series at considerably more money. Also are the cokin Z series as good or better. Any advice much appreciated many thanks

 

[Stu Meech]

Personally I would get 100mm filters, I still have one 85mm filter kicking around but this has a tendency to be not long enough when using on a really wide lens, and only using a small bit of the grad - the actual bottom of the filter can be seen in shot.

 

[TareqPhoto]

I bought those P-series or smaller than 100mm filters in the past when i started, within years i found out that they are just good for longer lenses and on cropped bodies mostly, but once i bought those 100mm filters i never look back.

I recommend that you only go with those 100mm filters and it will eliminate vignetting issues, maybe with ultra wide angle lenses you may see very slightly vignetting at widest focal length, but that is the problem of the filter holder and adapter not the filter itself.

 

[pingu666]

you can use 85mm with the 10-20 ok, but you should grab a cheapo 1 slot wide angle holder off ebay

 

[Spiritflier]

Go for the 100mm filters from the start... It'll save you a lot of money in the long run!

My own set-up consists of the following:

Lee Foundation Kit with 77mm wide-angle adapter and Lee 105mm CPL adapter ring - £140.00
Hitech 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 soft ND grads - £110.00
Lee Big Stopper - £105.00
Hitech Firecrest 16-stop ND - £120.00
Lee 105mm Circular Polariser - £180.00

The Firecrest and the CPL aren't exactly necessary but nice to have. I didn't get them all at once but rather I've built the kit up over a couple of years... If I were to factor in the cost of the Cokin Z-Pro, Hitech 85mm, Cokin P and Cokin A systems I've invested in over the years, the cost would be massively higher! I always advise people to get the best they can afford straight from the outset. It'll pay off in the long run!