Glass v Resin

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Mark
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Hi All,
Just wondering if someone can give me their opinion on a question I imagine has been asked hundreds of times by people all over t'web.
With the awesome and patient help from @PaulButler I managed to put together an order last night for some filters/holders/adaptors etc, that would get me started.

I was looking at placing the order today when someone on another forum mentioned 'glass v resin', and that glass is better, but understandably more fragile.

I looked at the LEe Supplier i was going to use, and the ND grads and ND 3 stop filter were all resin, not glass. Only hte big / super stopper are glass, and i'm not going for a big/super stopper just yet.

Is there much of a difference between resin and glass, for someone who is just using filters for the first time? Should I be worried, or buy them, get out and get better?
 
Just got an alert pop up - very kind of you to say but it is no bother:)

Yes, glass is generally better than resin in some respects. In Lee terms their pro glass filters are very good indeed, but as noted they are more fragile. They are also far more expensive. Can't speak to other brands as much has changed since I last used any. As for the grads, they only come in resin - at least in Lee guise.

In practice it is difficult, if impossible, to see any IQ differences between resin and pro glass NDs, at least in what I'd call normal landscape/studio use. The biggest issue with resin filters is they can be scratched easily, this will and does have an impact on IQ. If you store and use the resin filters sensibly then they last for ages. Drop a pro glass filter onto any hard surface and its a gonner - trust me I know :(
 
Just got an alert pop up - very kind of you to say but it is no bother:)

Yes, glass is generally better than resin in some respects. In Lee terms their pro glass filters are very good indeed, but as noted they are more fragile. They are also far more expensive. Can't speak to other brands as much has changed since I last used any. As for the grads, they only come in resin - at least in Lee guise.

In practice it is difficult, if impossible, to see any IQ differences between resin and pro glass NDs, at least in what I'd call normal landscape/studio use. The biggest issue with resin filters is they can be scratched easily, this will and does have an impact on IQ. If you store and use the resin filters sensibly then they last for ages. Drop a pro glass filter onto any hard surface and its a gonner - trust me I know :(

Thanks for the reply Paul, as helpful as ever.
So basically, as I can't really justify/afford pro glass.... if I buy resin and take care of the kit and treat it properly, I 'should' be okay for years to come :)
 
Thanks for the reply Paul, as helpful as ever.
So basically, as I can't really justify/afford pro glass.... if I buy resin and take care of the kit and treat it properly, I 'should' be okay for years to come :)
Yep, some of mine are many years old now.
 
........ Only hte big / super stopper are glass, and i'm not going for a big/super stopper just yet.
Lee make 2, 3, 4 and 6 stop filters in glass....not just the Big Stopper and Super Stopper.
 
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Thanks for the reply Paul, as helpful as ever.
So basically, as I can't really justify/afford pro glass.... if I buy resin and take care of the kit and treat it properly, I 'should' be okay for years to come :)

Taking into consideration one of those Lee resin GND's is something like £80 at retail while Nisi/Rollei/Haida/Firecrest glass are usually in the £100-150 range.

Plenty of used Lee filters around though.
 
Taking into consideration one of those Lee resin GND's is something like £80 at retail while Nisi/Rollei/Haida/Firecrest glass are usually in the £100-150 range.

Plenty of used Lee filters around though.

Yep, worth checking Ffordes website. They usually have a good selection of Lee stuff and it's usually cheaper than ebay et al.
 
I think its worth mentioning that there are many other suppliers of filters and such although and the difference between say brands like Lee compared to ZOMIE (budget) from personal experience the difference in appreciable image degradation between pro glass/resin filters and more budget friendly options is becoming less and less as manufacturing processes are streamlined and tolerances tightened etc.

For instance, I picked up a 10 Stop 'Bigger Stopper' in Schott Glass from Zomie for £50 and also a LEE Big Stopper at over £100 at the point of purchase, the result, no noticeable difference in image quality, in fact the LEE had a slight warming cast and was more expensive. So I returned it for a refund.
I repeated the process on a couple of other GNDS and NDs and you know what, for the amount of use they will have the Resin is a no brainier against glass, and the amount of cost involved. excluding the 10 Stop Zomie, I have a full set of GND & NDS for less than £100 @ 105mm. What about the filter holder? Well 100% compatible with branded 100mm filters cost $25 from the Filter Dude with free shipping.

In summary, the leading brand filter makers are really jacking up the prices against what you realistically expect to get when compared in real terms and usage against the cheaper budget friendly alternatives. More expensive is not better in this category imho and from testing an experience.

Just my #twopennys :)

PS. Not endorsed or paid by ZOMIE or Filter Dude - Just personally very impressed by their offerings in comparison to the leading brands.

Geoff
 
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glass screw in filter and manual exposure blending for the rest. Resin filters can be considered a consumable item - and a very expensive at that - last one I had lasted one weak. Considering how inflexible and unadjustable they are software option should be a no-brainer!
 
I have used zomei before and found them excellent, there are plenty of YouTube vids on some brands of glass filters being dropped to show how tough they are.
I now have a set of nisi glass filters that show no cast at all.
Buy the best you can afford.
If you have shelled out for a high spec camera and high end (priced) lenses, it's would seem kind of counter intuitive to put a piece of resin in front of it.
Just my tuppence worth
 
even sweet wrappers would do the job in my case .
 
I have used zomei before and found them excellent, there are plenty of YouTube vids on some brands of glass filters being dropped to show how tough they are.
I now have a set of nisi glass filters that show no cast at all.
Buy the best you can afford.
If you have shelled out for a high spec camera and high end (priced) lenses, it's would seem kind of counter intuitive to put a piece of resin in front of it.
Just my tuppence worth

Totally agree with this. People spend a fortune on the best sensors and best lenses to stick a sub standard filter in front of it. Get the best you can afford.

FWIW I have just switched to Kase fro Lee. So many positives from the switch. My Lee filters were constantly getting scratched, mainly by sand enter my filter pouch with me none the wiser. Biggest thing for me so far has been the fact that due to the coating of the Kase filters. Any water (rain, sea spray) literally wipes clear with one wipe, unlike my old Lee resin filters that would smear and would require lens cleaner fluid to clear them sufficiently.
 
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