Beginner K&F Filter Set - a good buy??

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theghostie

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Paul
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Hi,


I have just bought these with the idea being to learn as I go.

Picked them up from Amazon with 50% off so paid £130 - is this a good price? Are they worth it?

Going to Iceland in January so thought they might help with glare etc?

I have a Sony A7R5 and a mixture of Sigma/Sony lenses.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,


Paul
 

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At that price it is probably a decent buy. Personally I have moved away from using square filters, as it is easier to use screw in ND filters and blend exposures in Lightroom, rather than using grads.
 
Craikeybaby said:
At that price it is probably a decent buy. Personally I have moved away from using square filters, as it is easier to use screw in ND filters and blend exposures in Lightroom, rather than using grads.
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So have I bought the wrong thing then?

I am off to Iceland in January and mainly bought them for the glare/contrast etc - at £130 thought it was a decent set - if not can easily send them back?
 
theghostie said:
So have I bought the wrong thing then?

I am off to Iceland in January and mainly bought them for the glare/contrast etc - at £130 thought it was a decent set - if not can easily send them back?
Click to expand...

You won't really know until you use them.

I would say filters are a personal thing. I've seen photographers who have a square system and use it all the time.

I know quite a few who prefer screw (or magnetic).

And there are those who never use them.

I've used screw, square, then back to screw, and then back to square, and back to screw in magnetic (in my case also K&F). I only carry a polariser and neutral density 1000 these days. Plus a UV filter for occasional use if I think my lens needs protection. I don't use them often - but I don't like going out without them.

If you are starting out then square with adapters which is what you've bought) is probably the best starting point. You've got flexibility to use with several lenses.

Make sure you've tried them out before you head off so you've sorted out how you will deal with them when out in Iceland. (viewfinder practice and approach to exposure ).

And Enjoy !!
 
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I've got a set of their magnetic filters, from my limited knowledge of filters they seem fine quality and performance wise.
 
You won't use them a whole lot in reality.
They all have their uses but I find they are carried round a lot but almost never on for stills.
Nds are handy for video but not essential.
The grad idea is a bit dated now with such as lightroom being able to do a far better job.
The problem being that there are usually objects sticking up into the sky you want to make less bright.
 
Like @4wd says, you won't use them that much most of the time. I use my polarisers if I'm shooting on a sunny day, sometimes for the polarising effect (it can make skies look bluer, plants look greener, and it can cut the reflections on water, but only if you're shooting at the right angle in relation to the sun), and sometimes just to get a longer shutter speed (for instance if I'm shooting aircraft and I want to get propeller blur).
I use my ND filters for long exposures where I want to go for a smoky, misty look to the water. In total, I guess I probably use filters for less than 10% of my total shooting time.

£130 is quite a lot of money. What you might be better off doing is working out which lenses you're going to use most and either buying a circular polariser and 10-stop ND for each of them, or even better - buy one for the biggest thread size you need, and get some step-down rings to enable you to use those filters on your other lenses.
 
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Yeah - just had someone else say something similar, think I will arrange a return to Amazon - thanks everyone!
 
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