Looking to buy a filter kit but which one?

antc

antc

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Anthony
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Good evening everyone,

As per the thread title im looking at purchasing of a filter kit. The lenses I will be using them on are 17-40L, 24-105L and 70-200L so I understand that a 77mm adaptor ring will be need to go with the filter holder to make sure they fit.

Now what im stuck on is what to get. As I have spent money on L glass i dont see the point in getting cheap filters as the glass used in them wont be such great quality. After speaking to a friend at my photo club he informed me the filters I need to get are the 100mm ones and to be looking at the following brands, Lee, HiTech 100's or Cokin Z-Pro.

I dont really know a huge amount about filters so I am posting up here in to get some advice and guidance. I would ideally like to order these or go any buy them at some point tomorrow as Im shooting landscapes on sunday. Yes yes I know I have left it till the last minute :nono:

Please please help :bang:
 
Actually having looked a little more into this what about the P series filters. They seem like great value to me. Maybe these would be a good kit to start off with be :thinking::thinking::thinking:
 
antc said:
Actually having looked a little more into this what about the P series filters. They seem like great value to me. Maybe these would be a good kit to start off with be :thinking::thinking::thinking:
Click to expand...

You may struggle with vignetting with the P series at 17mm.

I use cokin Z series, and although they tend to scratch more than the more expensive Lee filters, they do the job.
 
Les McLean said:
You may struggle with vignetting with the P series at 17mm.

I use cokin Z series, and although they tend to scratch more than the more expensive Lee filters, they do the job.
Click to expand...

Hi Les,

The 17mm will actually be more like 25.5mm on my 30d due to the sensor crop. Do you think I will suffer with vignetting at 25.5mm?

This page seems to indicate I should be alright above 20mm?
http://www.cokin.co.uk/pages/cokinP.htm
 
antc said:
Hi Les,

The 17mm will actually be more like 25.5mm on my 30d due to the sensor crop. Do you think I will suffer with vignetting at 25.5mm?

This page seems to indicate I should be alright above 20mm?
http://www.cokin.co.uk/pages/cokinP.htm
Click to expand...

I think I used to get vignetting on my 10D on 17-40 lens, with cokin P filters, and I remember cutting off the second slot on the filter holder to prevent, but I could be wrong (it's an age thing), and it might of been on my 1Ds MKII?
 
Hi Antc,

"Looking to buy a filter kit but which one?".

Why?
With the exception of UV and CP filters most effects are much more easily, precisely, and conveniently applied in Post Production, in this digital age. Beats fumbling with filter holders and filters on location!
(And saves you a bundle!)

Physical filters, for the most part, are a hold-over from the film era except for a few specific applications.

Have fun!
 
W.Smith said:
Hi Antc,

"Looking to buy a filter kit but which one?".

Why?
With the exception of UV and CP filters most effects are much more easily, precisely, and conveniently applied in Post Production, in this digital age. Beats fumbling with filter holders and filters on location!
(And saves you a bundle!)

Physical filters, for the most part, are a hold-over from the film era except for a few specific applications.

Have fun!
Click to expand...

Is it not better to use the filters and get the effects in camera rather than using PS? I agree mosy of the effects can be created in PS.

So what does everyone think about this then? Better to get and use filters on camera or to just create the effects in PS?
 
What are you talking about Will Smith!

ND filters are still an important part of a togs armoury whether film or digital. I use Lee, expensive but lurvely.

:)
 
HIMUPNORTH said:
ND filters are still an important part of a togs armoury whether film or digital. I use Lee, expensive but lurvely.

:)
Click to expand...

This was my thinking but its surprising the amount of people on various forums saying its better to just add the effects you want is PS :shrug:
 
I use Cokin P series , ND 8 and a gradual Tobacco one , usually at around 40mm+
 
I have the p series Cokins and never noticed a problem when the 17-40 was on the 20d. I do see it a little at 17mm on the 5d though, but it's nothing that can' be sorted in cs2

I only use ND and grads now......thats still quicker than messing about exposing for different areas of the scene and overlaying in photoshop
 
I have Cokin P on my 10-20 with the wide angle holder (I don't have the normal holder). At 10mm when rotated a little it gets a little vignetting in the corners, but at 11mm there is no vignetting at all. So the normal holder will be fine at 17mm.

Oh, and one recalls a certain thread where people were discussing the presence of useless and wrong advice in threads?! :bang:
 
Well on sunday im going out shooting landscapes with a friend who has a set of cokin P series filters, now although i wont be using the proper holder as my friends adaptor ring isnt big enough to fit my 77mm thread, I can hold or blue tack the filters to the lens and see if an vignetting occurs. You never know I might be lucky and get away with being able to use the P series :) The two kits I had looked at so far, the Lee and Hitech ones are slightly more expensive, but the real expense comes when it gets to buying the polarizer for the cokin z-pro at £209!!!!
 
I met Micha Pawlitzki on a Scottish beach shooting Medium Format slide for Getty images. He was holding his filters in his hand over his lens. Less to carry he told me :LOL:
 
HIMUPNORTH said:
I met Micha Pawlitzki on a Scottish beach shooting Medium Format slide for Getty images. He was holding his filters in his hand over his lens. Less to carry he told me :LOL:
Click to expand...

I can say that there is nothing wrong with that method :LOL: Tis what I had to do today while out shooting landscapes with my mate Paul from my photo club. I thought I would report back here to say that I used various p series cokin filters without any vignetting what so ever. Got some very good shots with them as well, managed to balance the holder on the front of my lens (my friends adaptor wasnt big enough for my lens) with the circular polarizer and then a grad in there as well.

Very impressed with the results I got, so will be the happy owner of a set of these great filters very shortly.
 
Glad to hear you enjoyed using filters Antc, you wont get vignetting when holding the filters by hand, because you will be holding them against the lens. If you do hold them away from the lens, be aware of exposure and also try to hold them absolutely flush to the front element for optimum results.
I use Z size filters most of the time (100mm) but also use P series. I find it better to get the picture in shot rather than do it in PS afterwards, but thats just me coming from a film photography background.
Happy days.
Dean
 
Thanks Dino F, yeah I was holding them to the front of the lens but also managed to balance the holder on the front of the lens as well which meant the filters were a little way off the front element and all shots came out fine.

I agree with you totally about getting the images right in camera rather than faffing for hours in PS when you get back. Its the "proper" way to do things.
 
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