[RocksandRocks]

Hello all,
As of late I have been more and more interested in landscape photography, and so naturally I have been investigating the wild, wide world of filters. Currently I only have one filter, a circular polarizer for my DA 35mm limited macro, but I wish to invest in some budget friendly system that can provide me with a few filters that can be adapted to many lenses (maybe, anyway). As a newbie to photography in general, I have come across only a few solutions.

1. Multiple exposures, and composite an image.

This seems relatively tedious and I want to tackle the challenge of getting one image just right. Although, this lends itself to the least money spent! Budget friendly, but not exactly what I am after. Also, some effects are nigh impossible to reproduce without the use of a filter, some may argue.

2. Rectangular filters with many adapters.

An attractive solution, that is both budget friendly and wildly universal, something that I can appreciate now and perhaps even more over time as my kit expands. One issue though, is that I am in need of recommendations. I have only seen one such brand so far that focuses on this design, Cokin, but I like options. Are there any options that you all suggest for Pentax lenses?

3. Round filters for every lens size.

This doesn't seem conducive to flexible photo composition, especially pertaining to graduated filters and their cousins, and is certainly not easy on the wallet. My primary question is for folks who have pursued this avenue, why? I can see the optical benefit of not having extra glass/lens material to flare/refract light, and if kit size is a concern, it seems mildly justified, but I can't get over the inflexibility and expense. Is there some other obvious reason I am missing?

4. Any other system/method I am missing? Please inform me! I'd love to know

Thank you for any insight into this! It is much appreciated

[Digitalis]

Any other system/method I am missing? Please inform me! I'd love to know

Clip filters exist, they fit inside the lens mount and allow you to use the same filter with every lens you own. Several makers* have been brought to my attention and the concept has certainly piqued my interest.




The only drawback to this style of filters is that they don't have any GND filters or PL filters as they require rotational movement to be at their most effective. So if you want to use those types of filter then a square filter system is more appropriate**.


*STC seem to have the best implementation I have seen so far, they have a number of High density ND filters with IR attenuation which reduces the impact of IR light from affecting image quality, they use high quality float glass from Schott.
** I work with square filters from Lee and NiSi.

[RocksandRocks]

Clip filters exist, they fit inside the lens mount and allow you to use the same filter with every lens you own. Several makers* have been brought to my attention and the concept has certainly piqued my interest.

Wow, that is certainly an interesting solution! Seems a bit fiddly. Is that the case in practice?

[Digitalis]

I'm a classical musician and quite capable with my hands, so I suspect they will be no different from any lensmount/gel filter solution* have worked with. I have a small set of dense ND/IR Cut filters on the way, I'll compare them to the Lee/NiSi filters and see how they stack up regarding usability and colour neutrality.

* less annoying than getting a filter stuck at an inopportune moment...we have all been there.

[35mmfilmfan]

If you look up Cokin filters on 'a certain auction site', you will find listings for similar filters by other manufacturers. I have not tried them, so can offer no personal recommendation, but they seem less expensive than the originals.

[StiffLegged]

If you want to try graduated nd filters, a square holder system is the only sensible one: with circular graduated filters there is only one position for the graduation available (although my ancient Chromofilters could at least turn to suit landscape and portrait alignment.) Cokin are by no means the only brand of square/oblong filter system available and you can buy cheap or anything up to ruinously expensive. In the UK I use SRB’s system which wasn’t too dear and hasn’t much colour cast noticeable with their glass nd filters. Beware that eBay and Amazon budget specials will likely have distinct colour casts however many “reviews” they have.

Hopefully the members here can recommend a useable system which doesn’t cost the earth.

[Tas]

G'Day,

I am out of practice with my photography over the last couple of years, so please cross reference anything I say with other comments here and some research on the interwebs.

The first filter set I used was a Cokin square filter kit. The kit came with a frame and three Grad ND filters. The adaptor rings I bought were for the lenses I was adding them to which were from memory 67mm and 77mm. The benefit of a square filter system is the adaptor rings are relatively cheap which means you can swap the filter kit between different lenses despite having different filter ring sizes.

I have used the same Cokin square filter mounting system with a Singh Ray Reverse ND Grad filter. A reverse ND Grad is a good option to consider for landscapes particularly any sun on the horizon aspirations.

I also have a Nisi square filter set up but this was to use with the 15-30 and requires a different mounting system to attach to that lens as opposed to a filter ring.

Square filter considerations:

• You carry them separately as they can't just be screwed onto the front of a lens like a circular filter. Potentially will take up more space and therefore less convenience.
• Can produce more issues with flaring as there's no scope to add a lens hood.
• Have the potential for greater flexibility compared to circular filters as you buy the range of filters you want and the filter rings to fit each of your lenses. Ring mounts are one of the least expensive parts of the square filter kit.
• Can have issues with vignetting if the wrong set up is added to the wrong lens. This is usually an issue with wide angle lenses. For example some mounts can take three square filters others only one which assists in managing vignetting.
• Grad filters are really easy to use as you can slide them up/down to match the composition/horizon etc
• Square filters come in different sizes, don't buy anything larger than you need to as more size = more cost.

The circular lenses I have include Hoya, Singh Ray, Nisi and B&W.

I have circular filters from 49mm up to 82mm using the lens filter thread and I have a CPL for the 15-30 that uses the different mount around the body like the Nisi square filter set.

I've found vignetting with circular filters with wider focal lengths however circular filters are made in a 'standard size' and a slim size to reduce the likelihood or at least the severity of the vignetting on wide angles where it's an issue.

Circular filters can be used in conjunction with a square filter set. Be careful again of flaring and vignetting.

Circular filter considerations:

• Need to match the filter size for your lenses as you've mentioned already, but consider a larger size and step rings. For example you can fit a 77mm filter on a lens with a 58mm thread by using a set of step rings. Step rings are cheap and will interfere with lens hood use but could provide an inexpensive solution to manage different filter sizes.
• I leave CPL's on my lens all the time so they're always with me. I also carry a filter case to remove it if I need/want to.
• CPL's can produce uneven skies on wide angle lenses.
• Not seeing much positive talk about variable ND filters on the interwebs but as I don't have any won't make comment beyond recommending you check for reviews of products before purchasing.

To wrap up before I write an even bigger novel, I recommend you consider a solution for a filter kit using both circular and square filters to suit what you want to do. I like large stop ND filters, grad & reverse grad ND, and CPL. I try to use a filter only when I am after a specific look or in certain conditions to help manage the light.

Cokin I've found to have a warm cast, the B&W 10 stop a cool cast. The Singh Ray reverse ND was neutral (from memory as it's been a while) and the Nisi's have been a recent purchase so yet to see what they produce.

Hope the above can help with your decision about using filters.

Tas

[Macario]

I use both systems.
I have circular ND filters in 49mm for the limiteds (and one in 55 mm for the 20-40). Also have a circulair polar filter in 49mm

But for the other lenses I have the square filters from Cokin. and I have the A system (still have it from the analog days), the P system (now called M) and the Z-pro (now called L).
I used the A system a-lot, as it did fit the pentax lenses well

Then I got the P system, well because the newer lenses needed bigger adapters, and the A system didn't go bigger that 62mm.
Then I got the Z-Pro system, As here in Holland, I couldnt find the right filters in P size, so had to to go bigger.


The knock-offs you can buy on e-bay and all are just not good. They have bad color hues most of the times. But still, it can be usefull to buy. As you can buy a whole kit, which comes with almost the whole range in adapter rings. You then just have to buy good filters (cokin, Lee, Benro etc.)

[CristiC]

I have the Lee system for the 100mm width and various graduated ND (rectangular) filters 100x150mm from Lee and some square 100mm ND filters (6-stops and 10-stops) from Nisi that come with foam margin to block light leaks. I am very happy with the NiSi filter holder for the same 100mm size. NiSi possibly improved their design over Lee through the fact that the CPL is closest to the front lens element, somewhat smaller in diameter and is cheaper than the 95mm CPL for the Lee system.

I've heard the advice about how to reduce image quality of a $1,500.- lens: put a $10 filter in front of it! I don't have an opinion on that, it's just what I heard.

Some say that a good filter has to be of top quality Schott-glass, perfectly parallel grinded, not resin, and has to be coated on both sides. Some complain of the water droplets that may condense easier on plastic/resin filters in cold/humid conditions than on well-coated glass.

A different kind of headache arises when you already have the 49mm, 52mm, 58mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm ring adapters for your square holder (+ all the rectangular filters) and then you decide to buy an ultra-wide-angle lens with a bulbous (very convex) front element and a hood that can't be detached. See the Pentax-D FA15-30mm. In such cases, a solution might be a bigger size of filters, 150mm wide. Plus another holder system, like WonderPana.

Irix recommends very affordable gelatin ND filters that you can cut from a sheet and insert at the back of your *Irix* lens.

[gatorguy]

*STC seem to have the best implementation I have seen so far, they have a number of High density ND filters with IR attenuation which reduces the impact of IR light from affecting image quality, they use high quality float glass from Schott.
** I work with square filters from Lee and NiSi.

I also have a good selection of NiSi square filters (extremely color-neutral IMO), along with a 3 or 4 round Breakthough's (also great) plus one of their 100mm rectangulars, but have been carrying the STC's in the bag regularly so I've not really done much with the others for awhile now. The STC's take up no room, convenient and quick to deploy, and are always along for the ride.

One thing I haven't yet done is couple the STC with the NiSi (or Breakthough) polarizer to see how they do together.

[bdery]

2. Rectangular filters with many adapters.
An attractive solution, that is both budget friendly and wildly universal, something that I can appreciate now and perhaps even more over time as my kit expands. One issue though, is that I am in need of recommendations. I have only seen one such brand so far that focuses on this design, Cokin, but I like options. Are there any options that you all suggest for Pentax lenses?

I'm currently testing a system (with Nano-X coatings) from K&F Systems. I've been extremely pleased with their filters in the past, and see no reason why I shouldn't enjoy those as well.

[baro-nite]

I own the Lee 100mm system. Pretty good, but probably not the one I would buy today, given the options out there. So much comes down to what filters you will actually use, in which combinations, and on which lenses, taking into account both filter size and vignetting concerns.

For me the main drawback of the Lee 100mm holder is what I have to go through to independently rotate a polarizer and a GND filter. I live with it because it's fairly rare that I have a scene where this is a problem. Most of the time I use either filter it is more or less horizontal or vertical, so I can make it work. (I also have an adapter and a second holder -- a lens hood -- which allow independent rotation, but I don't usually want to be bothered carrying them.) But if I were to buy a new system, I'd go for one that makes this easy. The Kase and the H&Y systems look pretty good in that regard. (And maybe I will buy one of these and sell the Lee.)

You left out one option: for each type of filter, buy one for the largest filter thread you own, and buy a set of step-up rings to cover your other filter thread sizes. As others have pointed out, this isn't really practical for GNDs.

[robgski]

I have used Cokin Square filters in the P or M series for 30 years, good quality, affordable, offers a wide variety of filters .

[gatorguy]

Here's a suggestion for those contemplating round filters but not wanting to buy several for different size threads, or take the time to stack step up/down rings. You can wedge a larger one into a KOVRD lens hood for your smaller lens, for example a 77 filter for a 52 lens. Quick, cheap, and movable between lenses. I got them at Amazon for a couple of lenses with missing or broken hoods. Using 'em with filters was a bonus.

[jlstrawman]

Two words: magnetic filters

https://www.freewellgear.com/

Love mine.