(Rectangular) Filter Guide for Beginners

[Ulfric M Douglas]

Julia : great quality images with arrows and enlarged sections! I clicked "informative".

Amin is this thread stickied yet?

 

[jrsilva]

Good article !!
Well illustrated.
Thank's for your time putting this in words and pictures.

 

[Deleted member 2604]

Great write-up Julia! I do not like images with silky looking running water (I think it's a fashion thing) but I definitely see use for the PL filter.
Thomas Heaton's videos are really fun to watch. Absolutely stunnin' ;-)

 

[Rick F]

Really good write up Julia. I bought a range of their filters last year and adapter rings for most of my lenses. I haven't got the CPL, but I may do in the future.
One thing to watch out for with the holder is the little brass nuts have a nasty habit of coming undone and falling off. The screw then also decides to jump ship and before you know it, you have no more spares. It's a poor design really as the nuts are actually nut inserts that are designed to be melted, or pushed in to plastic so a screw can be screwed in.

Anyway, now that you've purchased the filters, can we have an update on how you're getting on, and your experiences when using them? I personally struggled with the ND grad's as I couldn't see how much affect they were having, or where the line was in the frame. I have now learnt one way to get around this is to have the over exposure warning red colour switched on. Then adjust the exposure until the sky shows as red and then lower the filter down. As the filter comes down you can see as the red over exposure warning vanishes. When you're happy with where the filter is, set the correct exposure as you would normally.

 

[Julia]

Thomas Heaton's videos are really fun to watch. Absolutely stunnin' ;-)

Yeah, he sounds so funny when he's excited! Love his British accent!

One thing to watch out for with the holder is the little brass nuts have a nasty habit of coming undone and falling off. The screw then also decides to jump ship and before you know it, you have no more spares. It's a poor design really as the nuts are actually nut inserts that are designed to be melted, or pushed in to plastic so a screw can be screwed in.

Anyway, now that you've purchased the filters, can we have an update on how you're getting on, and your experiences when using them? I personally struggled with the ND grad's as I couldn't see how much affect they were having, or where the line was in the frame.

Yeah, I've noticed that those little nuts have a tendency to become loose! I am trying to establish a habit to tighten them whenever I handle the filter holder – much like hitting the Save button back during my Windows Word days

As for actual experience – I have only used them "out in the field" twice so far. Either the weather hasn't cooperated, or I was busy buying a car – who'd have thought that there was so much to do when you did that. But now that I have my car, I am going on a photo roadtrip on Saturday and hope to use the filters a bit more. I haven't really noticed any issues about not seeing the filter effect in the rear-screen, but as I said, I've only used them twice so far.

On this photo, I had a Formatt Hitech ND .9 + SE Grad .6 in the holder (no CPL since I was pointing the camera directly into the sun) and the filter was tilted slightly so the grad filter would cover the upper right where the sun was setting.

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Historical Dresden by Julia, on Flickr

 

[mcrosa]

Very nice. How about some details on the shot?

 

[Rick F]

Thanks for the reply Julia.

Tightening the nuts is the first thing I do when I get the holder out. Checking they are still there and tight becomes a bit like a nervous twitch as I walk around!

Looks like an impressive start from the picture you posted. What sort of things are you hoping to photograph when you go on your road trip?

 

[Julia]

Very nice. How about some details on the shot?

If you click on the link under the photo, it will take you to Flickr and it shows all the specs.

 

[Nam-in-Sonoma]

Thank you for writing this article...I wish I had an article like this when I got into photography with filters.

So, in my case my 12-40 PRO lens has the largest diameter of all of my lenses: 62mm. I checked the existing m43 lenses and found that even the ones I might buy in the future won’t exceed 62mm (for now at least). So I needed to find a filter size that would cover 62mm.

The 7-14mm F2.8 Pro is bigger than 62mm, however you still can use the 100mm filter with special ring adaptor that are either 3D printing or foam, all depends on with filter holder you use.

So, I'd say if you'd attach a step-down ring to the CPL adapter, you'd most definitely have vignetting with that particular lens.

The vignette is cause by the fact that the CPL is too far from the lens and some manufacturers had found a way to eliminate that by putting the CPL closer to the lens...unlike in your case the CPL go first. Nisi and Haida are the only two doing this as of now.

Nisi also is the only company that include the CPL in the system with 3 stup up rings

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that come with a really nice leather case

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This is how the CPL sit in front of the lens

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[steveadams]

This sounds good but how does someone turn the CPL filter?

 

[Nam-in-Sonoma]

There is a wheel mount on the adaptor ring that lets you do that

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[pondball]

The 7-14mm F2.8 Pro is bigger than 62mm, however you still can use the 100mm filter with special ring adaptor that are either 3D printing or foam, all depends on with filter holder you use.

Thanks "Nam-in-Sonoma"... This is really the only obstacle I had come across before I dive into square filters. One of the manufacturers suggested I'd have to go with the 150 system to avoid vignetting on at the lower range of the 7-14/2.8 Pro... and that I wouldn't be able to avoid it until I shot at 11 mm.

Have you had any experience with the Nisi system causing vignetting on at the lower mm of this lens with its 100mm filter system?

My other lens at this point is the 12-200/4 Pro so fitting the Nisi should work with that? Eventually looking at a couple of primes in the 17 to 75 range so hoping to get a one system fits all system.

 

[Rick F]

Thanks "Nam-in-Sonoma"... This is really the only obstacle I had come across before I dive into square filters. One of the manufacturers suggested I'd have to go with the 150 system to avoid vignetting on at the lower range of the 7-14/2.8 Pro... and that I wouldn't be able to avoid it until I shot at 11 mm.

Have you had any experience with the Nisi system causing vignetting on at the lower mm of this lens with its 100mm filter system?

My other lens at this point is the 12-200/4 Pro so fitting the Nisi should work with that? Eventually looking at a couple of primes in the 17 to 75 range so hoping to get a one system fits all system.

I've found that when using my Oly 9-18mm and the same filter system as Julia.

 

[pondball]

I've found that when using my Oly 9-18mm and the same filter system as Julia.

so as long as I'm shooting 11mm or above I would be ok with any of the 100mm square filter options?

 

[Nam-in-Sonoma]

Thanks "Nam-in-Sonoma"... This is really the only obstacle I had come across before I dive into square filters. One of the manufacturers suggested I'd have to go with the 150 system to avoid vignetting on at the lower range of the 7-14/2.8 Pro... and that I wouldn't be able to avoid it until I shot at 11 mm.

Have you had any experience with the Nisi system causing vignetting on at the lower mm of this lens with its 100mm filter system?

My other lens at this point is the 12-200/4 Pro so fitting the Nisi should work with that? Eventually looking at a couple of primes in the 17 to 75 range so hoping to get a one system fits all system.

For sure with the 150mm you won't get any vignetting. However, with the Nisi V5 Pro 100mm and the 3D print ring adaptor made by Phil Norton I don't get any vignetting as long as I set it carefully as instructed and don't turn the filter to much and if I need to turn the filter to fit the horizon line with graduate filter I can get away with 7.5mm or 8mm.

I have to add that with the 7-14mm F2.8, it is not possible to use the CPL.

Here is the link to 7-14 Adapter Details: Phil Norton Photography

 

[Rick F]

so as long as I'm shooting 11mm or above I would be ok with any of the 100mm square filter options?

With that lens yes.

 

[mcrosa]

If you click on the link under the photo, it will take you to Flickr and it shows all the specs.

Thanks

 

[Nam-in-Sonoma]

Here is the usefulness of a reversed GND when the sun is close or at the horizon.

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Solitary Tree by Nam Ing, on Flickr

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Solitary Tree by Nam Ing, on Flickr

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Solitary Tree by Nam Ing, on Flickr

On this last one the vignetting is added in photoshop. All three are taken with the 7-14mm F2.8 Pro with GND 0.9 Reversed

 

[pondball]

Here is the usefulness of a reversed GND when the sun is close or at the horizon.

On this last one the vignetting is added in photoshop. All three are taken with the 7-14mm F2.8 Pro with GND 0.9 Reversed

Excellent examples Nam! Thanks for sharing. I'm getting more eager by the minute to get into ND filters! I actually have a circular ND 2 - 8 stop ND for my FF Sigma 105/2.8 but it doesn't fit any of my current Oly glass so really haven't touched it yet.

Question(s):
• So were you using the Phil Norton filter adapter with the NiSi 100mm holder with your 7-14.2.8 Pro for these shots?
• it looks like you shot the 1st and 3rd at 9mm while the middle one was shot at 8mm. Were these cropped at all to take out any vignetting (especially the 8mm shot) and if so how much extra real estate did you have to include in your original shot to be able to crop it down to the shot you showed us here?
• still a newb so this will appear as a real newb question. When you say reversed GND do you mean you simply put your ND filter upside down in your holder? I couldn't locate in your exif what level of ND you used (oops... just noticed you said .9) so is there one you recommend for this type of revGND shot or does it depend on the available light etc just as it would with other ND shots?

This thread is just getting better and better all the time! Kudos to Julia for getting us going!

 

[Nam-in-Sonoma]

Excellent examples Nam! Thanks for sharing. I'm getting more eager by the minute to get into ND filters! I actually have a circular ND 2 - 8 stop ND for my FF Sigma 105/2.8 but it doesn't fit any of my current Oly glass so really haven't touched it yet.

You can get cheap stup-up rings to file your lens as long as the filter is bigger that the size of your lens that you going to use it on.

Question(s):
• So were you using the Phil Norton filter adapter with the NiSi 100mm holder with your 7-14.2.8 Pro for these shots?

Yes I did.

• it looks like you shot the 1st and 3rd at 9mm while the middle one was shot at 8mm. Were these cropped at all to take out any vignetting (especially the 8mm shot) and if so how much extra real estate did you have to include in your original shot to be able to crop it down to the shot you showed us here?

First one at 10mm, second at 7mm and last at 9mm.
But I don't think I cropped them

• still a newb so this will appear as a real newb question. When you say reversed GND do you mean you simply put your ND filter upside down in your holder? I couldn't locate in your exif what level of ND you used (oops... just noticed you said .9) so is there one you recommend for this type of revGND shot or does it depend on the available light etc just as it would with other ND shots?

This thread is just getting better and better all the time! Kudos to Julia for getting us going!

The reverse GND the darkest area is in the middle of the filter while the regular GND the darkest part is on the edge.

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Reverse and Regular GND by Nam Ing, on Flickr