Sliding filters...Lee? Or others?

[Phate]

Hi all,

I've always enjoyed all kinds of landscape photography. I've had various filters of the years which inevitably end up changing due to getting different lenses and a year ago a completely different setup.

I want to get back into landscape photography more. Including long exposures during the day, IR work, seascapes, ND grads etc.

So I'm getting dirty thoughts of a 100mm LEE Filter setup. One which can accommodate most setups via a bracket for whichever lens/setup you want to use it with. This to me will mean a better long term investment. Also me and Mondo have been talking about a no homo photo geeky trip next year to somewhere quite scenic

However, before taking the plunge, I have some questions

1 - LEE filters. I've always been under the impression that they're well regarded as "The best" in the business. Are they? Fanboyism aside, is there a notable difference in build and IQ between that and a different setup? honest opinion needed here folks
2 - Sliding filters - have never had any experience with a setup like this. What are peoples thoughts? Are they easy to get on with?

I'm sure I'll have more as this thread progresses. I know the glass it self can get expensive. I think a ND10 "Big Stopper" is around £150ish. Possibly more. But if I change lenses/or systems in the future, its just a new adaptor and then I can carry on.

I want to use this on my Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO. From a quick search an adapter is approximately €40 then a LEE "foundation" kit which includes the holder and basic sliders for the glass is £60 off amazon. So after conversion it's around €110 to get my kit to a point to "accept" filters. Which to me seems very reasonable.

This can be more expensive if I want sliders which will take more glass (allowing me to stack more filters) or rounded ones to remove vignette. But I think I'll start off with the basics and see how I get on and go from there.

 

[Shadowness]

I use Lee, and I have some cheaper HiTech ones (I think that's the name). Yes there is a very noticeable difference in quality and performance. So if you really want to get into all this, then go for the good ones.

I have the 150mm sliding filters, as well as the Big Stopper (just get one, it's epic). No problem with it, yes they're a bit of a fiddle to setup sometimes, but I travel all over the world with mine if I have space and it's not an issue.

Things have changed a bit since I first got mine, and they have the newer mirrorless style ones too. So my advice would be to make sure you know what you want, before starting the journey, if that makes sense.

 

[Phate]

Thanks @Shadowness - Their website doesn't do a great job of explaining it all. Maybe you mean the mirrorless stuff is their 100mm setup? I'm not sure. Although 100mm does seem massive to me. Biggest filter I've used is an 80mm on L glass when I went to Iceland.

Am I right in thinking that investing in LEE is the way to go for future proofing if I change systems? Like if I go from Mirrorless back to DSLR? (I can't actually see that happening given just how good a decent mirrorless is, but you never know!)

What is evident is that I need to do more reading! that's for sure!

Have you tried any of their B&W filters? I know B&W is easily achievable in processing but there is something cool about shooting in B&W from the word go.

 

[Shadowness]

Be careful, I'm sure the mirrorless and SLR filters are not the same.

The mirrorless is the Seven5 system, which is smaller, and the gradients will be different.

I've not used B+W, but I've read good things about them.

It looks like Lee do three different systems. Seven5 (for mirrorless), 100mm and 150mm. I'm not sure about the 100mm, but I know the 150mm is best optimised for SLR, but to confuse you even more.....my 150mm filters still work fine with my mirrorless X-T1 (with the right adapter)

Having fun yet!?

 

[Phate]

I'm keeping up, just!

OK more reading needed. What filters do you have? You mentioned the big stopper, what else?

Are the filters durable? Whilst I won't treat it badly if I dropped it by accident am I likely to need to replace it?

 

[Shadowness]

They're pretty durable yes, they're acrylic I think. But the Big Stopper is glass.

I bought the starter kit (http://www.leefilters.com/index.php...era-dir-list/category/digital-slr-starter-kit) which is the 100mm system! Sorry I'm even confused myself!

I then added some 0.9 filters, and then the big stopper......oh and an adapter. These kits, unless stated, don't come with that, so you'll need one of those to fit the filter holder to your specific thread lens ie. 77mm

The 150mm system is just for the super wide angle lenses, I think they mainly made it for the Nikon 14-24mm, which is HUGE!

So you really need to decide between the Seven5, or 100mm system.

 

[Phate]

All looks good. 100mm for me unless I see something to say otherwise!

Stupid question time - what stops the filter from sliding out of the bottom if you rotate it? Do you tighten the screws to hold it in place? Meaning you need to carry a screwdriver with you as well?

 

[Shadowness]

Nope, they just slot it. Friction keeps them in place. I know that sounds scary with £100+ of filter, but they are very sturdy.

The holder has two slots, so you can stack two filters, like the big stopper and a graduated ND filter for example.

You release the brass looking stud on the side to rotate the holder itself, which just grips the adapter.

Have a look at some YT videos, I'm sure there's loads of people showing the use of them, probably some from Lee themselves. It might give you an idea of which ones you want. The hardest decision for me was whether I needed hard edge or soft edge filters......wont get into all that now though!

 

[Phate]

Cheers! Will check out youtube!

This is beginning to sound like it's all going to become very expensive

 

[Shadowness]

Isn't photography anyway!?

 

[Phate]

Isn't photography anyway!?

Yep....ah well

Wait till the missus hears this

 

[And]

I've got a set of the Lee ND grads (100mm), big stopper and little stopper. All good but I don't use them as often as I'd like, which is on me for not prioritising time for landscape photography and something I want to work on. The grads will mark quite easily if you drop them as I did with one of mine and it's work keeping a rocket blower with you too if space permits.

 

[Screeeech]

I've always used LEE filters, I have two full sets - I actually have a full set of 100mm LEE filters, including a pouch, holder and some adapter rings, (various grads, 6 and 10 stopper, glass enhancer etc) I don't use the 100mm set anymore so if you're interested I could list it on the MM (with pics and stuff) as I use the LEE 150 system now - I really cba to put the 100mm system on ebay lol

 

[Zaf]

Not quite what you are looking for in an answer but, I've just ordered a Breakthrough Photography X4 10 Stop ND Filter. I took the plunge after reading many reviews comparing them to LEE and B+W.

I went with the 77mm which is my biggest filters size and ordered at 67mm-77mm step up too

 

[Phate]

I've always used LEE filters, I have two full sets - I actually have a full set of 100mm LEE filters, including a pouch, holder and some adapter rings, (various grads, 6 and 10 stopper, glass enhancer etc) I don't use the 100mm set anymore so if you're interested I could list it on the MM (with pics and stuff) as I use the LEE 150 system now - I really cba to put the 100mm system on ebay lol

I'll send you a message

 

[voidshatter]

Filter system is worth investing, and can last a long time if you choose it right. I've been shooting long exposure for years, and I've always been using the Lee 100mm filter system, from 35mm format to medium format.

My advice would be to determine your widest lens first, and start from there. You'll need to find the smallest filter system that is compatible with your widest lens. In your case, if you can manage to make the 100mm system work for your 7-14mm then go for it. Things to watch for: mind any possible light leakage issues, especially for bulb-like lenses like the 7-14mm!

My widest lens is a Rodenstock 23mm HR coupled with an IQ250 (equivalent as a 17mm shift lens on 35mm format). The Lee 100mm system is compatible with its centre filter, and can be used for all other longer lenses in my kit.

For special lenses such like the Canon 17mm TS-E (bulb front element), Phase One's Schneider 28mm LS and Rodenstock's 32mm HR, one would need to use the 150mm filter system instead, which is significantly bulkier and heavier when compared against the 100mm filter system. That's the main reason I dislike these kind of lenses.

As for brand choices, Lee is definitely a decent choice, while Singh-Ray is also a great pick (though significantly more expensive). Talking about 10-stop ND and 15-stop ND, Lee is cold on the colour temperature and would require white balance correction in post-processing (hence shooting in RAW is important). Luckily I hardly notice any loss of colour after the white balance correction for Lee. Sing-Ray does not have biased white balance and is the easiest one to use. Other brands such like Heliopan, B+W etc are a bit warm and do suffer a degree of colour loss after white balance correction in post-processing. I notice no drop of sharpness with these brands.

As for the essential set of filters, I would recommend 6-stop ND (Lee), 10-stop ND (Lee or Singh-Ray), 15-stop ND (Lee or Singh-Ray), 2-stop ND grad soft (Lee), 3-stop reverse grad (by Singh-Ray). These are the most useful and can cover almost all light conditions. Keep in mind that you do need a very good sensor for long exposure purposes (i.e. little shadow noise for long exposure). This is because ND grad and reverse grad do not always cover the scene perfectly, so you'll need to rely on the dynamic range of the sensor itself. Generally a modern Sony CMOS sensor is a good pick, e.g. Nikon D810, Phase One IQ250 etc. Certain sensors do not like long exposure, e.g. Phase One IQ3 100MP, Sony A7R-II etc.

I hope this helps.

 

[Phate]

Thanks @voidshatter - your images are stunning! Really amazing stuff.

That's great advice RE the widest lens. With the correct adaptor the 100mm system is perfect for my 7-14mm. Not many have gone down this route with this particular camera combo yet so it will be nice to be one of the first as well.

The dynamic range of my camera (Olympus EM5-II) is pretty decent. Its not as good as say a 5D Mkiii but its not far off it either! Through experiments I've found after about 1min 30s the sensor starts getting a bit hot! But thats plenty enough for the time being anyway!

 

[voidshatter]

The dynamic range of my camera (Olympus EM5-II) is pretty decent. Its not as good as say a 5D Mkiii but its not far off it either! Through experiments I've found after about 1min 30s the sensor starts getting a bit hot! But thats plenty enough for the time being anyway!

Actually your EM5-II features a very good sensor and has better dynamic range than a 5D Mark III!

Canon has been known for its poor dynamic range for years, until recently they have made some improvement with their 1DX Mark II and 5D Mark IV.

 

[Phate]

Well this camera has impressed me, yet again!

It's insane given the price of it vs a mkiii or mk iv

 

[Phate]

This makes me think this camera should be very good for long exposure work during the day