Sliding filters...Lee? Or others?

Phate

Phate

Phate

Caporegime
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
35,691
Location
Lisbon, Portugal
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 :D

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.
 
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.
 
I'm keeping up, just! :D

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?
 
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?
 
Screeeech said:
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
Click to expand...

I'll send you a message :)
 
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!
 
It's possible I am being dim. But whats the difference between the last 2 squares in the row? both 300second exposures annd +5 stops but one is unusable and the other is fine?!
 
Ahhhh ok that makes sense. Yes pushing +5EV is the very extreme, don't think I've ever done that!

This has made me really excited. Especially to see my camera can really excel at this task ahead. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom