Which Filter Holder System for Landscape Photo.?

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I am a new owner of a 67II. I have 105mm and 55mm lenses. If I mostly want to do landscape photography, what would be the best filter holder system? I expect to use mostly polarizers, ND filters, and a graded density filter. I see a lot of messages about modifying the Cokin P series holder for a wide angle lens. Won't the Cokin Pro series get around this? If I buy the Lee series holder how do I use both a graded density filter which has to be aligned with the horizon and be able to rotate a polarizer at the same time?

-- Charlie Snedaker (snedaker@home.com), August 26, 2001

Answers

I am a user of pentax 645 system and the reason for why I use the Cokin P-system is the use of singh-ray filters. But I get vignetting with my 35mm f3.5 wideangle with polarizer in P-holder. I use the LEE system for the 35mm or just handhold the filter in front of the lens.

The singh-ray ND-grads are superior compared to the Cokin ND-grads. Why? The singh-rays are gray and cokins have often a greenish tone (and I have seen many many many Cokin ND-grads). I suspect that the ND-grads for the Cokin Pro series have the same quality problems. I have not seen singh-rays for the Cokin Pro-system.

For the P67 system I would probably go for the LEE filter system. I read a thread in this forum that you can use the filterholder with the 45mm wideangle without vignetting. One drawback with the LEE filter system is that you must rotate the whole filterholder when using a polarizer. That can be tricky when using both a polarizer and ND-grad in the same shot. But the LEE ND-grads are good and the system accepts adaptor rings up to 95mm. The LEE system also has special wide-angle adaptor rings.

One of my favourite filters is the Singh-ray gold and blue polarizer which is a very interesting filter. I do not know if LEE has a similar filter.

-- Patrik Björklund (piscovery@hotmail.com), August 30, 2001.


I use the Lee system with a 45mm lens and get no vignetting with the w/a holder. If you buy the pro system then it comes with an ingenious double filter holder joined by another rotating mechanism which means that you can use a grad and rotate a polariser at the front. My suspicion would be that this may vignette on the 45mm.

The Lee system is real quality, the cokin p is tat by comparison. I use the cokin P for my 35mm work if I am pushed for space.

Dave

-- David Tolcher (davidjt@btinternet.com), August 31, 2001.


If you want a "system" that can do everything then Lee is probably the only one. You need to buy the "pro" starter kit to use a combination of both square and polarising filters. I too have noticed that Cokin do not make very good polarisers or ND grads however I have not purchased Lee for two reasons (a) the holders and filters are too expensive for me and (b) For speed of use I prefer to use "Blu-tack" to hold the filter on the front of the lens rather than a system holder. So if you can afford it then use Lee, or if not then do as I do - Use Cokin 81 series warm-ups, use Hi-tech for ND grads (cokin P size professional quality - imported to UK by Teamwork) - for polariser use a new or 2nd hand B&W. For my 45mm P67 lens I use a 95mm B&W polariser with step-up rings. It may sound a mish-mash but it works. It is also worth noting that with plastic filters you will need to consider replacing you most used ones every few years, they are optically excellent but they can get scratched easily.

-- Tony Estcourt (tony.estcourt@talk21.com), September 02, 2001.

One other thing - the Cokin "Pro" series filters are truly huge (bigger than your camera) and the polariser costs the same as a new space shuttle. If you wish to consider this system then find a retailer that can actually show you the equipment rather than mail order.

-- Tony Estcourt (tony.estcourt@talk21.com), September 02, 2001.

I looked into the available options for my P67 mainly because I wanted to use some 81 series filters behind a polariser. I had been using Hitech filters in a Cokin P holder that I cut down to 2 slots. This worked OK with a P67 55mm. except for the problem of using a pol. filter in combination. Eventually, I bought a Hitech Mk. 5 filter holder from Formatt Filters here in the UK. This is a 3-slot, machined aluminium holder for 100mm filters with a 105 filter ring on the front which takes the 105mm Heliopan polarising filter that Formatt supply. I decided on this in preference to the Lee system because the initial cost was lower - no need to buy additional accessory holders to mount a pol. filter - and also because I didn't want to risk vignetting by using their square pol. filters in an additional counter-rotating holder. I have been very pleased with this system - no vignetting problems with the P67 55mm (I don't have the 45mm) and the Heliopan pol. looks to be of excellent quality [made in Germany; Schott glass] and is not obscenely priced (UK£95 for the linear pol.) The Cokin 'Pro' system seems very expensive, at least here in the UK. The quality of their P System grad. filters was not good by comparison to Lee and Hitech; I have no experience of the new 'Pro' filters.

-- Don Brownlow (dbnlys@aol.com), September 03, 2001.


I too use the Lee system for my P 67, excellent and versitile. Lee makes a special filter holder for 95 mm diameter size that clamps on (great for the 55-100). Most excellent for polarizer (Lee now makes a 4x4 circular), GND filters, and B&W filters. I use almost exclusevly glass filters (Tiffen and now a few other English made ones, e mail me for supplier). For my wide lenses, Lee has a great wide angle bellows hood with a slot for one (or 2) filters depending on model. Most excellent system, good for 35 format too. I understand Cokin now has a larger size in their line, but Lee's for me! msmith

-- mark smith (msmith@fayar.net), January 24, 2002.

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