Enhancing Kit filter question?

[Kajito Nagib]

Just wondering if i should get a filter kit for my zeiss f1.4 50mm (filter size 58mm) or get individual filters as needed. For me the most important filter is the Circular or non-circular Polarizing filter for washed out skies and to avoid reflection off glass and water. There's a Tiffens $69 kit (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162453 REG/Tiffen_58DIGEFK_58mm_Deluxe_Enhancing_Kit.htm0l) but i'm not sure about the quality of the glass.I don't mind spending a few more dollars for better glass. I don't use a clear UV filter ever so if i get a kit it won't be used. The 812 filter i might use but if i need to improve skin tone i usually do it in post although it would probably look better optically if done with filter i never compared so i don't know. So the primary filter would be the polarizing and enhanced filter. Any recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

[Kajito Nagib]

I just remembered that I would be using the Polarizing filter together with my ND fader filter. There are threads in the front of the ND filter so it wouldn't be a problem however would there be vignetting if both filters are used together? I noticed that individual polarizing filters range from $30- $130 is there a noticeable difference between the quality of the glass and price?

[Jon Braeley]

The ND filter is your weakest link so I would not worry about the quality of additional filters unless you use high quality ND filters - I do not use the fader and go with a choice of 3 ND's that I carry.

I am not a big fan of polarizers for video - I use them for stills because I can bracket with many settings but for video I have only one chance in my doc work and polarizers are just not predictable. Anyway I do not go near too much water!

At 50mm on a 7D I would think you can use 2 filters without edge vignetting - anything less will suffer - about 28mm. I use step down rings that eliminate this problem and save you money. For example on your 58mm I would use my 72mm filters and add a step down ring. Most of my filters are 72 and 77mm and used with 3 or 4 step down rings.

[Lee Ying]

Originally Posted by Kajito Nagib

I just remembered that I would be using the Polarizing filter together with my ND fader filter. There are threads in the front of the ND filter so it wouldn't be a problem however would there be vignetting if both filters are used together? I noticed that individual polarizing filters range from $30- $130 is there a noticeable difference between the quality of the glass and price?

Yes, there is a big difference in quality in polarizers, and I have seen it. Basically, polarizers are polarizing films amounted on a glass. There are two things affecting the quality-- one is the quality of film and the other is the quality of coating on the glass. Low quality polarizing film can reduce the resolution, making images look softer. Coating, obviously is very important in filters; it reduces the flare and interlens reflections.
If I had Zeiss, I wouldn't touch Tiffen which is one of cheapest and worst quality. Hoya is generally considered very good quality filter brand. The best polarizer on the market is arguably the Hoya HD polarizer. It has two unique properties, its indestructable (you can see its youtube demo) and it lets twice as much light thru. But if you are using ND filter you are probably not interested having more light transmission. Usually polarizers lose two and half stops of light (70%).
The best bang for the buck for filters/polarizers IMO is Marumi, which has equal quality as Hoya but at 30% cheaper price.

[Burk Webb]

Shane Hurlbut sure likes Tiffen, from his website:

"When we compared all the cameras in the color correction bay, the Tiffen Water White IR ND quickly moved to the top. The Water White filtration is expensive, but you get what you pay for. What a difference! So, my recipe for filming is to use the Tiffen Water Whites across the board."

Tiffen 4 by 4 glass filters are a rental standard here in Portland, Oregon.

I do agree that filter quality is very important!

[David W. Jones]

My 2 cents...
A: Get the best filters you can afford on your budget.
B: Purchase filters to cover the largest diameter lens you own, and use step-down rings on smaller diameter lenses.

Good Luck!

[Kajito Nagib]

thanks everyone for getting back to me so quickly. The largest diameter lens i own is the canon 17-55 (77mm) so the hoya HD polarizer for this lens would cost $189. The 58mm version is $94-108. Hoya HD polarizer
There are two different prices for the same lens on B&H don't understand the difference in cost between these two. I can afford the 58mm hoya hd polarizer filter so that's what I will get and see what it looks like with and without the nd fader. For now I'll blow off the kit
Thanks for your help.

[David W. Jones]

You do realize that the 58mm filter will be too small to use on any of your lenses larger that 58mm, like your 17-55. Which would then require another filter purchase and more money spent.

Why not do it right the first time and buy singles that will work with all of your lenses,
rather that purchasing multiples of the same filter in different sizes?
It really is cheaper in the long run.

[Kajito Nagib]

Originally Posted by David W. Jones

You do realize that the 58mm filter will be too small to use on any of your lenses larger that 58mm, like your 17-55. Which would then require another filter purchase and more money spent.

Why not do it right the first time and buy singles that will work with all of your lenses,
rather that purchasing multiples of the same filter in different sizes?
It really is cheaper in the long run.

I'm really loving this filter so i decided to return it for the 77mm and buy the step up ring. thanks for the advice.

[Lee Ying]

With the step up ring, you do lose the ability to use a hood though. If you don't normally film in the direction of light source then no biggie.
Another thing to keep in mind about polarizer is that you have to be very careful about using it on wide angle shot. A strong polarizer like Hoya HD looks great on a 50mm lens, but once you put it on a 17mm, you maybe horrified to see that sky looks really weird with uneven blue areas. So depending on what other lenses you have you may not use a lot of 77mm filter threads with polarizer anyway.

[David W. Jones]

That's why it's always a good idea to have a selection of rubber lens hoods in 77mm.
While I have a couple of matte boxes that I use frequently, I also carry flexible rubber hoods for when needed.

[Kajito Nagib]

Originally Posted by Lee Ying

With the step up ring, you do lose the ability to use a hood though. If you don't normally film in the direction of light source then no biggie.
Another thing to keep in mind about polarizer is that you have to be very careful about using it on wide angle shot. A strong polarizer like Hoya HD looks great on a 50mm lens, but once you put it on a 17mm, you maybe horrified to see that sky looks really weird with uneven blue areas. So depending on what other lenses you have you may not use a lot of 77mm filter threads with polarizer anyway.

I have a canon17-55, tokina 11-16 and the zeiss 50. this week i'll test the filter out on all 3 lens.

[Kajito Nagib]

Originally Posted by Lee Ying

With the step up ring, you do lose the ability to use a hood though. If you don't normally film in the direction of light source then no biggie.
Another thing to keep in mind about polarizer is that you have to be very careful about using it on wide angle shot. A strong polarizer like Hoya HD looks great on a 50mm lens, but once you put it on a 17mm, you maybe horrified to see that sky looks really weird with uneven blue areas. So depending on what other lenses you have you may not use a lot of 77mm filter threads with polarizer anyway.

lee your right. i just ran some test with my canon 17-55 and the Hoya polarizer HD. with the lens wide open the colors do not match i got 3 shades of blue. the sun was on my left at a 90 degree angle. so from the left side i got a light blue then the center was dark blue and then the right side was somewhere between dark and light blue. i didn't think it looked horrible just uneven. if i zoom in then it looked fine but still it wasn't perfect it was still a little lighter on the left edge but barely noticeable. i don't care about the hood so that's not an issue. tomorrow i will try it out with my 50mm and my tokina 11-16mm. my issue with the filter wasn't so much the different shades of blue but i noticed circular rings like streaks while watching the video at home but i didn't see it while I was filming. is this normal? i cleaned the lens before using it. i'm a little disappointed with the streaks i guess I was expecting a little bit more out of a $200 filter.

[David W. Jones]

Did you try rotating the filter to achieve the desired effect?

[Kajito Nagib]

yes but i will run some more tests over the weekend . i just read from charlotte lowrie's book "7d digital field guide" that uneven polarization can occur with wide angle lens causing the sky to be darker than some areas which explains to me why i was getting different shades of blue. her solution is to use a 1- to 2- stop ND graduation filter. question is should the ND filter be placed in front of the polarizer or behind it and do you think it would cause vignetting? my hoya polarizer is a thick filter.