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Types of Filters, Choosing a Holder System & More

Neutral Density

Alejandro Garcia Bernardo

Neutral density (or ND) filters reduce the amount of light that passes through the lens. This gives the photographer more control over the shutter speed and aperture to produce effects like the smoothing of water, to shallow depth of field or to show the movement of clouds.

Graduated Neutral Density

Graduated NDs, or more simply ‘grads’, have the ND effect only on the top half of the filter, so that the bright sky can be balanced with the terrain below. This correction cannot be made in post processing. Typically graduated filters are used to enhance the sky or terrain, or balance the luminosity of the sky to the luminosity of the terrain. For hard and soft grad filters, colors are often deployed (such as sunset or twilight) to enhance the color of the sky.

Polarisers

© JOSE RAMOS

The effect that polarisers have on photography is almost magical. Bright glaring reflections on water magically disappear. Foliage becomes deep and rich. Haze evaporates from the sky leaving clouds silhouetted against dramatic blue skies. Formatt-Hitech’s polarisers are of the finest available. The circular polarization pattern means that they work seamlessly with any digital sensor (linear polarisers from any manufacturer should be avoided when using CMOS sensors).

ULTRASLIM RINGS

SUPERSLIM RINGS

UV

© JOSE RAMOS

UV haze. It’s a problem that photographers face everyday. Haze reduces the overall contrast of an image and is almost always the first environmental phenomena to ruin your chances of turning that landscape photograph into fine-art. Haze is caused by ultraviolet contamination on your digital sensor or film, and causes the image to appear faded blue, gray or milky.

ULTRASLIM RING

SUPERSLIM RINGS

Choosing a Holder System

A holder system allows you to purchase one set of filters to fit all of your lenses. An adapter ring is used to fit the different thread diameters of your individual lenses.

Firecrest 100mm Holder System

• Ideal for Long Exposure and Landscape Photography
• Unequalled protection against light leakage
• Firecrest 100mm holder with polariser control wheel
• Integrated 86mm Firecrest Ultra-slim (non-rotating) Circular Polariser
• Two part anti-reflective soft-touch outer case
• Solid and vented end caps for use with 100x100 filters or grads