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Author Topic: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech  (Read 9779 times)

Nightjar

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NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« on: May 05, 2018, 04:08:46 pm »

Hi there,

I'm looking into buying 2 or 3 filters 100x100. I already bought the lee filter universal hood for a good price. Now which filters do I get?

The big question: Nisi vs. Formatt Hitech Firecrest IRND vs Lee Proglass IRND? I think not caring about budget I would go for the Lee Proglass IRND though Nisi has a good price and good reviews?

Anybody can comments or share there experiences?

Best regards & thanks
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SrMi

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2018, 06:27:34 pm »

What kind of filters are you thinking of? Since you mention Lee Proglass IRND, I assume you are inquiring about ND-filters. Here is a good article about 10 step ND Filters:
10 Stop ND Filter Test | On Landscape
I am happy with Haida filters.

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Nightjar

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2018, 07:02:29 am »

Yes, sorry - here's some more info:

I'm looking into regular ND filters (2 or 3 to start) maybe I'll get a Grad some day and big stoppper or something similar.

IR is important since I'm expecting the new BMD Pocket Cinema Camera which will most likely be prone to IR.

Cheers
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davidgp

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2018, 02:15:04 am »

Hi,

I have not tested the LEE IRND so I can not comment over them.

Right now I have a NISI 10 stops filter in 82 mm circular, a Haida NanoPro 10 stops in 150mm, a Hitech Firecrest 6 stops in 82 mm circular, Haida Nano Pro 6 stops 150mm, Hitech Firecrest 3 stops circular 82 mm, and Haida NanoPro 3 stops 150mm.

For the 3 stops, both Haida and Hitech are completely neutral.

For the 6 stops, Haida is neutral, the Hitech has a very slight green tint that basically my Sony A7r II is able to compensate in AWB.

For the 10 stops, both NISI and Haida has a very slight blue tint... with maybe the Haida being more neutral... but we are splitting hairs here. Anyway, they do not come close at all to the infamous LEE Bigstoppers that made everything blue.

Basically, my own test at home with a colorchecher match the results of On Landscape article linked by other poster ... the article does a better in depth test than me... so I will use it as a trusted source.

Hope the info it is helpful,


http://dgpfotografia.com

davidgp

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2018, 02:19:20 am »

Hi,

I have not tested the LEE IRND so I can not comment over them.

Right now I have a NISI 10 stops filter in 82 mm circular, a Haida NanoPro 10 stops in 150mm, a Hitech Firecrest 6 stops in 82 mm circular, Haida Nano Pro 6 stops 150mm, Hitech Firecrest 3 stops circular 82 mm, and Haida NanoPro 3 stops 150mm.

For the 3 stops, both Haida and Hitech are completely neutral.

For the 6 stops, Haida is neutral, the Hitech has a very slight green tint that basically my Sony A7r II is able to compensate in AWB.

For the 10 stops, both NISI and Haida has a very slight blue tint... with maybe the Haida being more neutral... but we are splitting hairs here. Anyway, they do not come close at all to the infamous LEE Bigstoppers that made everything blue.

Basically, my own test at home with a colorchecher match the results of On Landscape article linked by other poster ... the article does a better in depth test than me... so I will use it as a trusted source.

Hope the info it is helpful,


http://dgpfotografia.com


I forgot to mention, Hitech has released a new series of filters, Firecrest Ultra, I tested the previous ones. No idea how good or bad this ultra are.



http://dgpfotografia.com

Nightjar

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2018, 01:38:07 pm »

Ok with further research I got the following infos...:

1. The Nisi Nano filters are coated which makes them more prone to scratches. They also seem to go towards magenta/red.
2. The Firecrest IRND filters have the coating in between the glasse which supposedly make them more durarble.

and questions:

1. Does the Nisi filters waterresistance really work in pratice?
2. I read about the firecrest ultra but couldn't find any infos wether they are IR resistant? Are they?
3. How about the Lee Proglass IRND. Outside Coating or in between the class?
4. Most reviews are about the 10-stoppers. I don't care about these. Can I go wrong with low stop NDs with any of these brands?

When spending so much on glass durability is very important to me. So scratch resistance is of essence.

Thanks for commenting.

Cheers
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davidgp

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2018, 02:53:05 am »

Ok with further research I got the following infos...:

1. The Nisi Nano filters are coated which makes them more prone to scratches. They also seem to go towards magenta/red.
2. The Firecrest IRND filters have the coating in between the glasse which supposedly make them more durarble.

and questions:

1. Does the Nisi filters waterresistance really work in pratice?
2. I read about the firecrest ultra but couldn't find any infos wether they are IR resistant? Are they?
3. How about the Lee Proglass IRND. Outside Coating or in between the class?
4. Most reviews are about the 10-stoppers. I don't care about these. Can I go wrong with low stop NDs with any of these brands?

When spending so much on glass durability is very important to me. So scratch resistance is of essence.

Thanks for commenting.

Cheers


I can not replay to all of your questions, but here is some personal experience:

I’m finding this new filters from Haida (the NanoPro), NISI and the Firecrest much more easy to clean than my old 105mm heliopan polarizer... specially with spray coming from the sea...

About lower density ND, like 2 or 3 stops they are less prone to color cast... at least that it is what I’m finding on my own testing of different brands


http://dgpfotografia.com

Vieri Bottazzini

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2018, 03:45:59 am »

Ok with further research I got the following infos...:

1. The Nisi Nano filters are coated which makes them more prone to scratches. They also seem to go towards magenta/red.
2. The Firecrest IRND filters have the coating in between the glasse which supposedly make them more durarble.

and questions:

1. Does the Nisi filters waterresistance really work in pratice?
2. I read about the firecrest ultra but couldn't find any infos wether they are IR resistant? Are they?
3. How about the Lee Proglass IRND. Outside Coating or in between the class?
4. Most reviews are about the 10-stoppers. I don't care about these. Can I go wrong with low stop NDs with any of these brands?

When spending so much on glass durability is very important to me. So scratch resistance is of essence.

Thanks for commenting.

Cheers

Hello,

if it interests you, I tested many filters and found that the Firecrest were the best. Back then, Haida and NiSi were not around, you can see my results here: BEST FILTERS FOR LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW

As far as neutrality, I think Firecrest, NiSi and Haida are better than the others; personally, I prefer the FH (Disclaimer: I am a Formatt-Hitech Ambassador and Featured Artist. The review above, however, I wrote prior to becoming an Ambassador). The reason why I prefer them is, as you mentioned, durability: the Firecrest and Firecrest Ultra have the coating in between two thin panes of glass, making them much more scratch-prone than any other filter. More, the new Ultra have been improved further by using a cinematic glass polishing technique (don't ask, but you'll find info on FH blog!), which makes them much sharper than the older Firecrest, and much sharper than anything else using long lenses.

The reason for this is that long lenses, say over 70-80mm, might show local lack of sharpness in some area of the image due to the (invisible) "ripples" on regular filters' surfaces. These "ripples" don't get picked up by Wide-Angles and normal lenses, but they affect longer lenses. I am not a tech guy, so I hope this makes sense - all I know is that my Ultras are MUCH better than the older Firecrest for tele lenses.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri
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Nightjar

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2018, 01:51:51 pm »

Hello,

if it interests you, I tested many filters and found that the Firecrest were the best. Back then, Haida and NiSi were not around, you can see my results here: BEST FILTERS FOR LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW

As far as neutrality, I think Firecrest, NiSi and Haida are better than the others; personally, I prefer the FH (Disclaimer: I am a Formatt-Hitech Ambassador and Featured Artist. The review above, however, I wrote prior to becoming an Ambassador). The reason why I prefer them is, as you mentioned, durability: the Firecrest and Firecrest Ultra have the coating in between two thin panes of glass, making them much more scratch-prone than any other filter. More, the new Ultra have been improved further by using a cinematic glass polishing technique (don't ask, but you'll find info on FH blog!), which makes them much sharper than the older Firecrest, and much sharper than anything else using long lenses.

The reason for this is that long lenses, say over 70-80mm, might show local lack of sharpness in some area of the image due to the (invisible) "ripples" on regular filters' surfaces. These "ripples" don't get picked up by Wide-Angles and normal lenses, but they affect longer lenses. I am not a tech guy, so I hope this makes sense - all I know is that my Ultras are MUCH better than the older Firecrest for tele lenses.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri

Thank you for the suggestions.

I did not know about firecrest ultra + telephoto lenses. Some good info here! But how about IR? Are the Ultras also IR reluctant like there smaller brothers?

Another question: I already bought the Lee Universal Hood since its - odly enough - the only hood available that i know of for 100 x 100. The Formatt Hitechs will fit Lees system right? Both 2mm?

 I wanto to start with two filters, which would you get? How does stacking work out? Because a 2 stop and a 4 stop ND would give me a 6 stop for free (i'm aware of the limitations of 2 filterslots)
« Last Edit: May 08, 2018, 05:11:09 pm by Nightjar »
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Vieri Bottazzini

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2018, 02:55:35 am »

Thank you for the suggestions.

I did not know about firecrest ultra + telephoto lenses. Some good info here! But how about IR? Are the Ultras also IR reluctant like there smaller brothers?

Another question: I already bought the Lee Universal Hood since its - odly enough - the only hood available that i know of for 100 x 100. The Formatt Hitechs will fit Lees system right? Both 2mm?

 I wanto to start with two filters, which would you get? How does stacking work out? Because a 2 stop and a 4 stop ND would give me a 6 stop for free (i'm aware of the limitations of 2 filterslots)

You are very welcome, glad to be of help. I don't quite understand what you mean with "IR reluctant", but I never had any problems with IR with the Firecrest nor with the Ultra. Firecrest and Ultra will definitely fit any filter holder made for 2mm filters. As a starter kit, why would you want to limit yourself to NDs? I would get a 6 stop ND instead, and a Grad ND (my suggestion would be for a 1.2 stop to start) to have a more flexible kit. As a suggestion, always use the ND closer to the lens to avoid reflections. Using TWO NDs will definitely increase the chance of filter reflections, and no filter hood will avoid that.

Finally, being an Ambassador I can offer you a 10% on all your purchases on Formatt-Hitech's website: just use code VIERB10 at checkout to grab your discount.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri
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Vieri Bottazzini
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Nightjar

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2018, 10:30:19 am »

You are very welcome, glad to be of help. I don't quite understand what you mean with "IR reluctant", but I never had any problems with IR with the Firecrest nor with the Ultra. Firecrest and Ultra will definitely fit any filter holder made for 2mm filters. As a starter kit, why would you want to limit yourself to NDs? I would get a 6 stop ND instead, and a Grad ND (my suggestion would be for a 1.2 stop to start) to have a more flexible kit. As a suggestion, always use the ND closer to the lens to avoid reflections. Using TWO NDs will definitely increase the chance of filter reflections, and no filter hood will avoid that.

Finally, being an Ambassador I can offer you a 10% on all your purchases on Formatt-Hitech's website: just use code VIERB10 at checkout to grab your discount.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri

Probably the wrong choice of words: I meant IR protecte / IR blocking etc. The Firecrest have in their name "FIRECREST IRND" the Ultras don't. IR protection is very important to me since I also plan to use it for video and blackmagic design cameras are very prone to IR pollution. But I guess since the Ultras derive from the cinema line of filters they must be IR protected?

Many Thanks for the code...sadly the Formatt Hitech Website hasn't been working for two days (they also should change theire favicon which is still the default one from squarespace...makes it kind of unprofessional).

Best regards
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Vieri Bottazzini

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Re: NiSI vs Lee Filters vs Formatt Hitech
« Reply #11 on: May 11, 2018, 02:14:20 am »

Probably the wrong choice of words: I meant IR protecte / IR blocking etc. The Firecrest have in their name "FIRECREST IRND" the Ultras don't. IR protection is very important to me since I also plan to use it for video and blackmagic design cameras are very prone to IR pollution. But I guess since the Ultras derive from the cinema line of filters they must be IR protected?

Many Thanks for the code...sadly the Formatt Hitech Website hasn't been working for two days (they also should change theire favicon which is still the default one from squarespace...makes it kind of unprofessional).

Best regards

Well, I can't say for sure but I haven't had any problems with IR in my images. Of course, I don't do video, and that is a different beast altogether. Perhaps your best bet would be to ask FH directly - the UK site seems to still be down, but the US site https://www.formatt-hitechusa.com is up.

Best regards,

Vieri
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