What do Glass Filters bring to Landscape Photography

I’ve been using Lee Filters for over ten years now and in terms of quality I’ve found them immense. However I’ve recently changed over to Kase Filters, the circular, magnetic filters that simply clip onto the front of the lens adapter by magnetic force alone. No unwieldy filter holder and no light getting in around the sides.

So, what do Glass filters bring to landscape photography?

Glass vs. Resin

Glass filters maintain the clarity and sharpness of images, ensuring minimal distortion with minimal color casts. Modern glass filters offer reliability in demanding conditions. They are not so easily scratched as resin filters, so you are less likely to damage them during the course of a long hike or camping expedition.

Glass vs. Software

Glass Filters do something that software simply cannot emulate. They stretch time. You cannot produce the effect of a 1 minute exposure of a seascape in software using a photograph that has been exposed for 1/100 of a second.

The effect of a polarizing filter also cannot be duplicated in software. We can dial in more exposure and use DeHaze to get rid of atmospheric haze but we cannot erase reflections, we cannot make shiny water transparent and we cannot make clouds standout without introducing digital “crunch” into the picture.

There are a lot of excellent finishing effects in the Nik Collection, for example, but nothing that will quickly and easily duplicate the effect of snapping a polarising filter on to the front of the lens on location.

Polarizing Filters

Polarizing filters exist to cut out glare, haze and reflected light, as a side effect of this function they intensify blue skies, brighten or saturate colors. The circular polariser works best when the sun is at a 90 degree angle to the filter, and the effect can be moderated by rotating the filter to taste.

Neutral Density Filters

Neutral Density or ND filters reduce the amount of light entering the lens and therefore reaching the sensor. Photographers usually acquire a set of filters at different strengths so that the effect can be moderated to produce the effect the photographer wants.

What are the effects?

ND1000 Filter (10 Stops)

This filter will turn a 1/125 second exposure into an 8 second exposure. A 1/15 second exposure into a 64 second exposure. This is a powerful filter, strong enough to eradicate moving people from a scene entirely or to smooth a choppy seascape into a flat, milky expanse.

These filters are also great for slow moving clouds, giving the effect of stretched time in a photograph.

ND8 Filter (3 Stops)

This is a much less aggressive filter and typically reduces a 1/125 second exposure to 1/15seconds. When used with flowing water, depending on the turbulence of the water this strength can give the impression of speed and power in the water without turning it into milk.

ND64 Filter (6 Stops)

More aggressive than the ND8, this will change a 1/125 second exposure to 1/2 second. I use this filter with flowing water or in a stack with the ND8 or ND1000 if I want to intensify the effect of either.

Light Leaks with DSLRs

As a rule, when using filters with a DSLR, the viewfinder will leak light and so needs to be covered when using any filter that extends the exposure more than about ten seconds.

Why Kase Filters?

After using Lee Filters for a decade, I’ve been looking for an alternative for a little while. The reason is to do with portability, weight and convenience. I needed filters as good as Lee, but lighter, more robust and more convenient because I found that I was leaving them behind, especially on long camping trips.

Kase Filters deliver on all fronts. They are robust, smaller than the Lee 100 system and instead of an unwieldy filter holder use magnetism to clip to an adapter that screws into the lens. Kase also provide a magnetic lens cap that means you don’t have to remove the filter adapter between locations.

I have been impressed by the Kase Filters system and especially by the quality of the results. The whole kit packs into a case that clips onto my rucksack or can be worn at the waist with a belt threaded through the case at the back. The individual filters are color coded so no peering at the small print to deduce which filter is which.

Using Glass Filters

You won’t always use a polarising filter but if you do, it should be the first one to mount.

Kase Filters supply a magnetic adapter that screws into the front of the lens. Once that is on place, simply place the polariser over the front of the lens, it will snap into place.

Next, use either the viewfinder or live view (back of the camera) to adjust the polariser to taste. The reason polarisers don’t have a calibrated scale is that the effect depends on where the sun is in relation to the axis of filter-lens-sensor. So adjust the exposure and then rotate the filter. literally adjust to taste.

If you are planning to slow water down, then you can add another ND filter onto the front of the lens. I generally try to start with an ND8 and replace it if necessary with an ND64. Although you can stack filters at will, try to minimise the number of filters you have in a stack as the more you have, the more likely you will get a color cast in the picture.

If you are planning to slow clouds down, depending on wind speed, start with a darker filter, a ND64 or even ND1000 to see spectacular results.

Buying Filters

Regardless of which brand of filter you choose, be aware that you can use step up rings to ensure the filters will fit on all of your lenses.

Some people advise buying the kit that fits your widest lens – so if the width of your widest lens is 82mm then buy the set that measures 82mm. Kase advise buying a size larger than the widest lens which in the case of an 82mm lens is 95mm. One reason for this is to reduce vignetting in a wide angle lens.

You will then need to buy step up rings for your other lenses (assuming they are not all 82mm). The step up ring screws into the front of the lens for which it is designed eg the 16-35mm lens and provides a 95mm interface for the filters. These step up rings are completely light proof, so no light can creep in around the. edges.

My everyday landscape kit consists of a Canon 16-35mm lens which is 82mm across, a Canon 24-70mm lens which is also 82mm across and a 70-200mm lens which is 72mm across. So I bought the 95mm kit and two step up rings – 82-95mm and 72-95mm. I also have a 100-400mm lens which is 77mm across so I will need to get hold of a 77-95mm step-up ring for that in due course.

If you are interested in buying the filters that I have used in this article then this link takes you to the correct page on the kasefilters.eu site. Kase Revolution Professional ND set

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