- What is up people?
Dunna here, and today we're gonna be taking a look
at four different systems that you can be using
to make your life easier when using filters,
but first, coffee.
And the intro, roll the intro.
(relaxed bass heavy instrumental music)
(camera shutter)
If you've been following along with me for awhile,
you'll know that I've already put out a couple of videos
about the use of filters and how they can help
when making your videos or taking photos.
If you were to catch me out and about shooting,
you'd probably see me with the Peter Mckinnon Variable ND
from PolarPro on the end of my lens pretty much
all the time, but using filters that screw on to the end
of your lens like that can be a little bit annoying
if you want to switch between having them on
or not having them on quickly.
That's where some of these filters systems come in handy.
Now, before we get into the filter systems,
I really quickly wanna talk about step-up rings.
If you're new to buying filters, it's very important
that you know what the thread size is
on the front of your lens.
Usually, this is marked inside the front there
and there'll be a little number,
and that'll tell you what your thread size is.
Now, in order to get your filters onto that
they have to match, but you don't necessarily
want to have to buy a bunch of really expensive filters
for each of your lenses if you've got
multiple sizes of lenses.
What you can do is buy step-up rings.
Basically what step-up rings do is change the size
of the filter thread on the front of your lens
to a different size.
For example, this is a 72 millimeter thread,
and by putting this on
I've now made it a 77 millimeter thread.
I can buy just 77 millimeter filters and I can make them fit
on all of my lenses by using these step-up rings.
Typically, what you want to do is whatever filters
you're going to buy, make sure that it's bigger than
whatever the biggest thread size is on your largest lens,
and then get step-up rings to convert all of the other
lenses to that one.
That being said, I chose to go with 77
when I started getting filters, and I really do wish
that I would've gone with 82 millimeter,
basically the biggest size that you can get,
because every once in awhile
I run into the problem of having vignetting
on my super wide lenses,
and if I ever do decide that I wanna buy a lens
with an 82 millimeter thread size,
I have to buy new filters.
Now that I've got my step-up ring on there
going from 72 millimeters to 77,
(sound of lens screwing on)
I can screw on my filter and I'm good to go.
Let's talk about some of these systems
and how they can change the way that you use filters.
First of all, we've got the Alter RFS.
This is the only company of the four
that doesn't actually make their own filters.
This is just a system that makes it easier for you
to use your own filters.
It's a simple concept that can be super handy.
There are two main pieces.
There's the piece with the hinge,
and this is actually where you'll thread your filter onto,
and then there's the piece that goes inside
that you'll connect to your lens.
To make life a little bit easier
in getting this thing on and off,
they've given you this rubber piece,
which I'm pretty sure is like a jar opener.
Great implementation of something
that I think already existed.
To attach this, all you do is place the filter system over
top of your lens, and start to spin that inside part
so that it tightens down against the other part.
Once you get it kinda hand-tightened,
you can use the rubber jar opener
to tighten it down ever more.
Once you've got that all set up, you're pretty much done.
You can now thread in your filters,
and now it's nice and easy to choose whether
you're using your filter engaged or disengaged.
I've been using this system for awhile now
and it's super handy especially for when I'm traveling,
or if I'm just running and gunning
and things are moving quickly and I need to decide
really quickly whether I need the filter on
or if I need it off.
It's nice not to have to screw on and unscrew the filter
over and over and stash it in my bag.
I can just flip it to the position where,
let's say I'm outside and I need that filter,
or if I go inside and it's a little darker,
I can just take it off without actually
having to take off the filter.
The downside that I found to this specific system,
is that it's a bit of a pain to get this thing on and off,
so it's not something that you're gonna
want to do regularly.
It's something that you're gonna want to get
the Alter System and put it on the lenses you want it on
and then leave it there so you can just attach the filters
that you need and constantly be using it with the Alter on.
The one other thing that I found a little tough,
is just that the hinge takes up quite a bit of space,
it sticks out, so if you're used to storing smaller lenses
in your bag, this is gonna just need
a little bit of extra room to fit.
The Alter RFS comes in two different types:
the regular RFS, which doesn't change the thread size,
so if it's 77 millimeters on the back
it's also 77 millimeters on the front.
Then it also comes in the RFS+,
which act as a step-up ring as well.
So, you get to choose what you want the back side filter
thread size to be, and the front side.
For example, this one is actually the RFS+
and it goes from 67 millimeters to 77 millimeters,
so I don't need to use a step-up ring.
This is doing the step-up action for me.
Ideally, like I said before about step-up rings,
if you wanted to get Alter RFS+'s for all of your lenses,
you could convert them all to the same size
and use the same filters throughout on all of your lenses.
Moving on to the Freewell System, and I really like
this one because it uses magnets
and I'm kind of a sucker for magnets.
The way that this system works is that you screw on
the magnetic plate to start with, and it's very thin,
so it's not taking up any space.
Then you take the Freewell Magnetic Filters
and you snap 'em on.
Pull 'em off just like that.
No more screwing back and forth to get them on and off.
They just snap into place and it's super easy.
They've got a whole set of filters that you can choose from,
so you can get ND's or you can get circular polarizers,
and the Magnetic System is actually stackable, too,
so I've actually got on here a circular polarizer
on top of an ND filter.
Just to make it even a little cooler,
they've also got lens caps that are magnetic.
It also has a thread on the inside of the back plate
so you can go ahead and use your normal filters
threaded on there just like that.
The magnetic back plate is also a UV filter,
so if you're the kinda person who likes
to have a UV filter on your lenses to protect them,
this is great, or if you're the kinda person
who doesn't like UV filters,
you don't like putting that extra piece a glass
in front of your lenses, there is a blank one,
so this is just the magnetic plate but without
any kind of a UV filter in the middle,
so you kinda have the option there.
The only issue that I really ran into
when I was using the Freewell System,
is just that there were a lotta little pieces going on
and you have to try and keep track of 'em
or have a good storage system.
Because I like to use a variable ND filter
most of the time anyway, I found myself still reaching
for my Peter Mckinnon Filter and not really using
the Freewell Filters that they sent as much,
which kinda defeats the purpose of having
that Magnetic System.
What'd I'd love to see them do is actually
make a small ring, something similar to the base plate
with the magnets on the back of it, so that you could attach
that to whatever filter you want and put that filter
onto their system magnetically, so that I could use
any filter with this Magnet System.
That would be cool.
The Alter RFS and the Freewell System are the two
in this bunch that work with circular filters.
So, if that's what you're looking for
you might be able to stop here,
but the other two are also very interesting.
Let's shuffle this around a little bit.
This is the NiSi V6 and it is a square filter system
that holds standard 100 millimeter filters.
When they sent it out, they asked me what size of lenses
I had so that they could send a bunch
of different step-up rings for me.
Make sure if you do end up looking into this system,
you get the thread sizes that you need.
If you wanna get step-up rings for them, they do offer that.
I'm gonna throw a 72 millimeter step-up ring onto this lens,
and then the middle part of this system
just screws right on.
(sound of lens screwing on)
Currently in there there is a circular polarizer
but it is possible to take that out,
and I believe you can replace this
with some of their other circular filters that go in
before the big 100 millimeter filters.
On the side of this system, there are these little wheels
that you can push to turn your circular polarizer
and get the different levels of polarization.
There's a little knob that you can pull on the side
that allows you to get the front part on,
and then you can tighten it down with this knob beside it.
There are three slots here where you can put square filters.
The bag that they sent out to me comes
with nice little cases for the system itself
and for the filters that come with it.
In this case, the filters are three, six, 10,
and 15-stop ND filters, but because there are three slots
in this system, you can actually stack them as well.
We take our square filter and slide it down from the top.
Now we've got our three-stop filter in there.
Now, the biggest issue that I run into
with any kind of 100 millimeter filter system,
is just that it takes a lotta time to set up.
It's not a run and gun situation.
This is the kinda thing that if you're out
shooting landscapes, or if you have lotsa time,
this is gonna be perfect.
If you even know what situation you're gonna be in
and you can set up ahead a time, this might be okay.
If you're out running and gunning and you need to be able
to switch really quickly, this might not be the way to go.
Another nice thing about the hundred millimeter filters,
is that because they're so much bigger than the front end
of your lens, you should get less vignetting
than you would on a circular filter
that fits right on to the end of the lens.
Again, like I mentioned before, if you get filters
that are significantly bigger and you use step-up rings,
you might be able to kind of combat that vignetting
a little bit, but with the 100 millimeter square ones,
you should be good.
This system feels really good.
It feels like it's got a nice secure hold
on the filter while it's in there.
Doesn't feel like it's going to go anywhere,
and the circular polarizer is nice and easy
to change with these little wheels.
Using the hundred millimeter filters feels really nice.
The NiSi ones that it comes with specifically
have this rubber, kind of foamy kind of material on them
that makes them fit really nicely, and I think it helps
to block out any light leakage that might happen with them.
The locking pin on the side is a nice touch
so that you can move it however you want it.
If you're using a graduated filter or something
along those lines, you can spin it a little bit
and then lock it into place so that it's not going anywhere.
Let's take this off and get on to our last system.
(sound of lens screwing on)
Oh, and also the other thing about
big, 100 millimeter filter systems is that they take up
a lotta space, so if you're traveling light
and you just have like a back pack or something like that,
like even with the nice thoughtful cases,
which are really nice, this does take up a lotta space.
Moving on to the final system, it's the Haida System.
It's another 100 millimeter system with some similarities
but some really cool features as well.
Again, comes with a nice little case.
Now, again, like the last system,
we've got step-up rings to attach the system,
so you'll wanna make sure that you get the right size
for your lens, but unlike the last system,
this doesn't use a thread on both sides,
it only uses the thread on the lens side.
The other side is more like a groove
that you attach the whole system to.
We'll grab our 72 millimeter.
(sound of lens screwing on)
There's a leaver on one side.
This is a little easier on a tripod, but you pull that out,
make sure your grooves are sitting nicely, and you let go.
It's now locked in the groove and it's not going anywhere.
Unlike the NiSi, the front end of this only comes
with two slots, but it does come with the necessary tools
to actually extend that to three slots.
Just like the NiSi, it also has a circular polarizer
when it comes, and it has a dial so you can dial that in
from the outside of the system, but the thing that make this
a little more unique is that that circular polarizer
is actually a drop-in filter,
so you can take that out super easily.
All you do is pinch these two little tabs at the top
and you can pull it in and out,
and you can replace it with other things if you want to.
For example,
this is a three-stop ND filter
that you can put in there, and then stack
hundred millimeter filters on the front of it.
If you don't wanna use any filter in that slot,
it also comes with an empty filter holder, essentially,
to drop in there to make sure that there's no light leaking
in through where the holes would be
if you took everything out of that slot.
Now, Haida also sent along this graduated filter.
Now, if we're shooting a scene where the top part is bright
and we wanna darken it without touching the bottom part,
we can use something like that.
Like I mentioned before, the NiSi filters,
which are also a hundred millimeter filters,
will fit in here.
I noticed that because of the thickness of them
with that little gasket type thing that they have on it,
the rubber, foamy kinda part, they don't fit too well
in here, and I do think that there must be a little bit
of variance between hundred millimeter filters.
So, if you do get this system or any system
and you're going to buy filters for it,
make sure you do your research to know whether those filters
are going to fit nicely with the system.
One thing that I would have loved to have seen
on this system is a way to lock it.
It's nice that you can move this, however, you want
for that graduated filter, but it isn't nice
that if you bump it it can move on you
without you intending it to.
As far as what works best for me,
I would say it's probably a toss up between
the Alter System, which I really like for the ease of use
of just kinda leaving it on, but being able to quickly
take off filters and put them back on,
filters of my choice, not necessarily using something
from a specific system.
But also, the Freewell with the magnets is really handy,
especially if you're okay using specifically
the Freewell filters, that's really nice,
but it's cool that they also gave you the option
to have screw on ones as well.
The hundred millimeter filters are known for high-quality,
those kinds of things, but it just doesn't work mostly
with my workflow.
If you're something like a landscape photographer,
or someone who is going to set up and take your time,
it is not just running and gunning,
the 100 millimeter set ups might be better for you.
You're gonna get great quality out of those,
not that you won't get great quality out of all of them,
and that's really what this is all about.
It's not so much about the quality of the filter,
it's more about the ease of set up and what works best
for your workflow; which system is going to be best for you?
I wanna hear from you.
Leave a comment below and let me know which system
you think would work best in your workflow,
and on your way down there,
make sure to hit the 'Subscribe' and 'Like' button.
I will leave links to all of these systems
in the description, so if you wanna check them out further
it'll be down there.
Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.