Today we're gonna be discussing several different things
that are all somewhat related, but that don't really
constitute a complete YouTube video on their own,
because you know that's what the YouTube algorithm likes:
an impossible-to-title potpourri video about filter construction
and step-up rings with a focus on knurling, but hey.
Let's get Undone. [offbeat music]
♪ Gerald Undone ♪
♪ He's crazy ♪
What's happening, everybody? I'm Gerald Undone, and I suppose
you're all wondering why I've gathered you here.
Well, let me tell you how this all started. So, you know
that variable ND filter video that I made a while back?
Well, since then, I've been quietly doing a separate
round-up video on step-up rings because in that previous video,
I mentioned that I tend to just get the largest filter
size and then step all of my lenses up to it.
But let's face it, a step-up ring round-up video is not as
sexy as a filter video, so I'm also gonna throw in a
little “Design Done Right” segment on one of the most
requested filters that I've ever been asked about,
which is PolarPro’s ND16 and polarizer combo filter.
And I'm also going to give away my pick
for my favourite step-up ring to someone in the
comments who needs it, but more on that later.
So let's start off with a filter.
Now, in my variable ND round-up video, I said that if
you know the reduction that you're going to need,
then you'll generally get better quality and usually pay
a lot less if you just get a fixed ND filter,
to which many of you asked, “well, what about polarization?”
And usually, that means you would have to stack filters,
but if you get a combo ND and polarizer filter like
this one from PolarPro, then you don't need to.
This is a 4-stop fixed ND with a circular polarizer built-in.
A quick way to convert the ND scale that PolarPro
uses into stops is by using your exponents of two.
So two to the power of what equals 16?
Well, four. Two times two times,
two times two, equals 16. Four twos, four stops.
So the main reason for getting a filter like this instead of just
a fixed ND would be to control the distribution
of polarization and the funky light reflections in the frame.
You can rotate it to better hit the water in the bottom of
your shot, or better hit the sky in the top, or even if you want
to control the intensity of the green in your foliage and grass.
You know, all the same, things that you would
use a polarizer for. Now, you can still stack filters
on this one if you want because there's a full set of
threads on the front of this filter, but I find that for the
type of versatile run-and-gun shooting that I would use a
filter like this for, that four stops is actually pretty good,
and with the polarizer built-in, that's pretty much all that
you would need, because I find that on my variable NDs,
I'm usually between three to five stops anyway.
And, of course, the other advantage of a filter like this,
because it's a fixed ND, is that you don't have to worry
about any cross-type patterns, and you won't get heavy
vignetting because you probably won't be stacking filters.
But another way to ensure minimal vignetting,
like I recommended in my previous video, is to get the
largest filter and then use step-up rings to adapt to it.
But we'll get more into that in a second.
But overall, the quality of this filter is exceptional.
The quartz element has terrific clarity, the brass frame
is incredibly durable, and it's scratch and oil resistant.
There's also no noticeable colour shift except for the
expected effect of polarization on blue skies, etc.,
but your white is still white, which is good.
It also comes in it pretty much exactly the four stops
advertised, which will make conversions easy if you're
running different setups. And last but certainly
not least, the outside edges of this filter are, as PolarPro
puts it, “aggressively knurled,” and I'm a big fan of knurling.
For those who don't know, knurling is when lines-- which
can be crossed, angled, or straight-- are rolled into
a material, typically metal, and usually by a lathe.
And when executed well, it creates this very
satisfying tactile experience that is
definitely deserving of a music-driven montage.
[dynamic instrumental]
♪
One of the subjects in that sequence was the Sony 90mm
Macro, which is my favourite Sony lens, and the knurling on
the focus clutch is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
PolarPro also puts this knurling on their Step-Up Rings.
And speaking of theses Step-Up Rings, I'm about to drop
some superlatives here, so before I do,
let me remind you that this video is not sponsored.
It hasn't been reviewed or endorsed by PolarPro,
and none of the videos in my “Design Done Right”
series are ever sponsored, and they're motivated purely by
my own compulsion to talk about features that I really enjoy.
So with that being said, PolarPro Step-Up Rings are some
of the best-designed lens accessories I've ever seen.
You got the ideal lack of gloss on the finish, the perfect
weight-- heavy enough to know it's quality and rugged,
but not so heavy it stops making sense--
that aggressive knurling,
impossibly smooth threads, and completely symmetrical gaps
in the knurling to provide a surface for their logo and the
filter size, which utilizes a smart and clean font choice.
And speaking of filter size,
rings will always go from lens to filter.
So on this one here, it says 62mm to 82mm.
That's a 62mm lens front filter diameter to an 82mm filter,
and it always goes in that order.
If the second number is larger, then it's a step-up ring.
If the second number is smaller, then it's a step-down ring,
but the second number will always represent the filter.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, I actually did a whole,
giant round-up of step-up rings, featuring about a dozen
Amazon specials as well as some premium brands,
and here are my findings.
The PolarPros are definitely my favourite,
but they're also the most expensive.
But, to their credit, each one does come with
excellent packaging as well as a hard, protective case.
It might seem like overkill for a step-up ring,
but I do appreciate the little touches
if a product is gonna have a price premium.
The only thing that bugs me about the PolarPros
is the sizing. They don't have as wide
of a size range as some other brands. So, for instance,
when I needed to go from 58mm to 82mm, I had to get a 58-67
and then a 67-82, and stack them in order to cover that spread.
Which brings me to my second favourite, from Breakthrough.
Breakthrough Photography also has premium step-up rings,
and they cover a wider range of sizes.
So, for example, my Sony 35mm f/1.8 lens has
a 55mm filter diameter, and so this step-up ring here
goes from 55mm to 82mm all in one step.
But the reason why they don't get my number one spot
is because they're not that much cheaper than PolarPro,
but don't look quite as nice, don't have any of the case
or accoutrement, and they aren't as easy to get on and off.
They go on the lens quite easily, but I do find that
they tend to bind the filters a little bit harder,
so sometimes it can be harder to separate your filter from the
step-up ring, which can take a little bit more time,
where the PolarPros are smooth in both directions.
And even though they do feature my beloved knurling,
I find them to be a little bit heavy.
Usually, weight is a positive indicator of quality
or the materials used, but they don't quite strike the balance
that PolarPro does between weight and quality, and I find
these to fall a little bit on the needlessly heavy side.
But for the most part, these complaints
are quite nitpicky, and Breakthrough’s rings
are excellent and very deserving of the number two spot.
For my third and final pick, I'm going to move on
to something quite a bit cheaper, but not so cheap that
you'll be annoyed you bought them. Some of the really cheap
rings that I tested take, like, five times longer to actually
thread them on and off, and some of the worst ones actually
require you to remove them with a pair of pliers
before immediately throwing them in the trash.
But these ones from Fotodiox are pretty good.
They're cheap and definitely feel light and probably
not as heavy-duty as the other ones we mentioned,
but they're reasonably smooth to get on and off,
they seem to have pretty good quality control,
and they come in a reasonably wide range of sizes.
But no knurling!
Now, just like the PolarPros, you're probably gonna
need to stack them to get the wider coverage.
So for this one here, I've got it going
from 49mm to 67, and then 67 to 82.
But at a quarter of the price of the premium ones,
they get the job done. Now, I'm sure you guys are gonna
fill the comments with a bunch of brands that I didn't mention
or ones that you personally prefer, but my omission of your
step-up ring does not mean that it sucks,
it just means that I probably didn't get to it because there
is an insane amount of these out there to test.
But of the 14 that I did try, these are my three
favourite at three different price points.
And I would probably avoid the two to three dollar ones
on Amazon because I think that they're probably more
trouble than they're worth, and the Fotodiox is sort of the
price range that's the lowest that I would personally go.
But feel free to let me know in the comments if you've had
some success with other step-up rings that I didn't mention here
if you think they're definitely worth a buy.
But I'll put links to all of these in the
description below, of course. The PolarPro ones you can get
pretty much everywhere, including their own store,
which has great service. But the Breakthrough Photography ones
seem to be an Adorama exclusive because I couldn't really find
them on B&H, but I did try ordering from their own
Breakthrough Photography store, which was great , and the
service was excellent. The Fotodiox ones, though,
you can get on either, or you can go with Amazon.
Anyway, that's pretty much it. I've had this mountain
of filter paraphernalia sitting on my table for the last couple
of months that I wanted to make a video on, so thanks
for letting me do that. And I hope that this was useful,
despite it being less focused than my other videos.
And from that mountain, I have one item that is still sealed
in its original box that I just didn't need for my
testing, and that is this 72-77mm Step-Up Ring
from PolarPro, and so I figured since this is
my favourite step-up ring, I might as well give one away.
So just let me know in the comments if you could
put a step-up ring like this to good use, and then
in 48 hours, I'll pick a winner and ship it to you.
I'm gonna include this video in my “Design Done Right” series
because I think PolarPro is really doing awesome work.
I'm a big fan of their Variable NDs.
This ND/PL combo filter is fantastic, and their
Step-Up Rings are some of the best I've ever seen. And I even
got to take a little tour of their facility and meet their
staff when I was doing that Golden Hour Podcast at the
end of August. I'll put a link to that in the description,
by the way, in case you guys haven't seen it yet. It answers
a bunch of questions that you guys often ask about some
of my branding decisions and a bit of my origin story.
But my point was, their staff is very friendly, and their
service is outstanding. PolarPro is doing pretty much everything
right, in my opinion, and that definitely includes design.
But feel free to let me know
in the comments if you've had simfics--
But that's gonna be it for me. I hope you found this video
entertaining, or at least helpful. And if you did, make
sure you leave it the old thumbs-up, and consider
subscribing if you haven't already. But if you did not find
this video helpful or entertaining, well, then you
probably weren't knurled enough as a baby.
Alright... I'm done.