the quality and standard of lens filters are at an all-time high and with such a huge variety out
there it's easy to be overwhelmed with options in a constant pursuit to produce more cinematic
looking images I've tried a ton of different filters so in this video I'm going to share my
personal favorites but more important when and where to use them let's start with mist because
it's likely the most talked about filter at the moment when used correctly it really does take
the digital edge off but it's also possible to overdo it I've shot with various strengths and
I've come to the conclusion that a 1/8 is the best for everyday use I say every day because I use the
1/8 about 80 percent of the time but there are occasions where I take it off when using Haze I
find that sometimes mist can slightly overcook the image with too much Bloom since Haze already adds
natural Bloom to the highlights the 1/4 strength although it produces some of the most beautiful
looking images only comes on if I feel confident that it complements the creative look of the
project because at this strength you're starting to deal with more obvious which can also be a
distraction if you're not careful I almost never use a half strength because I feel it's a bit too
intense now if you have any desire to create more cinematic looking video the one filter you cannot
go without is a variable neutral density filter I've been using the NiSi true colour VND for
over a year now and it outperforms every filter available on the market yet still comes in at a
competitive price NiSi recently introduced the Swift system and I'm happy to say that the best
VND just got better Swift lets you swap or stack filters in seconds by simply clicking on making
it easy to use more than one folder retaining the freedom to quickly take it off my favourite part
of this is the addition of the 4 stop fixed ND to stack on top of the one to five stop
VND essentially creating a 5 to 9 stop without the need to change filters this is handy when you want
to shoot wide open in a bright scenario but at this strength it's also not a filter that you want
to have on your lens the whole time so a quick on and off is a game changer the filters fits sturdy
on the front and won't come off like some of the magnetic based systems if you already own the true
colour one to five stop you can simply stack the Swift add-ons on top so you don't need to upgrade
to a new filter to use Swift but the kit comes with an empty adapter ring to use with just a
swift filter for those indoor low light shoots where you don't need a vnd and want the freedom
to add and remove filters you can stack up the three filters without getting any vignettes but
if you go wider than 24 millimeter on a full frame sensor you will encounter some so it's important
to be mindful of that buying a swift bundle works out cheaper than individually buying all the
filters so if you haven't invested in a system yet this is a no-brainer but before I carry on
I'd like to thank landscape gear for sponsoring this video if you're based in South Africa you
can get a 10% discount using my code at checkout they've created a dedicated page with the list of
my favourite filters so make sure you check out the link in the description below a streak filter
can add tremendous production value but can also quickly become gimmicky depends on how you use it
this filter emulates anamorphic style lens flares and can add a lot of interest to a scene but just
like mist can also be a distraction streak filters work best when shooting into a hard light source
like for example the headlights of a car or we have smaller lights in your scene the NiSi Allure
filters come in both blue and orange so you can use it for extra colour contrast or to complement
certain colours in your image a circular polariser is one of the most underrated filters and has the
ability to radically improve an image polarisers are best known for removing Shine from water but
it does so much more than that a polariser is a non-negotiable when shooting cars and products
and can be the difference between amateur and professional it radically improves blue skies
and gives you a much cleaner image when shooting green foliage since it also takes off the Shine
from the leaves the NiSi polariser is also front threaded if you want to stack an ND or
Mist in front of it lens filters certainly have the potential to produce more cinematic looking
visuals but it's important to be intentional about which filters you put in front of your
lens so understanding the when and where is key if you have any questions let me know in the comments
and I'll do my best to answer thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one