Filter company ratings?

Pepper

Hello,

I know that B + W filters are considered to be high quality, but how do some of the other comapnies rank (low to high)? Any others? I'm trying to figure how much to spend on a 77mm UV.

Canon
Tiffen
Hoya
Calumet


Thanks

Bob Bell

Heliopan and B+W are at the top of the circular filter pile. Both made from Schott Water Glass, which is what Zeiss lenses are made out of.

Singh Ray probably makes the best square filters but they also make round ones. They are very nice quality as well.

When I get a used lens and it has a tiffen or hoya, I take the filter off and toss it in a drawer, never to see light again unless i am making soft focus filters with vaseline.

I have heard the Hoya Pro 1 filters are decent, but I don't have any to check out. If I have to choose Hoya or Tiffen next it will be Hoya since every Tiffen I have owned is crap.

Canon, Promaster, Sigma, Store Brands are essentially generic filters. I guess they are fine for protection but probably add things like ghosting, flare, contrast loss, etc... I would stay away from these.

I have a bunch of B+W filters and I have to replace a few so I start buying from this place since its 20 bux cheaper than B&H and has a quite a few references on FredMiranda

http://shop.vendio.com/hkd/item/769752621/index.html

Pepper

Bob Bell wrote:

Heliopan and B+W are at the top of the circular filter pile. Both made from Schott Water Glass, which is what Zeiss lenses are made out of.

Singh Ray probably makes the best square filters but they also make round ones. They are very nice quality as well.

Ahhh... just what I neede to know. Is multicoating necessary? I was told by a shop that it was just for scratch resistance, but Heliopan uses 16 layer multi-coating for their filters. Yea or nea?


Thanks a lot

Bob Bell

Pepper wrote:

Ahhh... just what I neede to know. Is multicoating necessary? I was told by a shop that it was just for scratch resistance, but Heliopan uses 16 layer multi-coating for their filters. Yea or nea?


Thanks a lot

Coatings are important as they control light. Each of your lenses elements are coated as well. Canon uses SSC or Super Spectral Coating, B+W is MRC and what it does is control reflections, ghosting, flare, etc.. that can cause a reduction in resolution or contrast. MRC coatings are supposed harder than glass so it does prevent scratching. The only thing that seems to affect the coatings is Nitro Methane or the chemicals in burning rubber at race tracks. I have some pitting a filter from shooting NHRA and AHDRA drag racing from the burn out box.

I don't know much about the SH-PMC coatings from Heliopan aside form they are supposed to be super hard. So I guess they are along the lines of MRC coatings

claudermilk

Bob pretty much summed it up: Heliopan, B+W, Hoya for threaded filters. Tiffen is generally considered junk (see here for an eye-opener).

The store he linked is a good place to get the B+W and Hoya filters.

For square filters I've also heard Lee are supposed to be good (though Sing-Ray is tops--as the price indicates).

Bob Bell

claudermilk wrote:

Bob pretty much summed it up: Heliopan, B+W, Hoya for threaded filters. Tiffen is generally considered junk (see here for an eye-opener).

The store he linked is a good place to get the B+W and Hoya filters.

For square filters I've also heard Lee are supposed to be good (though Sing-Ray is tops--as the price indicates).

Chris,

That filter test is a trip. Thx for the link.

Pepper

claudermilk wrote:

Bob pretty much summed it up: Heliopan, B+W, Hoya for threaded filters. Tiffen is generally considered junk (see here for an eye-opener).

Yeah, that is an eye opener. I'm going to yank the Tiffen off of my PD-150. I'm caught between the B+W UV Haze 010 MRC and the Hoya Pro 1 Clear. I know this is one of those decisions that I'll look back at in a month and wonder why I was such an idiot

mkress65

Any thoughts on Hama filters? I picked up an old 28-80L w/ a hama sky 1A on it -- I haven't done any test shots w/ the filter off vs. on, but I'm curious as to the general opinion on hama filters (and maybe a bit more info for the OP too...)

Thanks,