|
Articles and Reviews
|
Home >> Photography >> Accessories Filters I'm a bit ambivalent about Hoya filters. I have several 77mm sized filters that include a Polarizer, an 81A, a 25A Red, an 80A Blue, a 4X ND filter, and a color intensifier. While Hoya filters are definitely a cost effective solution for photographers that cannot afford to outfit themselves with German-made filters, some qualities of Hoya leave a little to be desired. Mechanical build quality for a few of my Hoya filters have not inspired confidence with loose glass elements within the metal ring, unlike the solid build and feel of all my B+W filters. Hoya also makes much ado about their use of multi-coated glass, which sounds great, but are a bitch to keep clean. If you don't clean multi-coated filters correctly, you might end up with a piece of glass that's far worse off than any cheaper, single-coated filter. Now Hoya isn't the only one to blame for the difficulty in cleaning multi-coated glass, as other brands' multi-coated filters are apparently just as difficult to keep clean and pristine. They're enough trouble that I just get the regular B+W UV or 81A filters for my lenses and have stayed away from Hoya HMC and SMC filters for many years now. While I have misgivings about some Hoya filters, they are a huge supplier of optical glass for Tokina, which has a good reputation for producing excellent lenses. And likely, Hoya is a supplier of optical glass for a few other companies with a rumour that they OEM filters for Nikon. I'd suggest that if you can try before buying, this will ensure that you get a filter with good mechanical build and if you do go with HMC and SMC types, to understand that the cleaning process may be difficult. Link to Hoya, part of the THK group (Tokina, Hoya, Kenko) Scroll down for tips on cleaning MC filters. Cokin
This issue has been discussed before on the newsgroups but is it logical to put a piece of $30 plastic (high quality I’m sure but still plastic) in front of a $1500 or more lens? I have several Cokin filters (17) ranging from colored split ND filters to warming to soft and diffusion type to a few for B&W use. I bought most of them before I realized that I didn’t need so many to begin with and before I came across the debate about their quality. There is no debating their cost effectiveness though. Cokin filters are even cheaper then Hoyas yet don’t seem as cheesy. For some types of low use filters like my 4 point star filter, it’s the way to go without paying $100 more for the same B+W filter in 77mm thread size.
I’ve used the Cokins here and there for some landscapes but I haven’t enlarged any of the slides or prints so I can’t say whether or not the quality would be affected. Sooner or later I’ll do a more detailed testing of the Cokins to see if my overzealous purchase of them had any merit. My gut instinct tells me that I don’t have much to worry about because they seem to have found favor with many pros. The fact that Singh-Ray makes its own square filters for the Cokin P holder would seem to validate it to some degree. As I type this, I just recalled that I have actually enlarged a couple of photos to 8x10 size using a Cokin filter. They were outdoor casual shots of my friend Tony’s family, a week after I was asked to shoot Tony’s brother’s wedding. We were in downtown Vancouver around the time that all the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The day was overcast and I used a Cokin 81C warming filter for most of the shots with my Bronica kit. The quality seemed quite acceptable but I think the 81C was a bit too strong for the day. Other then that there seem to be no other detrimental effect from the Cokin filter. The Cokin Filter system and its rip-offs by other manufacturers does have a few primary advantages. For custom masks to do fancy double exposures and for split neutral density filters, the Cokin way of doing things does seem very logical. The square filter system is far easier to use and adjust then any round screw on filter. A site dedicated to Cokin filters has been made known to me. You can link to it here and get some good advice from site author James Dees and some sample images of how Cokin filters work. Link to Cokin As much as I question Hoya filters, I love B+W filters. Trust the Germans to trump the Japanese in optics again. As much as I have difficulty cleaning Hoyas, B+Ws are easy to clean and stay that way with no spots or gunk still clinging to the glass (most likely the result of my B+W's being single-coated versus Hoya's multi-coated HMC and SMC filters). I bought into B+W by accident, as I had never heard of them when I bought my first two B+W filters. When I bought my Nikon 35-70mm 2.8, I wanted a UV filter and a Polarizer in the 62mm thread size. The sales guy had a B+W UV filter on sale for a good price so I took it and the polarizer as well, even though the polarizer cost much more then I thought it would. I was thinking as long as it is not Hoya, I’ll be happy. Belated research into B+W revealed that it is actually Schneider of Germany, one of the finest lens makers in the world, that produce B+W filters. Since that time onwards, I have tried to ensure that every one of my lenses is protected with a B+W UV filter. All my Nikkors have B+W UV filters as well as all five of my Bronica lenses. I also have two Number One soft focus filters in 62mm and 77mm sizes. The only Hoya products that I use happily are their adapter rings to mate bigger filters onto smaller diameter lenses (even so, the Hoya rings are still cheaply made and aluminum to aluminum mating can cause problems if over-tightened). I’ll eventually buy a 77mm-sized polarizer to go with my 62mm-sized one but at present I have other pressing needs. Henry at Broadway Camera often jokes that I’m the reason why they bring in B+W filters as I’m the only one willing to pay the additional cost over…Hoya filters. Thanks to Schneider quality, I have not felt a need to buy into Nikon filters. I think they are probably more or less equals for the most part but I don’t feel like buying duplicate filters from both companies to test that theory out. Link to Schneider Optics Future Filter Needs When I bought my friend Birt's Bronica kit, I was estatic over the ownership of two highly sought after wide-angle lenses, the 40mm and the 50mm. The 50mm fit right into my filter system as it has a 77mm size. The only thing to worry about was whether or not the lens would vignette to any degree if I were to stack round screw mount or square Cokin filters. The 40mm lens is an entirely different story with its 95mm filter size. This large size coupled with the wide coverage of the lens presents problems for adequate filteration when desired. The 95mm filter size dictates that I should use oversized filters like say the 105mm filter size to try and prevent vignetting and that represents huge costs overuns to buy into a polarizer and pretty much any other filter I would want. The only way around this is buy into a larger square format filter system such as from Lee or Hi-Tech. A purchase I'm not about to make anytime soon.
Readers' Suggestions and Comments:
Normally, I don't have to do anything more than a few swirls with the microfiber cloth on my B+W filters and they come out looking spotless, but that is most likely because most B+W filters available in the stores are not multi-coated. In following the comments of other users of multi-coated filters, Hoya and other brands, the consensus is that they are a huge pain to clean especially if the dreaded finger prints get on them. I just happen to have done some recent lens testing and used all the lenses without their normal UV protective filters. After which I cleaned all the filters before attaching to the lenses again, one of which (not my own lens) was a Hoya HMC filter, which seemed to have a bit of gunk on it. The microfiber cloth did not work for me either so I used Kodak lens cleaning fluid with Kodak lens cleaning paper. A few drops on one piece of paper to wipe the lens in circles from the center out and then a second piece to wipe the fluid off in the same circular fashion. It is almost like buffing a car with old fashion wax, you can see a bit of haze even after wiping off the excess fluid and it takes some patient wipes to clear that haze. But even the lens tissue has its limits and it's at this point I return to the microfiber cloth to finish off the wiping. The central portion of the filter usually comes out pretty good, but it is the edges near the filter mount that can difficult to clean due to the lack of clear access as the centre. Another experience with a Hoya SMC filter occurred a few years ago when my son got his sticky fingers all over a friend's Nikkor 20mm lens. Thankfully the filter protected the front element and the lens escaped with nary a mark but not the filter and it took several cleaning sessions to clear the many finger prints off it and to this day, there are still some very slight hazy marks near the edges, but it is now in usable condition again. I traded one of my B+W filters for the Hoya to make up for my then toddler's curiosity. Since microfiber cloths are washable, I wouldn't worry too much about it absorbing oil and residue. After a major cleaning, just wash the cloth. I have not tried ROC or Formula MC. The above experiences with the Hoya filters swore me off the multi-coated filters (and the brand too) in favour of B+W. In theory, the multi-coating should be a good benefit in clear light transmission, but given their susceptibility to dust and regular gunk, it is my opinion that they are more trouble than they are worth. For what it's worth, the first thing I do when I buy a new lens is purchase a new B+W filter to go with it (or take from my existing supply) and then immediately air blow the lens clear of any dust on the front element with one of those turkey baster like hand bulbs. The filter is also air blown and then screwed onto the filter and after that, I never have to touch the front element again. And as mentioned already, I've not had any cleaning issues with those B+Ws. March 31, 2005
July 7, 2005
|
|
Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
|
 |
|
A
CD protective case is a great way to protect Cokin filters in the
field and much easier to store and use too. Got this idea from Daryl
Benson and Dale Wilson's book on Canadian Landscapes. 