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Sirui 100mm Professional Filter Kit Review - Nick Cox
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In the day and age of digital post processing, people may argue that the humble old filter is no longer necessary, and that image stacking or exposure blending is just as easy option. With this being said, there appears to be more filter brands going to market and more companies dipping their toes in filter production, which is what leads me to this post.
Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure to test out the new Sirui 100m Professional Landscape Filter Kit.
After being brought to my attention on social media, first impressions could not have been any better, with a prompt response and offer to send out the kit for trial. I have never had any dealings with Sirui in the past, but if their response time and speed of delivery was anything to go by, it won’t be my last!
Included in the kit was:
- 100mm filter holder;
- Adapter rings - 82mm, 77mm, 72mm, and 67mm;
- Circular polariser filter;
- 100x150mm 4 stop soft graduated neutral density filter; and
- 100x100mm 10 stop neutral density (ND)
100mm filter holder
The filter holder felt pretty sturdy and was made of a lightweight aluminium. Similar to various other filter holders out on the market, it is equipped with a spring-loaded lug that enables you to quickly clip the holder onto your lens and lock it into position. Furthermore, it comes with an additional 3 guide rails giving you the ability to stack up to 3 filters.
When compared to my current filter system, the Sirui holder had one distinct advantage in its ability to fit the circular polariser within the holder system and thanks to a small cog-like handle, the ability to adjust the polariser whilst filters were attached. This enabled the polariser to sit flush against the holder resulting in minimal, if any vignetting. A big plus!
Adapter rings
The multiple adapter rings offered great versatility and meant that the filter holder was able to be attached to a multitude of lenses already at my disposal (there is nothing worse than having to schlep around town trying to track down an adapter for one of your lenses).
Circular polariser filter
The circular polariser was not as ‘polarising’ as my current filters, but its slim build meant that vignetting was non-existent, and the fact that it sat flush in the filter holder made up for any shortcomings. Its performance was sound, producing clean, vibrant and crisp images. A great result for a low-profile filter.
4 Stop Soft Graduated ND Filter
For me, a good graduated filter is a must for all landscape photographers, as it is vital in balancing light and enables a real time review of your image on location. Some may say that by taking multiple exposures you negate this issue, but I have always been of the thought that you should try and let your camera do the talking.
The inclusion of the soft filter was a big bonus, as I often find that landscapes don’t have a relatively hard horizon, which are preferred when using a hard filter. Furthermore, when shooting in haze, mist or on reflective water, I find the soft grad to be much more effective and less evasive.
The 100x150mm filter was made of glass and did not show any evidence of any colour cast. I hope with time that Sirui roll out further variants of this filter as it produced some great results!
10 Stop ND Filter
One of my favourite filters to play around with, this version of a 10 stop was a nice chunky piece of glass and easy to use with the other filters and the holder. Sitting flush in the holder, there was minimal light leak, which resulted in some great images. In my testing, it did give off a slight blue colourcast, however I am yet to use a 10 stop filter that has prevented this 100%. Thankfully it was a very quick fix when post processing.
All in all, this system was a pleasure to use and I would highly recommend for any photographer looking to jump into the filter market to enquire about Sirui. If this professional landscape kit is any guide to go by, I am expecting big things to come as they extend their range and add additional accessories to the market. Combine this with the excellent customer service, and hopefully we will get to see more of Sirui in the filter market
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2" css=".vc_custom_1553582439529{margin-left: 10% !important;}"][cq_vc_colorblock image="52830" imageposition="right" textblockbg="lightgray"]Shot using the Sirui ND1000 (10 stop) and CPL to achieve the cloud movement[/cq_vc_colorblock][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2" css=".vc_custom_1553582450519{margin-right: 10% !important;}"][cq_vc_colorblock image="52867" textblockbg="lightgray"]Shot using the Sirui ND1000 (10 stop) to help smooth out the water with a longer exposure time.[/cq_vc_colorblock][/vc_column][/vc_row]
