What is your favorite filter brand? Do you find major differences in quality between brands such as Hoya and B+W and less expensive ones?
What is your favorite filter brand? Do you find major differences in quality between brands such as Hoya and B+W and less expensive ones?
I like Hoya HMC filters. The optical quality is excellent, they're multicoated (a must for me), and are reasonably priced. The only drawback is the filter rings are aluminum, but for price differential between brass-ringed filters, I can live with the aluminum.
I agree with Barry.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
I agree with Barry also. I have a few B+W filters for odd things (Rolleiflex bay 1 UV transmissive - that sort of thing) and they are awesome, but by gosh they are pricey for a bit of glass in a brass ring... Hoya HMC filters are fine.
Marc!
I use B+W MRCs. They do the job very well.
Are they better than other brands? I don't know, since I haven't used the others.
I use Heliopan step-up rings because they're made of brass, and B+W rings are made of aluminum. (The B+W filters are brass.)
- Leigh
Mostly B+W but a few old tiffens and Hoyas now and then. Never really noticed a difference....
--Darin
The best filters are none, at least most of the time an with a digital work flow for scan and print.
If I need an UV filter for some nasty environment like the Ocean or wet weather, I will get a cheap Tiffen or something and figure I'll use it once and toss it if it doesn't clean up well.
I don't believe the OP specified the intended use.Originally Posted by Frank Petronio
All of mine are colored filters for contrast control, shooting black & white.
- Leigh
Frank, for a digital work flow you bring up a good point. Of course if you use an enlarger you do need filters.
As for as the original question goes? Any quality multicoated filter will be fine. I think it would be impossible to tell the difference between large format photographs taken using B+W, Heliopan, Hoya, Nikkor, etc.
I'm very fond of the telephone pole filter. It matters not the make, but they sure come in handy!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
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