Lee Filter System vs Traditional Filters

[dodphotography]

What's the advantage / disadvantage of both systems.

I'm trying to build a solid 8x10 kit and rather than following my usual system of buying crap, realizing it sucks, then spending more money I would rather just spend the money the first time.

I'm shooting almost 100% black and white, unless color is somehow handed to me on a platter.

Dan

[Fredrick]

I have used the Lee system for several years, I think it's great. Instead of buying different sized filters for every lens, you just buy one filter and a adaptor ring to each different filter thread. Lee also has no colour casts in their GND filters, which is great for colour work. There is also the Lee compendium hood, which I will purchase later this year. All in all, I am very satisfied with my Lee system. I have not tried any other filters since I bought it.

[Heroique]

There is also the Lee compendium hood.

Even if I invested in the Lee system for the compendium hood alone, I'd consider the expense worth it!

[biedron]

+1 for the Lee System.

If you buy an adapter for each lens and always leave it on the lens, it's about 5 seconds to attach the lens hood and another 5 seconds to place a filter in the filter slot. Takes longer to find those things in your bag than it does to attach them…

If you leave the adapter attached, the original lens cap will no longer fit. Lee makes a lens cap that fits over the adapter that is functional (protects the glass well enough) but is not nearly as well made/designed as the rest of the system.

One downside I have observed is that components of the Lee system can be hard to get at times - that was certainly true a couple of years ago, not sure if things have changed.

Bob

[Ed Bray]

I use some Lee filters (Grads & ND) but also use Hitech filters for Monochrome Contrast (red, green, yellow and orange). They are 100mm versions but I have adapted them to 125mm using Black Plasticard, these then fit into my Horseman Bellows Compendium Hood which I have adapted to fit on my Canham MQC. The reason for this is the Horseman Compendium Bellows hood has a rear filter slot which takes 125mm Filters, it also has a front gel filter slot (thinner) which is good for using vignettes or special effect masks.

[dodphotography]

Thanks everyone... Just a little less enthused about investing in yet another system. Seems to happen every time I jump systems. But since I sold every piece I have to commit to 8x10 I think I'll go ahead and order some.

So you've had success with other brands in the Lee unit?

[vinny]

Any of the 100mm or 4x4 filters work fine as long as they are the same thickness (2mm, I believe) you can use 4mm glass filters but you'll need to get the Lee spacers for the holder. I leave the 82mm wide angle ring on my Lee hood at all times and have step up rings on all lenses which are smaller than 82mm. Lee's rings also accept circular filters on the front so you can use a circular pola and grads. Much cheaper than all those rings and allows the use of my 82mm circular filters like my pola on every lens. The 82mm caps on all my lenses also fit nicely in the front of the lee hood. Great system. I shoot in backlight a lot and holding a darkslide while trying to compose through a badly flared lens isn't an option. The hood fixes that too.

[Mark Stahlke]

I get the best of both worlds. I step up all my lenses to 77mm and use a Lee hood on a 77mm adapter that accepts 77mm screw in filters.

[dodphotography]

I'm a little confused boys...

My main lens has a 67mm thread. It's a Fujinon 250 6.7.

Should I step up? This is like Chinese to me

[Mark Stahlke]

The main reason I step up to 77mm is because I have a lot of high quality 77mm filters from my Nikon 35mm lenses.