Quote:
Originally Posted by changing
Sorry Chris - but I have to say that you have got that wrong. Admittedly the Lee holder might be somewhat more robust than a plastic cheapie but the optical quality of the filters show no discernible difference from "cheap as chips" stuff straight from China.
Like everything else, that statement is subject to provisos. At the extremes of performance you might begin to notice differences. But for exhibition and competition work using my D800 and D800E with the Nikkor 24-70mm and 70-200mm VR2 lenses (or the 16-35mm that I used before the 14-24mm) and producing A3+ prints from as little as 20% of the image area, then there is certainly no visible quality difference when using Chinese Cheapies than when using expensive Lee filters on the 14-24mm Nikkor.
In fact I get a slight magenta colour cast from the Lee 0.6ND grad that I don't get from the cheapies. Fortunately that is easily removed in Lightroom.
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You may disagree with me, that's your prerogative. But, I don't think you've come up with sufficient evidence to state that I am wrong in my assessment. Just because you've been lucky in the plastic filters that you've bought, doesn't make all of them perfect. I bought one with an enormous optical defect right in the middle, but wasn't worth sending it back for the £3 it cost, it just went straight in the bin.
If you read my post properly you will note that I have tried to give alesb reasonable and constructive advice. At no time did I suggest he should spend £70 for a Lee holder, I wouldn't even consider such an extravagance for myself. I was merely illustrating the two ends of the spectrum in terms of filler availability. In fact, you will note if you read it again, I have suggested that he experiment with just the filters you recommend. So, we're both coming to the same conclusion but, I hope, I've tackled it from a more practical and reasoned viewpoint.