LEE Filters LEE85 Neutral Density Grads review: smaller filters for smaller cameras

LEE Filters is a British filter manufacturer that is, perhaps, best known for its 'Big Stopper' 10-stop neutral density filter, as well as the six-stop 'Little Stopper' and 15-stop 'Super Stopper'. In this test, however, I’m taking a closer look at the company’s graduated neutral density filter range that comes in 85x115mm sizes, and is available in various strengths with either Soft, Medium, or Hard transitions.

The LEE85 system is physically smaller than the company's popular LEE100 system, as it’s designed for more compact camera bodies with smaller APS-C and MFT digital sensors. Lenses specifically made for these cameras tend to be downsized too, with smaller filter threads, and therefore the LEE85 system only works with filter threads up to 72mm, whereas the LEE100 can go all the way up to 95mm. You can also check out my review of the LEE100 GND filters.

The LEE85 system could be a good choice for those with smaller cameras and lenses, as it will take up less space in your kit bag and weigh less, too. The benefits of the smaller 85mm system aren’t quite as apparent as LEE’s now-discontinued 75mm Seven5 system, as the 85mm filters fill a bit of a middle ground between APS-C and full-frame. Though if you’re considering upgrading to full-frame in the future, you’ll likely need to upgrade to a bigger system, such as the LEE100.

I headed to the coast with a selection of LEE85 filters to shoot sunsets and seascapes, and see how the LEE85 grads compared with the competition to earn their place among the best ND grads…

LEE Filters LEE85 Neutral Density Grads review: Specifications

LEE Filters LEE85 Neutral Density Grads review: Price

One area where I would have liked to have seen the LEE85 filters excel is on price, as their resin construction is cheaper to produce than the optical glass used in the competition. And while resin has the benefit of being lighter and a bit more durable when dropped, the price was fairly comparable to its glass competition.

As it is, the list price for a standalone LEE85 GND filter is around $115 / £92. They can also be bought in packs of three to boost their value, for around $282 / £225. As ever, it pays to shop around, as at the time of writing, there were some significant discounts to be had.

The multipacks come in Soft, Medium, or Hard varieties, each containing 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9ND density filters. I personally think 0.3ND isn’t worth bothering with too much, as a similar effect can easily be achieved with a simple masking adjustment to the Raw file when editing, and a more versatile bundle would be something like 0.6 and 0.9 kits, each containing Soft, Medium, and Hard densities, as this would be more practical. The Very Hard grad option, as found in the LEE100 series, isn't available in the LEE85 series. It's not too much of a big deal, but it's worth noting.

To use these 85mm filters, you will also need a LEE85mm filter holder, but unlike the LEE100 system, the LEE85 filter holder cannot be purchased standalone, and can only be bought as part of a bundle, such as the LEE85 Discover Kit, so there are fewer buying options.

LEE Filters LEE85 Neutral Density Grads: Design & Handling

The LEE85 is a redesigned version of the older LEE Seven5 (sometimes stylized as SEV5N) system, which was launched in 2012 for lighter mirrorless systems with smaller sensors. While the Seven5 system was for 75mm-wide filters, the newer LEE85 uses 85mm-wide filters, as the name suggests.

The LEE85 system looks like a smaller version of the larger LEE100, which is developed for full-frame cameras. The smaller LEE85 is only compatible with filter threads up to 72mm, whereas the bigger LEE100 goes up to 95mm (82mm wide-angle). Like the LEE100 holder, the LEE85 holder features a pull knob to release the lens adapter ring, which is turned 90º to lock it off. In terms of the size difference, the LEE100 holder is 12.2cm tall and 14.5cm wide, whereas the LEE85 measures 9cm tall and 13.7cm wide, so it is significantly smaller.

Despite being around 25% smaller, the filter holder weighs the same as the bigger LEE100 holder – 50g. This is because the larger LEE100 holder is made from a composite plastic, whereas the LEE85 is made from metal, which helps give it some beefy build quality and durability. The LEE85 ND grads are a fair bit lighter than their LEE100 counterparts, weighing 26g as opposed to 39g. Every little helps.

I've met many older photographers over the years who have made the move to lighter mirrorless bodies because they can no longer carry all of the heavy equipment they once could in their more spritely years, so I can see the LEE85 filter system being of interest to these photographers looking to travel as light as possible.

The LEE85 filter holder also comes with interchangeable guides, which by default enable two square-sized filters to be slotted in place (plus a circular polarizer), though these can be swapped out for a smaller one-rail or a larger three-rail guide.

On to the graduated filters themselves, then, LEE makes these in Soft, Medium, and Hard varieties, with strengths of 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9ND to block out 1, 2, or 3 stops of light, respectively. There are also reverse NDs with the darker area at the middle of the frame for shooting with the sun close to the horizon.

The filters have a working area of 85x115mm, though there is also a 10x47mm tab at the top to help you pull the filter out of the holder or hold it without getting fingerprints on the working area of the filter. This tab is also where you’ll find the text written on the filter, which makes it easy to see what strength and how soft or hard the gradient of the GND is.

The filters are expectedly lighter than their LEE100 counterparts, tipping the scales at 26g compared to the 39g of its bigger brothers, and while this does trim the weight down by a third, in real terms both the LEE85 and LEE100 filters are very svelte and lightweight filters, as they’re made from resin rather than optical glass found in many of its competitors.

I asked LEE about the choice to go for resin, and I was told, “Resin GNDs are part of LEE’s original filter heritage and have always been produced in resin. The Big Stoppers, introduced in 2011, use molten glass with added colourants to achieve the required extreme density. The two filter types serve different purposes, and achieving the same darkness in glass using the resin process is not possible.”

When asked about how the gradient is achieved on the resin filters, LEE explained: “Each filter is hand‑dyed by our skilled technicians – a technique we’ve used since introducing camera filters in the 1980s. This hands‑on process allows precise control at every stage, ensuring maximum consistency, optical quality, and reliability.”

LEE Filters LEE85 Neutral Density Grads: Performance

To properly assess the LEE 85mm GND filters, I also have to rate the performance of the LEE85 filter holder they’re designed to be used with. This is well made, constructed from metal for a durable feel, and with guide rails that can be swapped out, allowing you to stack just one, two, or three filters, as you desire. There’s also a pull lever to disengage the filter holder from the adapter ring, and this can be turned by 90º to lock it in place to prevent it from accidentally being knocked off.

To get the most out of the LEE85 system, you’ll want to use it with a circular polarizer; however, my biggest issue with the LEE85 system is that the circular polarizer sits at the front rather than the back, and this is also the same issue I had with the bigger LEE100. I personally prefer the CPL to go at the back of the filter stack because it’s the first filter I like to dial in – before NDs are in position, which can darken the viewfinder and make it tricky to see the effect of the polarizer as you adjust it.

Front-mounted polarizers are also more of a faff to store, as you need to put them in a separate case to protect them, rather than simply leaving them attached to the holder, as is the case with rear-mounted ones. Finally, because they go at the front of the filter stack, they need to be large enough to cover a wider viewing angle – CPL filters can be made smaller and more affordable when they’re closer to the lens. The CPL for the LEE85 system costs a steep $276 / £199!

While the LEE85 Little, Big, and Super Stopper ND filters are made from glass, the graduated ND filters on test are made from resin. Glass is usually preferred for better optical performance, sharpness, and color neutrality. But resin filters can be more affordable than glass and are also a bit more robust – drop a glass filter, and it could shatter into a thousand pieces, whereas resin is much more robust and drop-friendly.

To test the durability of the LEE85 filters I first started with a scratch test, applying varying levels of pressure first with a sharp metal screw. Unfortunately, the surface of the resin filter was quite easy to scratch, and this is clearly a drawback of using soft resin against more hardy glass.

However, the lightweight and flexible nature of the resin did mean it performed well in my drop test. Here, I dropped the filter from a height of 1.5m onto a hard concrete surface to simulate a worst-case scenario – a corner of the filter made a direct hit with the concrete, and there was only a very small mark made to the filter – for all intents and purposes, it was still perfectly usable. The filter likely would have been unscathed at a lower height or dropped onto a softer surface like grass or sand.

I was interested to test out the image quality of the LEE85 graduated ND filters because my preconceptions tell me that the image quality should be worse than glass – after all, there’s a reason why elements inside of a lens aren’t made from resin, right? In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the image quality from the LEE85 filters. Pictures were sharp, no unsightly color casts were visible, and no chromatic aberration was introduced. The LEE85 graduated NDs also have a tighter graduation than their larger counterparts, which is better suited to the smaller APS-C and MFT sensors they’re designed for.

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LEE Filters LEE85 Neutral Density Grads: Verdict

The LEE85 graduated filters are a good option for those shooting on APS-C-sensor or Micro Four Thirds cameras, as they’re more affordable and have a tighter graduation specifically designed for smaller sensors. They also take up less space and are lighter, so they could be ideal for those looking to travel with a smaller kit bag or limited storage space.

While there are quite a lot of 100mm-wide graduated ND filter options for full-frame camera bodies on the market, there are far fewer options for smaller-sensor cameras, which typically use downsized lenses with smaller-diameter filter threads. So if you use a cropped-sensor camera system and you have no intention of upgrading to a full-frame model at any point soon, and you want to take your landscapes further, the LEE85 system and its GND filters could be the one for you.

However, if you have the slightest inkling that you may upgrade to a full-frame body in the future, I would suggest a larger filter system to make it more future-proof, such as the LEE100 series.

Alternatives

Designed for use with the LEE100 system for full-frame cameras, these LEE100 Neutral Density Grads are the bigger brothers of the LEE85 range for compact cameras with smaller lenses, and have the same lightweight resin design.

Cokin's Nuances Extreme GND filters are expensive, but they're an investment and have some of the best durability and image quality on the market.