Lee Filters ProGlass IRND filter review

The Lee Filters ProGlass IRND is a premium neutral density filter, but is it worth extra expense?

5 Star Rating
Lee Filters ProGlass IRND
(Image: © Angela Nicholson/Digital Camera World)

Digital Camera World Verdict

With the term ‘Big Stopper’ being ubiquitous in long-exposure photography circles, you might expect the original Big Stopper ND filter to offer the last word in filter quality, but actually, that honor goes to the ProGlass IRND. The ProGlass IRND is significantly more expensive but it comes without the color cast that is seen with Lee Filter’s original dense ND filter (and others) and you won’t see a dip in image quality.

Pros

  • +

    High-quality results

  • +

    Compatible with most 100mm type holders

  • +

    Foam light seal

Cons

  • -

    Very expensive

  • -

    Handling puts fingerprints on the filter

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LEE Filters is probably the best-known filter manufacturer and its 100 Filter System has been used by many photographers for decades. Its Stopper range of filters, the most widely known being the Big Stopper, has proved incredibly popular amongst photographers shooting long exposures during the day. In fact, the name ‘Big Stopper’ is widely used for any 10EV neutral density filter regardless of its manufacturer.

One issue with the Stopper range, however, is that the filters impart a noticeable blue cast to images. Some photographers profess to like this, while others remove it in post-capture processing. Lee Filters solution is the ProGlass IRND range. These filters are more expensive to make, which means they cost quite a bit more than the average ND filter.

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Angela Nicholson

Angela has been testing camera gear from all the major manufacturers since January 2004 and has been Amateur Photographer’s Technical Editor and Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s photography portfolio (Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-PhotoPractical PhotoshopPhotography Week and Professional Photography magazines, as well as the Digital Camera World and TechRadar websites). She is the founder of SheClicks - a community group that encourages and supports female photographers.