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Q. LEE OR HELIOPAN FILTER SET !?!?!?!?!?!
Asked by Daniele Di Marco
(K=532) on 1/17/2006
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Hello!!
I am in doubt...
I need to buy a new set of ND Grad filters, I would to know, the quality difference between Lee 100x150 resin filter and Heliopan 100x150 filters.
I'm not sure about the quality of Lee resin filter.Looking for the better one, I found good critics on Heliopan and It seems that the heliopan products are better than Lee ones.
What do you think about it?
Someone can help me giving opinions in the way to get the right choise?!
Waiting for a kind reply, thanks in advance!
Cheers
Danireflex
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Jeroen Wenting
(K=25317) - Comment Date 1/18/2006
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I've heard only good things about Lee, mixed reports about Heliopan (though not about their square filters, never heard about those).
If you want the best, go with Singh-Ray. They cost $100 each but you get something for that ;)
Of course that's without shipping, taxes, and import duties, Lee sized filters cost $160 each, coming to roughly $220 or €175 plus shipping each after EU taxes and duties.
http://www.singh-ray.com/
Nikonians proshop are I think negotiating with them to carry at least some of their products in Europe (getting rid of import duties), don't know when and whether they're going to actually start selling them though.
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Helen Bach
(K=2331) - Comment Date 1/18/2006
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I'd never heard of Heliopan rectangular filters either. If the grad NDs are glass, like Schneider (which you might like to consider as an alternative to Heliopan), they will be way more expensive than the Lee resin filters. The Lee filters are good resin filters, and appear to be quite neutral. I think that it is a question of how much you want to pay. The glass filters will probably last longer, and be slightly superior optically (though in practice you might not notice the difference) but they are expensive. I guess that it's going to depend on how much use you give them. I bought a set of glass Schneider 'B' grade grads (slight imperfections) ages ago, but I hardly ever use grads.
Tiffen make glass ND grads as well. They are about $280 each. Formatt (correct spelling, a UK manufacturer) glass ND grads are about half the cost of the Tiffen.
You might find a bigger selection if you look at 4 x 5.65 as well as 4 x 6, because 4 x 5.65 is a standard size for motion picture camera filters. Horizontal and vertical grads are available in that size.
Best,
Helen
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Chuck Freeman
(K=13616) - Comment Date 1/18/2006
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I would go for Lee if I was dead set on filters. But personally, manufacrurers like TIFFEN have huge numbers of every type of filters known. JustMHO
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Chuck Freeman
(K=13616) - Comment Date 1/18/2006
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Enclosed is a photo that sold at an photo auction in 2000-I used a primitive/yet reliable camera NORITA and a tiffen filter and Vericolor 120 film. By the way it sold for $600 of which I got zero. All went to Charity. I barely got a thank You.
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Mrs Fannie Jones
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