In their ever-advancing quest to make professional photography and videography equipment available to the masses, ProMaster recently revamped their filter lineup. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s available now, including explanations of both the types of filters available and the three levels of quality at which they will be available.
The new filters are available NOW at a Mike’s Camera near you!
Visit ProMaster’s filter hub for more technical information or order the filters you need at our web store. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or drop me a line and we’ll get you sorted.
Availability:
| Protection | CPL | VND | IRND | UV | |
| HGX Prime (Best) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pure Light (Better) | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Basis (Good) | ✔ | ✔ |
Types of filters
Protection
A good protection filter, in an ideal scenario, should be completely unsatisfying. That sounds a bit funny, but the goal is to keep the front element of your lens pristine, while doing as little as physically possible to the image, so the better it works, the less you notice it. And this is not just a sneaky up-sell… the image burned into my memory of my camera falling lens-first onto a tile floor is enough to ensure I never use a new piece of glass without protection. (The happy result of my story: I did have a filter on the lens. The filter was toast, but the lens was completely unharmed.) Replacing a protective filter, even a very high-quality one, is much less expensive and requires much less time than repairing or replacing the lens itself. Cheap insurance!
Circular polarizer (CPL)
Polarizers are really neat—unlike protective filters, they can be extremely satisfying to use. Like magic, you can take complete control of reflections, inject extraordinary vividness into skies and other richly-colored areas, and blast away haze. Polarization is also one of the few things that you absolutely can not replicate in post-processing—it’s an analogue process, and three seconds of effort before the shot could save you hours of headache trying to come close to the intended effect later. Click here for a more in-depth explanation with real-world examples.
Variable neutral density (VND)
Traditionally, neutral density filters would offer a reduction in light transmission by one set amount, typically quantified by number of stops or “filter factor.” VND filters are a clever, new-ish way to manipulate the light in a more convenient and more versatile way. By utilizing multiple polarization layers, the density of the filter can be increased or reduced within a range (1.3–8 stops and 5.3–12 stops are the ranges available in the new ProMaster line). One filter can stand in for several, allowing preparedness for unknown lighting conditions, and you can adjust the light coming into the lens in real time while filming as another vector of creative video control.
It should be noted that single density ND filters still offer the absolute highest optical quality, but whether the difference outweighs the advantages of variability will depend on your kit and what you’re creating.
A side note on neutral density filters
If you’ve struggled to capture a band playing in a dimly lit bar or your kids running around with their friends one winter evening, it might seem impossible that too much light could be a problem for the photographer or videographer—nevertheless, it can be!
The name of the game is control. With ISO, any adjustment can change the noise in the image (and for every sensor there’s a minimum sensitivity). Aperture will always affect the depth of field. Shutter speed can allow pinpoint-frozen moments or a blending of whole minutes of activity. What if you have a vision regarding those secondary characteristics, but your ideal combination is not possible to achieve in conjunction with the basic element of a correct exposure?
The classic example of a subject with which you might need a neutral density filter—that is, a filter with optically neutral characteristics outside of affecting the amount of light transmission*—is that of a languidly flowing river on a very bright day. Shot in auto, you’ll get a very crisp, still image of the river, but somehow that might not capture the softness and isolated movement of the scene. You’d love to get a smoothed-out river, but your ISO can only go so low and your aperture can only get so narrow (not to mention the fact that you won’t find peak lens performance at f/22), so you can’t slow your shutter speed as much as you’d like. You see where I’m going with this? If there’s too much light… get rid of some
* This terminology goes back to black and white film days, when you might use colored (non-neutral) filters to affect the shot.
IR neutral density (IRND)
ProMaster’s IRND filters are less flexible than their variable neutral density filters, but are at the pinnacle of optical quality. These fixed-density filters reduce visible light transmission as cleanly as you please and extend that same effect to the infrared range, preventing unexpected variations in coloration when in situations that offer a bit more infrared light than usual or when using very dark NDs. The graduated variants are intended for universal filter glass holders and include changes in density for targeted applications (e.g. darkening just the sky, or tuning double exposures).
Ultraviolet
Last, but certainly not least, a UV filter cuts light in the ultraviolet range. It’s essentially invisible to the naked eye, but (like infrared light) can cause an unnatural cast in images or video, in this case a slightly bluish one. Sensitivity to UV light can vary by type of built-in filter* or film stock—yes, don’t forget film! The UV filter brings what your camera sees more in line with what your eyes can see.
This is especially true when the sun is unusually strong and/or at high altitudes. Since I live in sunny, mountainous Colorado, I actually use UV filters as my protective filters, which is a pretty common preference around these parts, but it’s worth noting that they are not strictly the same.
* Digital sensors are almost all highly sensitive to UV light, and therefore are equipped by default with a UV filter.
Available lines
HGX Prime
Tip-top. HGX Prime filters, made in Japan and boasting ProMaster’s Repellamax II coating, are ultra-hardened, super-sharp, and allow more (intended) light through. The glass is scratch-, oil-, moisture-, dirt-, and dust-resistant. If your budget allows, this is always the way to go.
Pure Light
Featuring hydrophobic multi-coatings on Schott B270 optical glass, Pure Light filters are also made in Japan and are resistant to oil, water, and fingerprints. While not quite as optically neutral as HGX Prime filters, Pure Light filters offer an excellent value with excellent imaging results.
Basis
Finally, the Basis line offers a quality introductory option. They’re still polished optical glass and they’re still multi-coated, and they’ll absolutely still allow you to capture outstanding results.
2 comments