4. MARCO REFERENCIAL
4.1 UN RECORRIDO HACIA LA SEDE POLICARPA SALAVARRIETA
4.1.2 Sede Principal Institución Educativa Dorada
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ND graduated filters
The ulTimaTe Guide To phoToGraphy Build quality Performance ValueOverall
Build quality Performance ValueOverall
FormattHitechsystem(100mm)
KoodP-system(84mm)
Tested:0.9NDsoft-cutand0.6NDhard-cut Filter:£45/Holder:£60/77mmlensadapterring:£23Contact:www.formatt-hitech.com
Tested:0.6NDand0.9NDsoft-cut Filter:£12/Holder:£6/77mmlensadapterring:£5
Contact:www.koodinternational.com
I
F YOU'RE LOOKING for 100mm filters, but at a lower cost than Lee, Hitech is a popular option. Both brands have their devotees, some preferring the Hitech holder, as well as the prices. Hitechs come in an extensive range of sizes: 67mm, 85mm and 100mm (as here), 150mm and the Lucroit (165mm) system – for ultra-wide zooms like the Nikon 12-24mm that cannot use regular filters because of the bulbous front element.The holder has a solid aluminium mounting plate, rather than the plastic used by others. There is no practical advantage to that, and it's slightly heavier, but it certainly conveys a nice impression of quality. On the front, there's a stacking system that allows the holder to be customised from one, two or three filter slots and a kit of brass screws is supplied for that very easy task. On the back, the lens adapter ring drops in, retained by a brass locking screw (as opposed to Lee's spring-loaded catch) that some feel is easier and more secure. It's a subjective choice really, though if you have a preference, as a rule all 100mm filters fit any 100mm holder. For ultra-wide lenses, a wide- angle adapter (illustrated) is available for £32.
The three-stop soft-cut ND grad measured exactly three- stops density, and the two-stop hard-cut came in at 2.1 stops. That's pretty much a perfect performance and while the exact density does not usually matter too much in practice, within reason, it's a good sign. Colour
neutrality was more variable, with the hard two-stopper rating 'excellent' with almost exact neutrality, but the soft three-stop ND grad scored only 'fair' with a noticeable magenta cast. Sharpness was unafected, and flare resistance was good – very much in line with others.
K
OOD HAS BEEN struggling to keep up with demand,awaiting a new batch of hard-cut grads and only able to supply P-type soft-cut filters for this review. No problem though, that's enough to get a good impression of what's on ofer and the shortages will be quickly rectified. The full Kood range includes smaller A-types and the larger 100mm-type, all British-made and at very competitive prices. For example, the Kood 100mm-type holder sells for £25, lens rings are £9, and the 100mm grads are just £20 each. That's way less than rivals, and the savings add up to a substantial amount by the time you've collected a few. The filters come in retail packaging of a clear plastic envelope lined with thin cardboard. Kood suggests to keep this as protective storage – functional perhaps, just about, but hardly ideal. Good and easily accessible storage is important with grads as by their nature it's hard not to leave finger marks that can get smeared across the surface when you put them away, almost guaranteeing flare problems.
The Kood holders are very like Cokin, made of precision- moulded plastic with the lens adapter ring clipping into the back, and out again, in the same way. In fact, the Kood and Cokin P filters, holders and adapter rings are interchangeable. The Kood holder illustrated is the wide-angle version with one filter slot, and it's slim enough to clear a 17mm lens (full-frame).
The three-stop soft filter measured 3.2 stops, and the two-stop soft 2.3 stops – both
acceptably close to spec. Some cheaper grads have a reputation for poor colour neutrality, yet the three-stops filter rated 'very good' and the two-stops version scored 'excellent'. Sharpness was unafected and resistance to flare is as good as any.
A mixed performance from Hitech, with one filter bang on target specification and the other significantly of. The aluminium holder is a nice item, and Hitechs are great value.
Keen prices have always been Kood's ace card, and that certainly still applies. Yet the current Kood range is also high quality, competing with the best on this showing.
ND graduated filters
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The ulTimaTe Guide To phoToGraphyBuild quality Performance Value
Overall
LeeFilters(100mm)
Tested:0.9NDsoft-cutand0.6NDhard-cutFilter:£80-100/Holder:£59/77mmlensadapterring:£19
Contact:www.leefilters.com
A
SK ALMOST ANY keen landscape photographer, and they'll say the best filters are made by Lee. They might also add the most expensive, though that's because they're not just high quality, but consistently high quality. Lee's reputation is about both meticulous manufacture and also tight quality control. This ensures the filters you buy today are exactly the same as those a few years old that are a bit worse for wear.Lee filters come in three sizes – the ever-popular 100mm- type illustrated, the smaller Seven5 range that is 75mm wide, and the giant 150mm wide SW150 range for ultra-wide zooms. Lee 100mm-type filters are 2.1mm thick, about 0.5mm more than the others, to help maintain surface flatness.
The Lee filter holder is one of the system highlights, made from high quality plastic with brass fittings, and thoughtfully designed with a lens ring released by a spring-loaded catch. The advantage here is the holder can be popped on and of very quickly and easily, without needing to remove the filter. Another feature, also shared with some other brands, is the filter slots can be customised to take either one, two or more filters. A wide-angle lens adapter ring (illustrated) is also an option at £37. Everything comes very well packaged in tough padded wallets with Velcro'd closures and an identification window. The three-stops soft-cut grad measured at 2.8 stops actual density, and the two-stopper
exactly two stops. The colour was very neutral too, with both the three-stops soft-cut filter and the two-stops hard-cut rating 'excellent' – Lee Filters is the only brand on test here to score an illusive double. Sharpness was unafected and resistance to flare was good too.
True to form, Lee scores highest on everything – except value! What you're paying for is not just the high quality, but also the consistency from filter to filter, and from batch to batch.
Verdict
W
E HAVE TWO winners, one each in P-type and 100mm-type, and at both extremes of the price range. There are some very good filters here, and you don't need to spend a fortune to get high quality. As a caveat though, it has to be said that themanufacturing process for grads is a tricky one, and is achieved mostly by hand-dipping the filters in dye, so some slight batch variation is inevitable.
Lee Filters is our Best Buy in the larger 100mm format, with first class colour neutrality and general image quality. The Lee Filters holder is another highlight with its spring-loaded release catch and customisable slots. You can't really go wrong with Lee, but at considerable cost.
Kood is our Best Buy P-type. On this showing, Kood competes well for accurate colour and overall image quality, at bargain value prices, and it's only the plastic holder and budget storage provision that lowers the score for build quality. Not that there's anything wrong with cheap plastic holders, nothing at all, just that they're not as nice to use as the more expensive aluminium ones.
In our original five-way test, all the other brands had mixed fortunes, usually with one filter scoring well, but the other letting the side down with a wayward colour cast. This can be corrected in post-processing, but it's an extra task that shouldn't be necessary. It's well worth looking out for starter kits ofered by some manufacturers, with a handy cost saving. They include a filter holder and lens adapter ring, plus a small selection of popular grads.