When I started this career as a filmmaker, I used to use basic and cheap filters like the brand Zomei which did the job for its price but it was not a professional one.
At the beginning I didn’t realize the importance of upgrading to a professional filter until I got the G-Master lenses for my Sony a7SIII. After that, I knew that I needed better filters because the current ones were ruining the images. For video purposes I most of the time use ND variable filters because the dynamic of the work is really fast filming documentaries.
However for photography I would prefer static filters. The main reason is because variable filters tend to add some vignettes on the corners but this for video it is not a big thing.
So far between my most professional filters I use the PolarPro 82mm Peter McKinnon Edition which costs literally a leg! but there is no doubt of its great performance. Not many people have the money to start from this and many times I wish I had more options in the middle range but I always had to choose between the cheapest and the most expensive. Especially in Peru between the cheapest!
Some days ago I had the chance to test the (SKU.1627) K&F Concept Magnetic Filter Kit. It was actually the first time that I tried a Magnetic filter in my career and I didn’t know exactly how it was going to work. I was surprised in a very good way! It is extremely easy to change from one to another filter really fast. There is no need to spend time screwing each one, which for photographers means a valuable time to not miss a great shoot! This is the thing I loved the most about these magnetic filters!
The package which is by the way very safe for the filters, comes with a magnetic ring and 3 types of filters. The UV, the CPL and the ND 1000.
However these filters can be used for videos, it is mainly for photography as you need to play a lot with the shutter speed, the aperture and ISO in order to get the correct exposure matching with the filter. As the dynamic of work for videos is different, in that case variable filters would suit better. Saying this, I hope K&F Concept can build ND Variable Magnetic filters for videographers soon!
So after a few shoots with the (SKU.1627) K&F Concept Magnetic Filter Kit, I can share my experience.
For start, on interior shoots I only tested the CPL type as the ND1000 was too strong for my shoots. What the CPL did was to eliminate some excessive brightness on my shoot and make the image more clear. For example in the image below, the container I put behind the glass can be seen better with the filter and this added some intensity to the colours in general.
On the test outside, it did a really good job without vignettes on the corners and added a smooth intensity to the colours so images look very realistic.
The only difference that I found in comparison with the PolarPro was the sharpness. I could say (SKU.1627) K&F Concept Magnetic Filter Kit reduces the sharpness by around 15% from the original shoot but it does a pretty good job and overall it costs like USD$100 less than the Polar Pro filter! Sometimes this can suit better for specific projects. Not all the time we want very sharp images. Below you can see the images I got on a cloudy day.
Another great advantage of these Magnetic Filter Kit is that you can use 2 or the 3 filters at the same time! They all are magnetic to each other! So on a bright day using all together can give you awesome results! Sadly these days Lima is very cloudy but I got this shoot from the ocean a few days ago.
So to end this as a happy ending, I have great news for you! To my followers and readers! If you buy the (SKU.1627) K&F Concept Magnetic Filter Kit using the following link https://bit.ly/30uWTcc and use the Coupon code KFPE10 , you will get a 10% discount!
I honestly can not be happier to give you this news and I hope this can help you to get better pictures!!
Stay tuned, more is coming soon!
Lizeth
Humana Films - Documentary Filmmaker & Fixer in Peru 