[Closed] STW Photographers, anyone here use Lee filters?

I don't bother with filters at all except a cheap-jack circular polariser which I got off FleaBay for £12.

I shoot in RAW, and post-process in Bridge and CS5.

I looked into this and ended up with a Lee filter holder and Hitech filters. Seemed the best price/quality ratio for me at the time. Not used Lee filters to compare to though.

I use Lee Filters. I wouldn't consider anything else.

Haven't compared using other systems myself but can spot that 'Cokin Cast' a mile off in other people's images.

If you're on a budget you can get away with a 2-stop (0.6) Hard ND Grad plus the holder and adaptor.

It is quality kit used by pros.

Here's some stuff I shot with my Lee Filters...

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=7972117@N05&q=lee%20filters

Edit: The polariser is v. expensive. I used a normal screw in Hoya one for a long time and screwed the filter holder into the polariser thread. The holder was slightly visible at VERY wide angles.

I got the Lee polariser holder a while back but bought a B+W polariser. Simply because the lens frame was a bit shallower. Still visible at very wide angles tho.

I used Hitech, but now use Lee (though still use the Hitech holder).

The Hitech filters, which are much better than cheap Cokin ones, still had some colour cast that I found more often than not difficult correct for. Doubly so if it's a dark ND Grad I'm using, as the cast obviously differs in different parts of the frame. With the exception of the Big Stopper, I've observed no colour cast with the Lee filters, and the big stopper is a quite easy to correct blueish hue.

Yes, Lee are expensive, but you get what you pay for IMO. Most professional landscape photographers I know wouldn't use anything else. As it's pretty likely they're also much more skilled in Photoshop than I am, have more time to perfect pictures in photoshop, and are probably much more critical about splashing their often meagre profits on gear, the fact that they all have no qualms on paying a lot for Lee over other brands speaks volumes.

As ever, YMMV, but I noticed a marked improvement in colour when trying a Lee and a Hitech side by side. It's doubly noticeable if using two filters e.g. ND for slow shutter, ND grad for the sky.

It is quality kit used by pros

Yeah just like all my camera gear 😉

I use Lee filters, the Pro lens hood , ND grads, polariser and the FL-D and CC gels. It's quality stuff and worth the money.
Wouldn't use the Cokin stuff, no idea about HiTech. I'm a photographer FWIW. (a real one, not somebody who calls themselves one but has another job)

a real one, not somebody who calls themselves one but has another job

Don't be so hard on yourself 😉

somebody who calls themselves one but has another job)

*waves*

grum - Member

somebody who calls themselves one but has another job)

*waves*

I brought a set of soft ND grads 15 months ago and TBH they've probably had about 3 hours of use.

Got them from [url= http://www.teamworkphoto.com/filters-c-1047_78_1116.html ]Teamwork in London[/url] and IIRC they thought the Hitechs were quite good.

Lee holder and Cokin Z-Pro ND grads here. If I was getting paid megabucks for my landscape photography, I might have another look at the Lee filters, but I doubt it - my Z-Pros must be six years old and remain scratch-free and I'm pretty sure there are no colour casts with the good Cokin stuff.

Also a real full time photographer, but landscaping is a mere hobby 😀

Thanks for all the posts and sorry for the delay replying.

Might bite the bullet and start with the grads.

Freester, amazing photographs, love how you have put them together

Used Lee and Cokin holder and mix of Hitech, Cokin an Lee Filters in the past.

Lee holder is excellent, well worth the money, wouldn't buy anything else. Hitech filters were also very good. There is a difference with Lee filters but I didn't find it significant in "real world" situations. Plenty of pro togs use Hitech filters and Lee Holder combo with good results.

Cokin...can't really comment, some were good, some were horrible. These were mostly left from when I used 35mm film. Wouldn't buy any again!

Used Lee's in the past and they were always really good, however had some Hitech's before hand and didn't notice any difference and you can't see the difference (personally) in the photos either.

Some of my photos taken with both :

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/msjharper/popular-interesting/

a real one, not somebody who calls themselves one but has another job

*swoons*

I'm a photographer FWIW. (a real one, not somebody who calls themselves one but has another job)

*Waves*

Hope you're better than the 'real one' that's done a deal with my son's gym club so that parents aren't allowed to take photographs of their own child (for 'Child Protection reasons' FFS) and then photographs all the children to sell the images and took £20 off my wife for the most crap B&W triptych I've ever seen.

I use B&W and Nikon, but do use Lee gels on my flashes.

Hope you're better than the 'real one' that's done a deal with my son's gym club so that parents aren't allowed to take photographs of their own child (for 'Child Protection reasons' FFS) and then photographs all the children to sell the images and took £20 off my wife for the most crap B&W triptych I've ever seen.

Possibly? But I don't have anything to do with the general public as they are on the whole visually unaware and pay peanuts. Everyone has a brother/sister/cousin/friend/john in accounts who has a camera so not interested in a market that doesn't really value people's skills and lack the ability to recognise quality.

All I'm trying to say is some of them togs who have another job are just as good as some of those togs who claim to be a proper one.