KeithAndrews.TV
Well-known member
I hadn't seen anyone thoroughly review these filter holders, or filters online, so I decided to write something up myself to help anyone else out there interested in this neat little system.
As with anything there are certain application where somethings work better than others, and for me I was looking for a quick, easy and cost effective way to use ND filters on the front of my lenses while shooting outdoors with my Canon 7D.
The Cokin filter holder system is a very inexpensive way to get into using filters for standard and creative purposes. There are a number of different sizes of filter holders and filters available, and typically depend on the size of lenses you are using as well as the size of filters you want to use.
The way the system works is very straight-forward and very effective. You start by choosing the size filter holder that will be large enough to cover the physical diameter of your largest lens and then choose the appropriate size adapter rings to attach to the lenses you want to use with the system. For most professional still photographers and videographers, the P Series should work just fine.
For lenses, I own the Canon EF-S 15-85, EF 50, and EF 70-200 lenses, all of which have different size front thread diameters. This would normally pose an expensive proposition for those looking to buy a filter like a polarizer, or neutral density, because you would have to own 3 different copies of each filter in order to use them on the different lenses. Not with the Cokin system. All you have to do is purchase the appropriate size adapter ring for each one of your lenses and then you will be able to use the one system and filter with every lens you own.
Now, the P Series filter holder with one adapter ring cost just a little more than $30, and like I said before, you only need one holder. Each additional adapter ring costs around $15. The ND filters which fit inside of the P Series holder cost less than $20. So, for my entire setup, which includes a standard P Series filter holder, a wide angle P Series filter holder, three adapter rings, ND .3, ND .6, and ND .9 filters, as well as a handy storage wallet (~$20) I spent right around $150 including shipping. Not too shabby. The wide angle holder is good for use with lenses below 20mm. I do not see any noticeable vignetting when using the wide angle filter holder with my EF-S 15-85 (24-136mm equivalent). Cokin also makes caps, hoods, and bellows that fit on the front of the holder.
As much as I would like to sit here all day and write about how great Cokin and their product line is, I do have one negative thing that I need to mention about the resin filters they produce for use with the holders. Before I get to that I do want to say that the resin filters have some very attractive characteristics about them including low cost, and durability. The resin filters are not glass, so they are light weight and will not shatter if you drop them. They are also very inexpensive, a relief in a world plagued by over-priced video accessories. All that being said, the filters are not perfect. My real world experiences and tests have shown that using the filters with long focal lengths, exactly what range I do not know, the images will suffer a slight loss of detail and what appears to be almost like a convergence issue with the light entering through the filter. They also have a slight purple, or magenta hue to them, so white balancing after placing the ND filters on is recommended. There may be some very slight loss of detail in general when using these resin filters, but from the wider shots I have taken, I do not notice a significant difference.
I have included some pictures with 100% crops demonstrating the issue. The images were all taken with the camera in full manual mode. I kept the aperture at f/8 and selected the appropriate shutter rate for proper exposure. There was no wind and I shot using a tripod, so there shouldn't be any influence from the exposure time difference. I let the camera auto focus once without the filter, took a picture and then switched the auto focus off for the following shot with the filter, so the focus should be identical between shots. I did not white balance between shots, this was to demonstrate the difference in hue when using the filters.
I was a little disappointed when I discovered this issue with the resin filters I own, but I am still very impressed with the system in general, as well as the total initial cost. I am going to be contacting Cokin to see if they have any explaination as to what I am experiencing with my ND filters, so look for my response very soon. In the meantime, there is one solution if you are not happy with the results you are getting from the Cokin resin filters, you can avoid them and spend the extra money on a higher optical quality glass filter from Cokin, Lee, or Tiffen. For those who are use to using 4" filters, you would be interested in the Z-Pro Series from Cokin. A bit more money, but will cover wider diameter lenses, and will use standard 4" filters.
For more information, you can visit the Cokin website:
http://cokin.com/ico15-A.html
Cokin Series P Filter Holder System with Resin ND Filters
Cokin Series P Filter Wallet
Difference in thickness between standard and wide angle filter holders
Canon EF 70-200mm with Cokin 77mm adapter ring
Canon EF 70-200mm with Cokin Series P Filter Holder and 0.9 ND
Canon EF-S 15-85mm with Cokin Series P Filter Holder and 0.9 ND
Photograph taken at 70mm, f/8, with no filters
Photograph taken at 70mm, f/8, with Cokin 0.9 ND
100% center crop of 70mm photograph with no filters
100% center crop of 70mm photograph with Cokin 0.9 ND
Photograph taken at 200mm, f/8, no filters
Photograph taken at 200mm, f/8, with Cokin 0.9 ND
100% center crop of 200mm photograph with no filters
100% center crop of 200mm photograph with Cokin 0.9 ND
As with anything there are certain application where somethings work better than others, and for me I was looking for a quick, easy and cost effective way to use ND filters on the front of my lenses while shooting outdoors with my Canon 7D.
The Cokin filter holder system is a very inexpensive way to get into using filters for standard and creative purposes. There are a number of different sizes of filter holders and filters available, and typically depend on the size of lenses you are using as well as the size of filters you want to use.
The way the system works is very straight-forward and very effective. You start by choosing the size filter holder that will be large enough to cover the physical diameter of your largest lens and then choose the appropriate size adapter rings to attach to the lenses you want to use with the system. For most professional still photographers and videographers, the P Series should work just fine.
For lenses, I own the Canon EF-S 15-85, EF 50, and EF 70-200 lenses, all of which have different size front thread diameters. This would normally pose an expensive proposition for those looking to buy a filter like a polarizer, or neutral density, because you would have to own 3 different copies of each filter in order to use them on the different lenses. Not with the Cokin system. All you have to do is purchase the appropriate size adapter ring for each one of your lenses and then you will be able to use the one system and filter with every lens you own.
Now, the P Series filter holder with one adapter ring cost just a little more than $30, and like I said before, you only need one holder. Each additional adapter ring costs around $15. The ND filters which fit inside of the P Series holder cost less than $20. So, for my entire setup, which includes a standard P Series filter holder, a wide angle P Series filter holder, three adapter rings, ND .3, ND .6, and ND .9 filters, as well as a handy storage wallet (~$20) I spent right around $150 including shipping. Not too shabby. The wide angle holder is good for use with lenses below 20mm. I do not see any noticeable vignetting when using the wide angle filter holder with my EF-S 15-85 (24-136mm equivalent). Cokin also makes caps, hoods, and bellows that fit on the front of the holder.
As much as I would like to sit here all day and write about how great Cokin and their product line is, I do have one negative thing that I need to mention about the resin filters they produce for use with the holders. Before I get to that I do want to say that the resin filters have some very attractive characteristics about them including low cost, and durability. The resin filters are not glass, so they are light weight and will not shatter if you drop them. They are also very inexpensive, a relief in a world plagued by over-priced video accessories. All that being said, the filters are not perfect. My real world experiences and tests have shown that using the filters with long focal lengths, exactly what range I do not know, the images will suffer a slight loss of detail and what appears to be almost like a convergence issue with the light entering through the filter. They also have a slight purple, or magenta hue to them, so white balancing after placing the ND filters on is recommended. There may be some very slight loss of detail in general when using these resin filters, but from the wider shots I have taken, I do not notice a significant difference.
I have included some pictures with 100% crops demonstrating the issue. The images were all taken with the camera in full manual mode. I kept the aperture at f/8 and selected the appropriate shutter rate for proper exposure. There was no wind and I shot using a tripod, so there shouldn't be any influence from the exposure time difference. I let the camera auto focus once without the filter, took a picture and then switched the auto focus off for the following shot with the filter, so the focus should be identical between shots. I did not white balance between shots, this was to demonstrate the difference in hue when using the filters.
I was a little disappointed when I discovered this issue with the resin filters I own, but I am still very impressed with the system in general, as well as the total initial cost. I am going to be contacting Cokin to see if they have any explaination as to what I am experiencing with my ND filters, so look for my response very soon. In the meantime, there is one solution if you are not happy with the results you are getting from the Cokin resin filters, you can avoid them and spend the extra money on a higher optical quality glass filter from Cokin, Lee, or Tiffen. For those who are use to using 4" filters, you would be interested in the Z-Pro Series from Cokin. A bit more money, but will cover wider diameter lenses, and will use standard 4" filters.
For more information, you can visit the Cokin website:
http://cokin.com/ico15-A.html
Cokin Series P Filter Holder System with Resin ND Filters
Cokin Series P Filter Wallet
Difference in thickness between standard and wide angle filter holders
Canon EF 70-200mm with Cokin 77mm adapter ring
Canon EF 70-200mm with Cokin Series P Filter Holder and 0.9 ND
Canon EF-S 15-85mm with Cokin Series P Filter Holder and 0.9 ND
Photograph taken at 70mm, f/8, with no filters
Photograph taken at 70mm, f/8, with Cokin 0.9 ND
100% center crop of 70mm photograph with no filters
100% center crop of 70mm photograph with Cokin 0.9 ND
Photograph taken at 200mm, f/8, no filters
Photograph taken at 200mm, f/8, with Cokin 0.9 ND
100% center crop of 200mm photograph with no filters
100% center crop of 200mm photograph with Cokin 0.9 ND
