REVIEWS
Looking to take creative control of your exposures? Then you’ll need one of these
Filters are particularly useful for getting the correct exposure in landscape photography, such as the image on the right. But if you’re looking to invest in a filter system, then purchasing a decent filter holder is essential – these make it quick and easy to change between individual filters, and you can also stack filters on top of each other. While they may seem cumbersome at first glance, square filter holder systems can be easier to use than a collection of screw-in circular filters, as you can switch between different-sized lenses.
Some types of filters work much better in a square system – for example, graduated Neutral Density filters, where the photographer needs the flexibility to be able to move the gradient up and down in the frame.
Here are four best-buy holders, some of which are available in kits.
Formatt Hitech Firecrest 100mm Holder Magnetic Kit
£175/$189
All the convenience of magnets with the flexibility of slots for square filters
UK-based Formatt Hitech isn’t the best-known filter brand, but the Firecrest 100mm Magnetic Holder is an update to the Firecrest 100mm Holder MKII, with a magnetic attachment making it easier to unscrew in the cold.
The Formatt Hitech Firecrest 100mm Magnetic Holder mounts onto a lens via a magnetic adapter. The supplied circular polariser is mounted via magnetic attraction, while the holder for square and rectangular filters is attached mechanically. Two magnetic adapters are supplied: one for lenses with an 86mm filter thread and one for an 82mm thread. There are also two step rings to allow the 86mm adapter to be mounted on lenses with 77mm or 72mm threads.
The holder body is made from aircraft-grade aluminium, while the filter guides are plastic. Slots enable two square/rectangular filters to be mounted, but an extra pair of guides enables up to three filters to be mounted. To prevent light from hitting filters from behind while mounted, two sets of covers can be slotted onto the top and bottom of the holder.
Unlike some filter holders, there’s no spring in the Firecrest 100mm Holder’s mounting mechanism and no satisfying snap as it clips into place. Square or rectangular filters can be slid into the filter guides without a polariser in place on the magnetic adapter ring – if you want to mount or remove the polariser, you have to remove the holder. There’s a fuzzy light seal around the inside edge of the holder and the provided covers also slot on to ensure no light gets in.
The ‘vented’ covers, which have a rectangular aperture to allow rectangular filters to pass through, a
