Tiffen filters: I am on a limited budget but I want nd filters. Have been looking at a kit (3) by Tiffen for $119. It has .06, .09, 1.2, and they're glass. Has anyone had any...

nat Loc: Martha's Vineyard, MA

I am on a limited budget but I want nd filters. Have been looking at a kit (3) by Tiffen for $119. It has .06, .09, 1.2, and they're glass. Has anyone had any experience with these? If you stack them ( equals 9 stops), do you lose much image quality? I would like as high quality as possible on my budget. Thanks in advance.

OviedoPhotos

I have a set of incomplete Cokin filters. I broke two, slippery fingers. I now use Neewer 6 in 1 compatible with Cokin P Series holders. Screw on filters tend to vignetee when stacked.

jcboy3

nat wrote:

I am on a limited budget but I want nd filters. Have been looking at a kit (3) by Tiffen for $119. It has .06, .09, 1.2, and they're glass. Has anyone had any experience with these? If you stack them ( equals 9 stops), do you lose much image quality? I would like as high quality as possible on my budget. Thanks in advance.

Stacking filters provides a lot more reflective surfaces to lose contrast to. So don't expect the best IQ.

Be sure to white balance calibrate your filters; you can then back out any color cast in post.

nat Loc: Martha's Vineyard, MA

jcboy3 wrote:

Stacking filters provides a lot more reflective surfaces to lose contrast to. So don't expect the best IQ.

Be sure to white balance calibrate your filters; you can then back out any color cast in post.

Can you tell me how to white balance calibrate the filters, please? Or refer me to a website.

jcboy3

nat wrote:

Can you tell me how to white balance calibrate the filters, please? Or refer me to a website.

Set your camera WB to an appropriate fixed value (don't use AUTO). Shoot a WB target without and with the filter. Bring the images into your editing software and compare temp/tint values for the two images of the WB target; the difference between them is the color cast imparted by the filter. This difference can be used to adjust WB in the future.

nat Loc: Martha's Vineyard, MA

jcboy3 wrote:

Set your camera WB to an appropriate fixed value (don't use AUTO). Shoot a WB target without and with the filter. Bring the images into your editing software and compare temp/tint values for the two images of the WB target; the difference between them is the color cast imparted by the filter. This difference can be used to adjust WB in the future.

Thank you!

Jim Bob

nat wrote:

I am on a limited budget but I want nd filters. Have been looking at a kit (3) by Tiffen for $119. It has .06, .09, 1.2, and they're glass. Has anyone had any experience with these? If you stack them ( equals 9 stops), do you lose much image quality? I would like as high quality as possible on my budget. Thanks in advance.

Tiffin filters suck.

jcboy3

Jim Bob wrote:

Tiffin filters suck.

Cogent and perceptive.

I use Tiffen P series filters and they serve me well.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I prefer not to use Tiffen filters because of issues with construction and consistency. I much prefer B+W or Hoya lenses when I cannot use my Cokin filters. BUT there are filters out there that are much worse than Tiffen. I won't go into details regarding name brands with the exception of saying that the least reliable filter I've ever used was a Quantaray. On the other hand, I have seen Quantaray filters that were well made. I think the problem was that Ritz would buy any cheap second-run filters and have them branded Quantaray. However, as far as I know, Tiffen is made by a single manufacturer.

guitarbts Loc: Charlotte, NC

I use all Hoya with great success. Consider the outcome of cheap glass.

Nikonhermit Loc: In This Place

Jim Bob wrote:

Tiffin filters suck.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

nat wrote:

I am on a limited budget but I want nd filters. Have been looking at a kit (3) by Tiffen for $119. It has .06, .09, 1.2, and they're glass. Has anyone had any experience with these? If you stack them ( equals 9 stops), do you lose much image quality? I would like as high quality as possible on my budget. Thanks in advance.

Here's a review of 10-stops, which might give you some idea of brand quality. Stacking three Tiffen ND filters doesn't sound like a good idea if you want good quality images.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/10-Stop-Neutral-Density-Filter.aspx

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Jim Bob wrote:

Tiffin filters suck.

Don't agree. I have used a Tiffen 1-A Skylight. I can't tell the difference between shots with or without the filter.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Jim Bob wrote:

Tiffin filters suck.

The cheap ones do. There are quality levels in Tiffin as in some other brands. The cheap level competes against the $5 filters from China.

bruswen Loc: Eugene OR

nat wrote:

I am on a limited budget but I want nd filters. Have been looking at a kit (3) by Tiffen for $119. It has .06, .09, 1.2, and they're glass. Has anyone had any experience with these? If you stack them ( equals 9 stops), do you lose much image quality? I would like as high quality as possible on my budget. Thanks in advance.

You did not say what you plan to use the ND filters for, 9 stops is a lot of light reduction. Unless you have a particular need for that many stops, for most purposes you can just get one filter, say 4 stops, and use you ISO to approximate the effect of 2 and 3 stop filters. If you start with your ISO at 100 using a 4 stop filter, raising it to 200 would be equivalent to a 3 stop filter, raising it to 400 would be equivalent to a 2 stop filter. So, I recommend you get one high quality ND filter. Tiffen's best filter is the IRND series that they claim has no color cast. Buy a filter that will fit the biggest lens you own or plan to buy (for many people that is 77mm) and use step down rings to adapt it to your other lenses, that will save you lots of money in the long run.