Swayne

Today high quality lenses cost a lot of money. Mostly because they are sharper and faster than the film days, because of advanced technology. I would not use a 1980's Cokin filter over my glass and loose its sharpness. I think a high quality screw on filter is a better way to go if you need a filter. Quality images begin in your camera not in post production is my way of thinking.

nancyab Loc: Enfield, CT, USA

Actually, I've been wondering the same thing. I have quite a few from my film photography days. I may resurrect them to see what I can use.

Crwiwy Loc: Devon UK

They work OK but many are rather redundant now. Ones probably worth keeping are graduated grey, Neutral Density and Circular Polarizer. You may find some of the special effects of use - in this case quality probably isn't an issue as you are distorting the image anyway.

I purchased some new rings over a year ago - luckily cheap Chinese ones from EBay - to fit my DSLR lens but have not used them yet.

If you did find them of particular use and wanted something better then higher quality filters such as Lee will fit the same mount.

Tom47 Loc: Gettysburg, PA

I have use Cokin over the years. The star burst and ND's mostly. I do not use them that often.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Jim,

I still have several Cokin filters from the old Oly OM-4 days, they work just fine with my Canon EOS digital camera. The only new attachment I had to purchase for the Cokin system was an adapter ring to fit the 58mm objective lens on Canon.

With digital PP I now use only 3 Cokin filters; a CP filter, Graduated ND filter, and occasionally a red CP filter for monochrome work. All the rest of the older filters are resting in a box because PP now replaces the use of special effects with film type filters.

Visually the old film was a photon sensor, very similar to the modern digital sensor. The filters work the same, they affect light before light reaches the sensors. I would not worry about any question concerning filter quality, lens quality, over the past decades of photography. The optical lens quality was very good in the 1980s, as it is today. Light transmission through a lens assembly may have improved, but that does not always equate to image quality.

Another thought I uncovered in this thread, it may have been a typo, mentioned the adaptability of the current filters to the new lens. All filters, and their adapter rings are measured by the diameter of the objective lens element, not by the focal length of the lens. If your lens assembly is a 70 - 300mm, and has a 58mm diameter objective lens element, the Cokin "P" system will fit.

Michael G

Carl 383 Loc: Southampton UK

All this talk of using filters has encouraged me to purchase a Zomei filter kit - the same size as Cokin Z / Lee filters, taking 100mm x 100mm filters and graduated in the 100mm x 145mm range.
I also decided to get a series of infrared filters in an 82mm size.
This will mean I can use all my filters on my Sigma 10-20mm f2.8 which has a filter size of 82mm and then with step down adapters on the rest of my lenses.
Now I just need to suggest to my wife that she needs to purchase a new pair of shoes - as she says "You can never have too many shoes" and my standard reply is "And you can never have too much photographic kit"
Win, win. :)

jerk Loc: Hell

Jim, when I got a dslr and looked around me and saw stuff like cokin filters and bellows and other stuff left over from film, I sat down one day and put them on my dslr and used them to see if it was something I might like to do and/or benefit from. Please feel free to do as I did. You won't gain much by asking 55,000 people what they do unless they all want to do what you do. Just go for it and you'll find out if there's any value in it. It won't take all that long for you to find out what's valid and what isn't then you can tell all these other people who cannot not tell you because they don't know what you like. For instance, if you have a filter that turns the world into a peppermint stick you may be the only one who would like that. You might also be the world's leading authority on it as well. Just go for it Jim. I guarantee it won't hurt a thing. Just take a deep breath, stick your neck out there, and just GO FOR IT!!! You don't need permission.

rocketride Loc: Upstate NY

I have the good fortune that I was already using large-diameter wide angle lenses in my film days, so I already had the Pro series fittings. Now I mainly use ND and Graduated filters. Most of the other things I used filters for can be done in post-processing. And, unlike with using color filters, you don't actually prevent light from reaching the sensor and thereby lose information. So you can try different things with the image.

rbfanman

I don't have any at the moment, so I haven't tried them. Even so...light is light, so they should work fine.

creativ simon Loc: Coulsdon, South London

Have loads and still using them, no problem

creativ simon Loc: Coulsdon, South London

:thumbup: :thumbup:

creativ simon Loc: Coulsdon, South London

Yes

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The Cokin P filter holder is made for filter threads up to 82mm, so you're fine. P works with 82mm!

Carl 383 Loc: Southampton UK

"Peppermint stick" - Mmmm.

Carl 383 Loc: Southampton UK

Just building in a little "Lee" way.