What company makes good filters?

[mike_smith54]

I'm looking to purchase some filters for my camera and I'm not too sure what

company produces good quality filters. I was looking at Quantaray filters

because they seem to be fairly inexpensive compared to some other brands, but

noticed they have gotten mixed reviews from people, but I also heard they were

made by Hoya. Anyone have any experience with Quantaray filters? Any

recommendations on a brands?

[peterlyons]

The filters you'll see most often recommended by pros will be high quality and high price.

Have a look at Singh-Ray and B+W.

 

Quantaray is made for... Wolf?... by some other manufacturer, I believe.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Heliopan, B+W, Tiffen, Nikon, Hoya, Lee, Hitech, and Singh-Ray.

 

There's a reason why Quantaray's a re cheaper than these brands, but I'll let you figure it out.

[Michael R Freeman]

Quantaray filters may or may not be made by Hoya. Even if they are, you can bet that they will *not* be the top quality Hoya filters (Hoya makes a very cheap line (green label) of uncoated filters). As Ellis notes, there's a reason they're cheaper. Quantaray is a "house brand", and as such it's usually sourced from the cheapest supplier that the retailer can find so that the store can make the maximum margin on a sale. Some of them may be quite good, but they may also be crap and there is no way to really tell without buying and trying because you don't really know who made it (and a filter salesman is the LAST place to get that information).

 

Your best options are probably Hoya (HMC, S-HMC, Pro 1), B+W (MRC is best) and Nikon (although they have pretty much discontinued their entire line except for polarizers and NC filters). Heliopan's are also nice - alas their USA distributer is not, and I will NEVER buy another.

[bob_gentile]

If you don't want to lay out the big bucks (B+W, Heliopan...), then consider sticking with Tiffen and Hoya.

[mike_smith54]

Actually looking carefully at the Ritz website, I noticed their filters are made by Marumi Optical Co...

[justinblack]

For polarizers, graduated neutral density filters, and variable density filters, I love Singh-Ray.

They make fantastic stuff. For more basic screw-in filters (warming, black & white, etc.) I have

always found Hoya's HMC line to be excellent and reasonable. B+W and Heliopan are

excellent too, but they tend to be expensive and heavy.

 

As for Quantaray, I don't know what their quality is like now, but back when I worked for a

Ritz Camera in high school (late 1980s), their house brand accessories were cheap but

dismal. The filters in particular weren't put together very well, and I saw a few of them

separate from the metal ring.

[jacob_brown]

I always liked Helopan (essentially the same as B+W, but I always was pleased with Heliopan's quality) but finally decided that the only advantage they had over the mid-line and high-end Hoya filters were the brass rings.

 

Here's a thread from several years ago with the general consensus that one should avoid Quantary if possible. (I see that Ellis has mellowed in the intervening years.)

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000nwT

[jim_doty]

Long, long ago in a galaxy far away I bought a cheap polarizing filter. I put it on a telephoto zoom lens and couldn't find a point of sharp focus. Lesson learned, I bought a better brand of filter.

 

More recently I've bought el-cheapo filters in various brands out of bargain bins at camera stores. I loaned them out to students in my photography classes (along with filters in better brands). It didn't take most of the students much time to figure out the difference. Cheap isn't just about labels on the filter ring. We aren't talking designer label clothes here. There is a real difference in quality.

 

The list Ellis posted is a good list of medium to high quality filter brands. Hoya and Tiffen filters are good and more expensive brands are better.

 

Jim

[alex_lofquist]

I recently bought a 77mm multicoated C P from Filterhouse. It was labelled Kenko. It was about $100 from them as compared to about $150 from other mail order sources. It seems to be of top quality.

[hjoseph7]

Quantaray filters = Brrrrr, hic hic , Brrrrrr, hmmmm

[pevelg]

This is somewhat of topic, but what type of filter do I need to make just half the picture darker. I use a Bessa R3M with a Nokton 40mm (43 mm filter). I have a UV filter from B+W, so I figured I'd stay with that brand. Is it a nuetral density filter or a polarizer? What is difference between circular and linear polarizers?

[todd_evans]

The Quantaray filters in the blue boxes are low quality, budget filters. The more expensive Quantaray DMC filters in the RED boxes are multi coated Hoya filters, made in Japan. I'm looking at one right now, and it appears to be very nicely made. I have several of them.

 

Believe it or don't. : )

[jim_doty]

Pavel,

 

Too darken half the image, you need a split neutral density filter, also called a graduated neutral density filter, also called a gray graduated filter. They vary in how dark the neutral density side of the filter is (usually one, two or three stops), and in how gradual the gradation is between the clear part of the filter and the neutral density section.

 

Many older cameras can use a linear polarizing filter. Many newer cameras, for a variety of technical reasons, can't meter accurately (or autofocus) through a linear polarizing filter so you need a circular polarizing filter. The difference is in how they work, not the physical shape of the filter.

 

Your camera manual will tell you if you need to use a circular polarizing filter.

 

Jim