# Lee Filters for Wideangel



## LifeAfter (Jul 14, 2013)

Hello guys,

I'm looking to purchase the lee filter system and am confused about what i need.
I'd like to use it mostely with the 16-35 II, so i certainly need a 82mm wideangel adapter.

What i'm confused is that i don't know what i need as a holder, there are some sets available like:

Lee Professional Set,
Foundation Kit,
Lee 100mm push on holder (for the ultra wide-angle, large and medium format photography)

And i suppose the filters are 100-150mm!?

Your help is really appreciated.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 14, 2013)

The Foundation Kit (not the slip-on), the 82mm wide angle adapter ring, and 4" square (ND, big stopper) or 4x6" grad NDs.


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## J.R. (Jul 14, 2013)

Good decision and good luck with getting the LEE filter components. They are hardly every in stock and sell extremely quickly when they are. It took me more than 8 months to complete my kit piece by piece and am still missing the Circular CPL. 

The ND-Grad filters are available in sizes of 100-150mm while the Big Stopper, ND filters and drop-in CPL are 4X4" square filters. All my filters work fine (except when multiple filters are stacked) with the 24-70 II so you should be OK with the filters on the 16-35II. 

The LEE professional kit is nothing but two foundation kits attached via a tandem adapter (sold separately - expensive for a flimsy piece of plastic). The professional kit is useful if you want to use more than one filter where you need different placement / rotation for each filter. 

I'm not sure that the "Professional Kit" is sold as such anywhere. Personally, I purchased two foundation kits and the tandem adapter to upgrade to the "professional" kit.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 14, 2013)

The two holders with tandem adapter is usually used with a grad ND and a CPL. An alternative with a single holder is to put the Lee screw-in filter adapter in the outer slot, and attach a 105mm (round) CPL.


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## J.R. (Jul 14, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> The two holders with tandem adapter is usually used with a grad ND and a CPL. An alternative with a single holder is to put the Lee screw-in filter adapter in the outer slot, *and attach a 105mm (round) CPL*.



I wish it were in stock ... Been waiting for over 3 months now!


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## LifeAfter (Jul 14, 2013)

Thank you Neuro and J.R. 

Ehat i 'll need is the ability to put a ND filter + a grad one
And of course often a polarizer.


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## J.R. (Jul 14, 2013)

LifeAfter said:


> Thank you Neuro and J.R.
> 
> Ehat i 'll need is the ability to put a ND filter + a grad one
> And of course often a polarizer.



ND+Grad is perfectly doable with the foundation kit. For a polariser, if you go in for a 4x4 square drop in filter, get another foundation kit + the tandem adapter, otherwise, get a circular 105mm CPL + attachment. 

Neuro ... which 105mm CPL are you using? I've been thinking of getting the B+W CPL, how would you rate it ... Heliopan is beyond my budget for a CPL.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 14, 2013)

J.R. said:


> Neuro ... which 105mm CPL are you using? I've been thinking of getting the B+W CPL, how would you rate it ... Heliopan is beyond my budget for a CPL.



I don't have a 105mm CPL (yet), but I have the B+W Käsemann CPL in 77mm and 82mm, and I'd almost certainly get it in 105mm, too.


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## LifeAfter (Jul 14, 2013)

Do you guys know if we can put a circular polarizer
before putting the Lee filter holder?


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 14, 2013)

LifeAfter said:


> Do you guys know if we can put a circular polarizer
> before putting the Lee filter holder?



It's physically possible, assuming your CPL has front threads (my Slim mounts don't) - screw CPL on lens, then Lee adapter ring, then holder. Fine if you're using a solid ND, but with a grad ND you'll be rotating the horizon line on the filter as you change polarization and it's unlikely you'll get both where you want them at the same time.


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## LifeAfter (Jul 15, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> LifeAfter said:
> 
> 
> > Do you guys know if we can put a circular polarizer
> ...



Thanks Neuro.


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## Stu_bert (Jul 15, 2013)

Just one addition, if you use the CPL from Lee with their filter adapter, then you get significant vignetting at about 19-20mm on a FF camera. To date, they alas have no solution 

Putting it before may work - I prefer the flexibility of the Lee method, with the aforementioned limitation - but just make sure you check if you go the "attach to lens" route as some of the CPL with threads can also cause vignetting


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## Vossie (Jul 15, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> LifeAfter said:
> 
> 
> > Do you guys know if we can put a circular polarizer
> ...



One should not worry too much about a rotating horizon as the filter holder can be rotated freely on the adaptor ring (and this rotation is independent of a CPL that is behind it (although rotating the CPL will be difficult due to the access).

Lee recommends against putting a CPL behind the filter holder as their (polyester) filters interfere with the rotational direction of the light (and therefore the light should be polarized first before it passes through the other filters). I have the Lee filter system with the 105 CPL. My filterholder has 2 filter positions (removed 1) with the Polariser adapter on top of that. With the 16-35 their is substantial vignetting; the Lee CPL is very thick (12 mm, excluding the threads). Other CPLs such as the B+W KSM XS-Pro are way thinner. Due to this vignetting, you cannot go much wider than 19 or 20 mm (even when using the 82mm wide adapter). 

With 1 less filter position, you can probably go a bit wider, but I prefer to have at least 2 (1 ND or bigstopper and 1 for an ND grad).

This really is a limitation of the Lee CPL filter and I therefore do not use it much (and its very expensive, ~235 EUR in EU). For grad ND's the Lee system is really very good and versatile.


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## Meh (Jul 18, 2013)

A little off topic... 

How much better are the LEE glass ND filters compared to the resin filters?

Are the LEE lens hoods meant to be an accessory to the foundation kit or are the hoods a separate system?

Thanks.


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## BozillaNZ (Jul 18, 2013)

Glass ND's are multi-coated. That alone would worth the cost. When you stack multiple filters as you do in landscape shot, the reflection between filters are the worst offender to cause flaring

But I'm not sure if I can uderstand the topic, wideangel... that must be some special angel isn't it?


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