As some of you may remember from various rants over the years, I love me a good Nikon camera, but I've been shooting mainly Sony for many years (I tried Nikon Z6 and Z7 but AF etc wasn't what I needed at that time), but I recently had an opportunity to pick up a Z6 III + Z 24-120/4 and Z 40/2 for a killer price, so I decided to dip my toe in the Nikon camp again.
I will be happy to share my observations of shooting Nikon body with these two lenses again in another thread (it has been really great and fun) but the question at hand: I got some filters for the two lenses, I didn't want to overspend, so I got some UV filters via Amazon.fr from K&F Concept, and step up rings to use 82mm variable ND and also a polar filter. On both lenses, filters have gotten stuck really badly (but I managed to get them off).
The weather hasn't been cold, and the lenses were stuck at home, so temperature differences cannot account for the issue. I've used K&F Concept before on my Sony lenses, and I've never had any problems (but then again, I haven't really used step-up rings and variable ND filter before, something new I'm trying).
Either K&F Concept filters have some crappy tolerances, or I've been unlucky with these filters (I mean, it is via Amazon.fr, you can never be 100% sure accessories like these are even original). Or it could be that K&F aluminum filter thread doesn't gel well with Nikon Z mount lenses, and I should stick to brass filters like B+W, or find some type of magnet solution?
A) Has anyone encountered this problem before?
B) What type of filters are you successfully using for your Nikon lenses?
C) Any recs for a good value variable ND filter system? I am far from a pro on video, just dabbling, so I don't feel like dropping $500on some pro-grade NiSi filter.
I use mostly Heliopan, Zeiss and B+W filters on everything. Some Hoya filters are very good also, but they make so many different versions and names change so you don't always know if you are getting the good, bad, or ugly.
The vast majority of Nikon lenses don't need any particular filters that you would not use on Sony lenses. Good filters are useable for many years so cheaping out will cost more in the long run in dissatisfaction and replacements.
I don't think the lens brand has anything to do with sticking filters. Filters with brass rings are less prone to sticking than aluminum. ASAIC, you're wasting your money on UV filters.
I buy used B&W UV's, put them on the lens and forget about it. I've been shooting film and digital since the mid 70's and have never had so much as a scratch on any filter. So, I really didn't need any of them but they just make me feel better.
LostLensCap wrote:
I buy used B&W UV's, put them on the lens and forget about it. I've been shooting film and digital since the mid 70's and have never had so much as a scratch on any filter. So, I really didn't need any of them but they just make me feel better.
I have filters and lens hoods on my lenses and had some of filters damaged by scratches to metal parts, sand, liquid splashes that somehow left stains on the glass. I mostly care about lens protection and ease of cleaning. B&W all the way for me. I have a few K&F Concept filters, they worked fine for me so far.
I use various brand-name filters, including Nikon, Zeiss, Rodenstock, NiSi, B+W, Tiffen, Heliopan, and Hoya, as well as Heliopan adapter/step-up rings in various sizes made of brass.
These range from CPL filters and ND filters in various strengths to Natural Night/Light Pollution filters, IR filters, and even Black Mist filters.
I only had one instance where a filter was stuck.
However, I quickly solved this by simply screwing a second filter of the same diameter onto the first filter.
This provides a wider surface area for sufficient leverage, especially if the filter rim is very thin only a slight rotational effect can be achieved.
However, this can always be solved by scrubbing on another filter.
Otherwise, brass is preferable for this reason.
I picked up an inexpensive used "K&F Concept Variable Pro ND8-ND2000 82mm" when I got my Z8. After that I tried Tiffen, Schneider, and B+W variable ND's and all of them had the same degree of yellow-green color shift, so I kept the inexpensive K&H one.
For protection, Nikon NC or B+W 007.
By "protection", I refer to flying debris, greasy fingerprints, and also the time I fell forward when a soft dirt slope gave way under my feet, and the 112mm B+W 007 filter collided with a small rock when I hit the ground. Permanent small scratch on the filter, not the front element of the lens.
The 112mm B+W 007 I got for my Z 14-24 lens is noticeably heavier and has substantially thicker glass than the various K&F, Haida, Ciaro budget brand 112mm filters I've seen.
Perhaps I should mention that there were zero issues with installing and using the UV protection filters from K&F Concept, the problem occurred when I tried to use step-up rings to the VND filter I bought. In one case, the filter got stuck on the step-up ring; on the other, the 52mm I had installed got stuck on the Z 40/2 after having installed and removed the step-up ring.
Perhaps worth investing in step-up rings made out of brass? I agree that B+W filters are definitely a class (or two) above, it is what I always used on my Leica M lenses.
The idea of installing two filters on top of each other for more leverage is a solid one, but in the case of the 52mm and 77mm I only have 1 filter in each size.
I guess I'll keep tinkering a bit. I'm not really sure how much I'll use these filters anyhow because I'm not a big video or landscape shooter, but I found it strange as this has never happened to me before.
Oh well, it is not an end of the world problem to have, I was just a bit surprised. Perhaps the step-up rings/filters "break in" a bit with time. I'm sure I'd have a smoother experience if I spent 2-4x the money, but for now, this will have to work. I'll also make sure not to screw the extra filters on too tightly.
Always use brass filters and stepping rings which should minimize the issue. That said I use magnetic Kase filters when needed which isn’t often for me.
I've been using K&F Concept magnetic filter system for a few years now. I haven't had any issues with them. I use the C-PL filter the most and love how easy it is to put on and remove. Some examples below.
Nikon Z6iii with Nikon 24-200mm Z and the K&F Concept magnetic C-PL:
Nikon Zf with Viltro 20mm f/2.8 and K&F Concept magnetic C-PL and magnetic variable ND:
Nikon Z6iii with Nikon 24-200mm and K&F Concept magnetic C-PL:
