Specifically I'm looking for a filter system that will fit a Sony 50-150 so a 95mm filter size. I'm interested in a UV filter for normal use(no need to debate UV filter use), variable ND and a 1/8 black mist. I started looking at Nisi and Freewell but there might be others in that size. The price seems pretty high but I guess if I can use them across all of my lenses it might be worth it.
I haven’t jumped on the magnetic filter bandwagon, as the filters I already own do the job perfectly. I got the top brands with Schott Glass, except for the Tiffen Pro Mist filter. Taking a moment to screw on a filter is not a problem for me.
I have the magnetic Nisi filters and really like them. The only downside is that you aren't able to use the lens hood. I recently used them on my Nikon 24-70 in Hawaii and they were great.
As I started looking at all the options, Maven stood out as the system I gelled with the most on paper. They were kind enough to agree to send me a pack for review, which I'm still working my way through, but I've liked the system so much that I've gone and bought my own in other sizes as well. I had been using Breakthrough NDs and I like the Mavens just as much, which impressed me. The CPL has gotten a ton of use in multiple sizes for me.
I have no issues using lens hoods with them either.
Now that I've used mag filters, it's tough to go back. That said, I ~love~ my Moment Cinebloom filters and Maven's diffusion filters don't come close, and of course the Cineblooms aren't magnetic, so I've had to adapt a bit of a Frankenstein's Monster setup where all the mag stuff screws to the Moment as if it is the lens.
rji2goleez wrote:
As more of a budget option, I chose the Freewell Mag v2 filters. I've been happy with their use and the lens covers are great.
Same here, just got the free well m2 magnetic set with UV, ND3/6/10 and CPL with magnetic ring and a really nice magnetic lens cap that came in a very very nice carry case in mint condition for 55$ plus tax & shipping ($75 total)
Totally fine set of filters in 82mm
I feel like it’s mostly! hype and marketing. Might want to test it out though, as some CPLs perform differently on different lenses.
I do have very expensive Singh Ray and breakthrough photography filters all in 77mm but don’t use them enough to warrant the price premium
Also just bought a set of various tiffen diffusion filters in 82 used but in new condition for 30% of retail , looking forward to testing them out - I don’t do enough PP to want to do the special effects in post. Got those mainly to “reduce” apparent sharpness of the GFX lenses
Also use Kase magnetic filters for 67mm, they work fine also
You can get a magnetic filter attachment ring to screw onto non-magnetic filters
Then get a magnetic lens attachment ring to mount onto the lens end
That combo makes any filter magnetic - just watch out for wide angle lenses that you don’t heavy vignetting on non-slim filters
Also, apparently breakthrough photography will update non-magnetic filters to make them magnetic. But that’s obv not a budget option
Remember that branding is what you pay for mostly w expensive filters - and filters have BY FAR the greatest margin on them - so all camera retailers will always push selling them
Magnetic filters are much more fun than screw in filters!!
Once you use magnetic ones - screwing those things in is such a nuisance - especially if you do want to switch filters .
p.1 #10 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
I have the Breakthrough Photography ones and love them. So much easier than the screw on ones. I also got their magnetic lens cap which is a plus when you don’t want to remove the filters.
p.1 #11 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
I am sticking with threaded filter because the magnetic ones are creating more problems than they solve.
The trouble with all mag systems I've tried isn't the filters themselves, but the adapters. You have to thread some kind of magnetic base onto you lens which the filters then cling to. Those adapters add stack height which can cause vignetting and they prevent the use of standard caps. The added stack increases vignetting. Magnetic caps are much heavier and less secure then physical snap caps. The mag caps often only attach directly to the adapters and cannot be stacked in front of a mag filter. So you have to remove and store any filter(s) before putting on the cap. Now, if the metal mag cap slips, it will hit the front glass because there's no filter in place.
My main use case for a mag filter is polarizing. But I found two huge problems with mag polarizers. First, you still need to only rotate the filter clockwise. Just like with a direct thread-on filter, rotating the polarizer counterclockwise can unthread the mag adapter. This is even worse than accidentally unthreading a filter alone because now you have two loose pieces in you hand rather than just one.
The second issue is that polarizers prevent using a hood. With a threaded filter, I can stick a finger through the hood access door and rotate the filter by pushing from one point. When I try that with a mag filter, it often dislodges the filter from the adapter. I can only seem to rotate the filter safely by grabbing it from two points which is not practical with a hood unless you reach in from the front.
p.1 #12 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
I'm happily using Kase Revolution filters and find the inlaid adapter with their mag filters to be similar in thickness to a screw in thread with no vignetting on wide lenses. The magnetic caps are much more secure than plastic OEM caps, in fact this was a big factor for me after losing several original caps when hiking. I think I managed to knock a magnetic cap off one time with a perfectly placed bump compared to many times having to fish through the brush to retrieve an original cap. And they are stackable over multiple filters. In fact to carry my filters, I have a stack with a front and back then drop in my pocket, another advantage vs. carrying a case. As long as I am not using a step up ring, I can use the original hood just like a screw-in. Regarding polarizers, I can't see any difference in use over a screw-in, either could loosen threads if you just keep turning.
p.1 #13 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
I'm a pretty happy Maven magnetic user. Been using them for 2 years.
Their adapters are a hair thicker than the Kase ones, so I use the Kase ones on certain lenses. The cross brand strength is a little weaker, but good enough. The Maven's don't work well with inlaid rings, either the Maven or Kase. The back of the filter doesn't seat fully into most lens openings.
But those are relatively minor given all the pros. Having 3 options for dark CPLs and the ability to create a VND (only used in a pinch) with the included PL in the dark CPL set, makes them very nice.
So I started with the minor knocks, since it's hard to definitively list all the things that just work well while using them.
p.1 #14 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
I like my magnetic filters much more than I ever liked fumbling around with screw-in filters, but I dread to think what the price for 95mm filters will be...
p.1 #15 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
johnvanr wrote:
I like my magnetic filters much more than I ever liked fumbling around with screw-in filters, but I dread to think what the price for 95mm filters will be...
Tell me about it...just picked up some NiSi JetMag Pro in 95mm to use on some of my larger lenses.
p.1 #16 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
tsdevine wrote:
Tell me about it...just picked up some NiSi JetMag Pro in 95mm to use on some of my larger lenses.
The JetMag Pro 95 seems like a great option. I can't decide if I should buy now while they're throwing in a free filter or wait until BF(or better yet find a used set). Nisi did release a new Pro lock ring that has a wider locked area and better visibility. They don't have a 95mm version yet but something to watch for.
p.1 #17 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
And then Freewell comes out with a new option that's much cheaper but doesn't have a variable ND. I think I'd be fine with solid NDs since 90% of my use will be still photos.
p.1 #19 · Any thoughts on magnetic filter systems?
stuuke wrote:
The JetMag Pro 95 seems like a great option. I can't decide if I should buy now while they're throwing in a free filter or wait until BF(or better yet find a used set). Nisi did release a new Pro lock ring that has a wider locked area and better visibility. They don't have a 95mm version yet but something to watch for.
Thanks, so far I've been very happy with the setup. Shot Ricketts glen with my GFX100S II and NiSi 16mm, GF20-35, and GF35-70 and the system worked well. I may pick up a few more things, expecting maybe a Labor Day sale after the free filter w/kit promotion ends on 8/31.
