- Nisi V5 Pro.
- LEE Foundation Holder.
- Formatt Hitech Firecrest Holder.
I hope this “review” of my decision process and my subsequent findings/opinions of my chosen filter system are of use to some other photographers out there who are approaching these sorts of potential decisions. I am by all standards, very much an amateur, who still has a lot to learn about taking landscape photographs. As much as any photographer never actually stops learning, I am still right at the very beginning of that learning curve and hope this serves as use and encouragement to other non pro/wizard types out there thinking of “stepping things up” with their kit. The below all came about through frustration at screw in filters that I was using whilst knowing there was much better solutions out there.
So, why Nisi?….
I almost bought the Formatt Hitech Firecrest system at first because I thought it seemed like a superb design and a good advancement from the LEE system. The more I researched the Firecrest holder and more specifically, the more I read about its use in the field, the more I was put off. This is mainly because I live in the Highlands of Scotland and it is very cold here at all times other than that one week we *might* get in May/June (we shall call this, “The Summer”, for ease of understanding). I did not fancy fiddling and fumbling around with the end caps for the Firecrest holder in the field which seemed such a small deal, but when you think about it, it really isn’t and it’s a major part of what you will be doing with your filter system each and every time you use it. Cold hands, gale force winds and little bits of plastic to clip/unclip do not mix. That ruled out the Firecrest holder, which was a shame, because I like Formatt kit and thought the included polariser looked superb.
Next, I almost just abandoned the whole research and decision making dilemma by just buying what everyone else in the world seems to use….. LEE foundation kit and its subsequent micro purchases to eventually arrive at full LEE filter system. It’s simply too expensive for what it is now. I know the LEE system is solid, robust and has valid reason as to why the vast majority of photographers use it. But it just seems the other holders on the market are trying to advance the filter holder and even make things easier in the first place when it comes to purchasing. I also really do not like the excessive blue colour cast the Big Stopper gives and an ND1000 was a big thing for me with my decision, so I was already favouring the alternative ND1000’s over the Big Stopper.
On that note, this is a superb tool by Tim Parkin that you can use to directly compare the various brands of 10stop ND’s. Simply click on one brand on the left underneath the image, and then on the brand you’d like to compare it with on the right – https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2017/07/nd-filters/
So we come to Nisi and its V5 Pro system. For me it ticked the boxes of being an easy purchase with the necessary rings and polariser all included in the single purchase. It’s also cheaper than the tallied up parts of the LEE system. The new Nisi landscape polariser and the Nisi IRND1000 filter had some fantastic write-ups so it just seemed like the perfect system for me and what I was looking for.
Phil Norton – http://www.philnortonphotography.co.uk/
Yes, Phil is a Nisi ambassador and yes, he is an incredible photographer. But he also put my mind to rest on my decision to go with the V5 system and for that I was very thankful.
I rang Phil as he was mid-way to Dorset to do a coastal shoot. Of course I was an absolute pain in the backside as I was going to the Isle of Skye on the Sunday and decided I was desperate to get the V5 system and give it a trial run. This was on the Friday morning…. Phil was half way to Dorset…. You can see the glaring problem there but it was no drama to Phil. He contacted his wife and asked her (very nicely!) to package up my order and had it sent special delivery so it got to me on the Saturday before we left for Skye. He even chucked in the Nisi lens cap and cleaning cloth free of charge and didn’t charge me any extra for delivery/the hassle. You will not get better service than that, so if you take one thing away from my ramblings, it should be that if you want to purchase Nisi gear, Phil is the man! He has great knowledge and first hand experience of all these filter systems so is well placed to give advice and opinion on the matter.
The V5-Pro Filter Holder/Adapter Rings & Landscape Polariser
I purchased the V5-Pro with Landscape Polariser – http://www.philnortonphotography.co.uk/_photo_14472690.html
The holder and all parts come in a solid brown leather storage case which is very high quality. You get everything you need in this kit, so long as the lenses you will use with the holder are 67mm,72mm or 77mm threaded. Personally, my lenses are 77mm threaded, so I used the included 77mm to 82mm step up ring and I could then screw on the ring with polariser inside to the front of my lens. The 3 filter holder can then simply slot onto the ring holder on the front of your lens by using the metal tab. Polarising adjustments can be made with all your filters mounted by using the geared micro adjustment wheels on the side of the ring holder. This is very neat and gives great precision when adjusting the polariser.
The filter holder feels very sturdy and solid when clipped onto the mounting ring. There is no chance of this wobbling or falling off during use (during my research I unfortunately read a few guys worried how loose the Firecrest holder was when fitted and worse, someone knocked it off easily resulting in quite a bit of damage. Not something I would ever want to worry about!)
The Nisi lens cap that Phil included for me means I can leave the polariser and ring attached to the lens and protect it. The normal lens cap will of course no longer fit with the ring and polariser mounted so this is a simple solution to use the Nisi lens cap to save having to remove and re-fit the ring/polariser between use.
The 100x100mm Nisi IRND1000
I purchased the 10 stop Neutral Density filter –
http://www.philnortonphotography.co.uk/_photo_14472685.html
The reviews on this filter were stand out and coupled with the research by Time Parkin (https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2017/07/nd-filters/) I knew I had to have this filter. The examples I seen showed that there was just absolutely no colour cast and I could not wait to shoot with this little piece of glass.
It comes with its own brown leather pouch which oozes nearly as much quality as the filter itself does. This is a seriously high standard piece of glass but time will tell if the slim foam gaskets (to prevent light leakage with long exposures) stand the test of time. The ND certainly fits very smoothly and is solid in the V5 holder. The rails are perfect and nowhere near “too tight” for inserting filters. I believe tight rails was a previous issue with the V5 that Nisi have addressed. I certainly do not have that complaint with mine.
Here is the result of my first ever image taken with the Nisi IRND1000 along with the Landscape Polariser:
Exposure time = 104s @ F9.0 & ISO 100
Grads & Plans
I mentioned earlier in the review that I was torn between practicality and price being my main priority with my decision on a filter system. My compromise on this was to get the filter system I really wanted but go cheaper on the graduated filters so that I could do some trial and error learning. Further down the line I could then buy the grads that I really wanted.
The filter holder and the ND ended up being a relatively easy decision in the end but when it comes to grads, I am as open to the Firecrest Ultra’s as I am to the Nisi grads. Like I say, I am purely an amateur and I seriously have no loyalties to a specific brand. I just want the best tool for the job within my budget.
I lucked out on some pre-owned but brand new Formatt Hitech resin soft edge grads 1-3stops (0.3, 0.6 & 0.9). I got these super cheap and I was very pleased at my purchase as I am really enjoying learning with these grads and I cannot fault them. The Formatt kit is really great quality.
Here is an image I took of the Old Man of Storr at sunrise on the Isle of Skye. This was taken with the V5-Pro with Nisi Landscape Polariser and a Formatt Hitech 0.6 SE Grad:
The end game, as it stands for me, will be to replace the Hitech resin grads with 2 and 3 stop IR coated glass variants as well as buying a 3 or 4 stop Nisi IRND. I also really do want a reverse grad as well, but I am already getting way ahead of myself in the affordability side of things!
Conclusion
The Nisi V5-Pro and the Nisi IRND1000 are outstanding pieces of kit. I have absolutely no regrets in going with my choice of filter system and ND. I have no reservations what so ever in recommending them to others and especially those that are considering a square filter kit or are using screw in filters and wanting to step it up to the next level.
The Nisi holder system is no less accessible to newbies (like me!) as it is to professionals.
The price involved with investing in a filter system is a lot, let’s not pretend about that, but with that being my main personal worry when first splashing the cash, I can confirm I am in no way regretting anything about purchasing a “proper” filter system.
I am enjoying trying new things with filters and especially enjoying the learning process. If it brings me enjoyment and encourages me to take more pictures then it has been worth every penny spent.
Thanks to Phil Norton (http://www.philnortonphotography.co.uk/) for all of the guidance/advice so far and for going out of his way to help me.
Thanks to all of the followers/likers/friends I have managed to collect in such a short space of time. I love to think you enjoy looking at the pictures that I have enjoyed spending so much time taking. They will get better, I promise!