Detail
Review of Kase Magnetic Circular Master Kit IV
- Categories:Review
- Author:Thom Brouwer
- Origin:
- Time of issue:2022-10-08 10:46
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(Summary description)
Review of Kase Magnetic Circular Master Kit IV
(Summary description)
- Categories:Review
- Author:Thom Brouwer
- Origin:
- Time of issue:2022-10-08 10:46
- Views:
Author: Thom Brouwer
Learn more: https://www.instagram.com/thombrouwer/ http://www.facebook.com/thombrouwerphotography)
Working with filters offers you as a photographer more options in the field. With the help of filters you can lengthen shutter speeds, remove reflections and better balance exposures. All this is also possible with the new circular magnetic filter kit from Kase. But does this system do all of the above equally well, or is there room for improvement? You can read it in this review.
Contents
The kit comes with a filter holder and adapter rings, suitable for 77 to 95mm diameter lenses. Of course also the filters, consisting of a CPL filter (polarization), an ND1000 neutral density filter (10 stops), and, new in this series, a G-ND0.9 (3 stops soft gray gradient filter). You can easily store the filters in the included bag, which is small enough to easily take with you. If you prefer to leave the filters on your lens, this can also be done safely because of the magnetic lens cap, which has a soft inner lining that prevents scratches.
Filter holder and adapter rings
First about the filter holder itself. It feels solid and has a number of moving elements. For example, you can turn a wheel on the outside so that the CPL filter can turn. This is an improvement over the previous edition of the kit, where this was not yet possible. In addition, the filter kit has a new feature that the outer ring can be moved vertically, so that the gray gradient filter can be moved. We will discuss in detail how this works later.
The 82mm adapter ring is easy to place on the holder, because of the magnetic connection. If you want to screw the kit onto a 77mm lens, you must first screw the 77mm adapter ring onto the 82mm ring. This makes the whole stand out a bit more.
The Filters
The filters are, as you can expect from Kase, very solid: strong, retention of sharpness, clear and virtually no hindrance from any color cast. The filters can be used separately from each other, but can also be combined with each other. The CPL filter is the smallest and fits in the inner ring, in the outer ring fit the other filters, which are larger in diameter. The CPL filter does what it's supposed to do excellently. Contrasts are enhanced and enhanced, and disturbing reflections can be reduced or even eliminated. The rotary wheel works perfectly and gives easy control over which part of your image you place the working part of the CPL.
The ND1000 filter can significantly extend your shutter speeds by 10 stops, allowing you to take more creative images. This way you can still movement in the water and nicely stretch clouds, so that clearer lines can be created.
The GND filter can be moved up and down about half a centimeter. You can rotate the angle of this, so that you have more control over which part is obscured. To make it easier to move, you can attach two screws to the top and bottom of the ring. Personally, I find this a bit cumbersome, since you practically have to screw the screws in and out every time. And since I often drop small parts from my hands, it could just be that a screw disappears in the sand or the waves.
All filters are easy to install and remove due to the magnetic connections. This saves a lot of time and measurement when screwing. A big advantage of the entire set is that it is quite compact and lightweight. This makes it a suitable set to take with you on a trip, as it takes up little space in the (usually already overflowing) camera bag.
Practice
In order to be able to make this review, I have extensively tested the filters along the coastline. You can read part of the operation of the filters above. During testing, however, a few things struck me. Before I mention this one, it might be good to know what type of photographer I am so you can decide for yourself if you're dealing with the same context.
I prefer to photograph expansive coastal landscapes, by placing myself close to a subject in the foreground and then involving the middle and background in the whole. This means I shoot a lot with the widest possible wide angle, sometimes even in panoramas to include everything.
Why am I telling this? Because the filter kit simply falls short. The vignetting is such that the focal lengths up to 16mm are practically unusable. Along all edges at 14mm the filter kit itself visible and the extreme corners still show clear vignetting at 16mm. If you take the sliding GND filter, you increase the chance even more on the corners that enter the view. Although the sliding filter seems to be a nice new addition, the problem is actually only amplified. If you slide the filter down to darken more of the sky for better exposure, you get more of the filter holder at the top. If you slide the filter more upwards, you immediately have more of the filter holder at the bottom of the image.
In addition, the shift-ability of the gray gradient filter is actually so limited that either the conditions must be exactly such that the filter can cover the sky well (for example in a composition with the horizon in the middle) or that you have to adjust the composition to the filter (and as far as I'm concerned, that's the upside-down world). Thus, the sliding filter in the circular system seems like a nice new addition, but at the moment it still feels like half a solution and actually falls short. If you want more control with a gray gradient filter, I would always recommend a square filter kit from Kase.
Perhaps the problem of vignetting doesn't apply to you if you shoot in wide angle only a little. Fortunately, the vignetting is not visible above 18mm. While Kase acknowledges the vignetting on her website, I believe there is room for improvement here, as a significant portion of landscape photographers are left out of the picture.
Conclusion
Kase introduces a number of new additions to the Magnetic Circular Master Kit IV, with one more successful than the other. The sliding system for the gray gradient filters leaves a lot to be desired at the moment, and is practically unusable for the wide-angle users among us. The vignetting is too disturbing below the focal length of 18 mm, but photographers who do not shoot in wide angle will not be bothered by this. The wheel to turn the CPL is a definite asset. In addition, you can be sure that the quality of the filters themselves is as you are used to from Kase: strong, sharp, clear and no color cast. The kit itself is compact and light and therefore easy to carry, which makes it suitable to take with you on a trip.
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