Photography Exposure Triangle

Formatt Hitech Firecrest Nd Filter For Solar Photography (150 X 150mm, 4-stop)

Product Code: ga17163
Availability: In Stock

$723.42 $904.27

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Description
Reviews (9)

This 150 x 150mm Formatt Hitech Firecrest ND Filter is a solid neutral density filter providing a 4-stop reduction in exposure. This 1.2 density creates a darkening of the entire image, allowing you to photograph with a wider aperture or longer shutter speed than normally required. By slowing your exposure time or increasing your aperture, you are able to control depth of field and convey movement more easily.

The design of this filter has been optimized for use with digital sensors and promote nearly flat attenuation of visible, UV, and infrared light. Due to imaging sensors' greater susceptibility to infrared light, compared to traditional film, color casts can occur when photographing darker subjects that require increased exposure times. This filter provides a high level of neutrality across all three spectrums in order to eliminate color casts and ensure cleaner, truer blacks.

Applied to the outside of the SCHOTT Superwite glass construction is a 15-layer Firecrest multicoating, which helps to minimize reflections and flare in order maintain truer colors and contrast. The multicoating is also scratch resistant and hydrophobic to benefit the overall durability of the filter. It measures 5.9 x 5.9" / 150 x 150mm and is 0.08" / 2mm-thick, making it compatible with the LEE SW-150 Filter Holder.

This filter is designed specifically for photography applications. This filter is not suitable for direct solar viewing with the naked eye, including with optical viewfinders.

1.2 Optical Density 15-Layer Coating on Outside of Filter Hydrophobic and Scratch Resistant 2mm-Thick SCHOTT Superwite Glass Increase Exposure Length Greater Control Over Exposures Neutral Results Across All Spectrums Fits LEE SW-150 Filter Holder Includes Pouch

Parameters
Filter Type	Solid ND with IR Attenuation
Exposure Reduction	4-Stop
Size	6 x 6" / 150 x 150 mm (Cokin P)
Front Accessory Thread / Bayonet	No
Coating	Multi Coated
Filter Thickness	0.08" / 2 mm
Filter Material	Glass
Packaging Info
Package Weight	0.9 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)	9.1 x 8.5 x 1.4"

ND 1.2 filter darkens the image, allowing you to photograph with a longer shutter speed or wider aperture than normally required.

Providing a 4 stop exposure reduction, this filter allows you to control depth of field and convey movement more easily.

Attenuates infrared light, as well as visible and UV wavelengths, to maintain color neutrality and suppress color casts due to increased exposure lengths.

The 15-layer Firecrest coating has been applied directly to the outside of the filter glass by way of a vacuum-formed, hard-coated, electrolytic process. The multicoating is water and scratch resistant for greater overall durability.

SCHOTT Superwite glass promotes maintained image clarity and its 2mm-thick design is compatible with the LEE SW-150 Filter Holder.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Does this filter fit Cokin P holder?

A: Yes, it will fit either the Formatt Hitech or Cokin P Series filter holder.

Q: 2. Is there a front and back to this FirecrestUltra filter? Which side to install the gasket on? I intend to use it with LEE filter holder. The filter's two sides have a different color sheen when you looking at it under an angle.. side with writing has a hint of reddish/ black color reflection, and side without writing has black / bluish reflection. What is recommended filter orientation while using in the filter holder.. does it make any difference if either side is facing away from the lens? Format-Hitech FirecrestUltra100x1003.0

A: FYI! This is the Information from Format-Hitech.USA The colors you see are due to light passing through the filter. These are not directional but it is always good to put the engraved writing on the filter facing away from the camera for identification when in the holder as well as on the chance that another type of filter is directional.

Q: 3. Is this filter compatible with the Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye lens? In particular, will there be the Vignette effect？

A: I don't know how you plan on attaching it to the lens but if you just hold it in front of the lens, you will get some vignetting that can be adjusted in post. BTW, there is really no other way to use a filter with this lens other than holding it or using the rear gelatin filter holder that takes cut to size gel filters.

Q: 4. Does this filter have front filter threads to stack another filter?

A: yes there is a thread on front to stack more filters

Q: 5. Is this filter rated as a solar filter suitable for photographing the sun?

A: Formatt Hitech 105mm Firecrest Ultra ND 5.4 Filter (18-Stop) does not have an ISO rating for safe solar viewing. It may work for a camera as it is not sensitive as human eyes, but if you want to be 100% safe I would recommend looking for a filter that is listed with an ISO rating for safe solar viewing.

Q: 6. Will this work with the smallrig Lightweight Matte Box? I see many people saying 100x100mm are incompatible but they say 4x4 inch are... confusing or what??

A: The Formatt Hitech 100 x 100mm Firecrest Ultra ND 0.9 Filter (3-Stop) is incompatible with the SmallRig Lightweight Carbon Fiber Matte Box because the filter trays on the matte box support 4mm thick filters, and the Formatt Hitech filter is 2mm thick.

Q: 7. Are the filters stackable?

A: It is stackable. It does have 77 mm front filter thread.

Q: 8. Will these Formatt 46mm Firecrest Ultras fit the Z800 mm as screw in filters?

A: The Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizer (C-PL3L) Glass Filter compatible with the Nikon NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S Lens does not allow the 46 mm polarizing filter to come off and to be changed with another filter so this Formatt Hitech 46mm Firecrest Ultra ND 0.9 Filter can't be used.

Q: 9. Will these work on the lee holder system??

A: Yes you could use these with a 100mm Lee holder https://bhpho.to/2QqpVki.

Q: 10. By the picture, this filter looks like it is graduated. Is it in fact built with a graduation in it?

A: Hi! No, this is not a grad ND filter. It must simply be the marketing photograph. I assure you that this is a solid ND filter.

anyonymous	12/09/2024
Use with confidence in full sun and obtain great looking images with no colour shift. SO far I have exposed up to 9 minutes and plan to go just a little bit further. No issues at all, the filter does what it should, is easy to screw onto the lens and doesn't allow light leaks. Great piece of kit. I have ordered the 3,6 and 10 stop kit now from the same manufacturer, as 16 stops is, for obvious reasons, too dark to use in marginal light conditions. 5

Nate Dog	29/08/2024
I absolutely love the fact that I don't have to worry about stacking anymore, given that this filter packs a 16 stop punch. Super thin and lightweight makes it easier to pack into my gear bag. This is going to let me dive even more into daytime long exposure photography. 5

Jeffrey	17/08/2024
Not many ND 1.5 filters available, especially in 62 mm (which I now need with a new lens), so I was happy to see this - a quality filter at a good price. 5

Paul	09/08/2024
for long exposures you need ND filters and the more neutral the result the less colorcast clean up and manipulation you need to do in post. Once you get up past 6 stops it's a factor and at 10 stops or more it becomes very important. They obviously cost more but deliver Pro quality and are available in many different sizes in both square or round. 5

Wen	04/08/2024
suppose you want to shoot wide open f/ 1.4 or f/1.2.. counting down from the "sunny 16 rules" from a bright sunny day, you would need a 2-3 stop worth of ND filter for the camera to be able to shoot at that open aperature, this can do it!! The mild color cast is easily adjusted post. 5

Piet	19/07/2024
I was using the Lee filter system, and on a recent trip has some light leak issues, when I used the big and little stopper together. That's why I bought this, but I also like being able to use the lens hood while shooting long exposure. The Lee system is easier to take off and put on the filters, but its disapointing to find light leak due to the filters. This filter takes longer to take off and put on, but the light leak is eliminated, and I can use the lens hood. The Lee filter has more parts to deal with, while this is only one. The colors through this filter are very good, and doesn't really require a lot of white balancing in post. Overall, I'm very pleased with this filter. 5

Matt	14/06/2024
I didn't see any reviews here, so I'd chime in: I purchased this with the Sigma 105mm f/1.4, and surprised that it has no noticeably color cast (compared to some ND filters for my 85mm lens). I'm quite satisfied. The glass is very thin and light, like 30-50% of the weight of a UV filter for the same diameter. I use this to get wider apertures in the studio setting, given that my strobes can remain fairly strong, and the ambient lighting can either be cut at higher shutter speeds (1/200) or introduced at lower speeds (1/30-1/60). A joy to use. 5

Eric Bowles	17/04/2024
One of the common problems from using strong Neutral Density filters is a magenta color cast. Modern digital cameras have filtering on the sensor that blocks UV and IR light from conventional photos (about 14.5-15 stops of filtering). If you use a ND filter of 10 stops or more and the filter does not block IR light as well as visible light, you may get some portion of IR light on your image. The IR light is simply underexposed. There are some newer ND filters available that block IR spectrum as well as visible light. I was testing one a Formatt HiTech Firecrest 3.0 ND filter which blocks 10 stops of light. I tested on a Nikon D600 that has been converted to Infrared spectrum only. My conversion - by Lifepixel - is at a 650nm wavelength so it allows a little bit of red light as well. The normal UV and IR filtering on the camera has been removed and replaced with a filter that blocks visible light below 650nm. If IR light is not blocked by the ND filter, the image would be badly overexposed. A conventional image without a filter was 1/100 sec at f/9. With the filter, my exposure was 15 seconds at f/9 - nearly 10 stops slower. As a result, the cars on the road were not visible. This test confirmed the HiTech Firecrest Filter effectively blocks all IR and UV light. This confirms that the Firecrest filter will not produce a color cast from IR spectrum on a conventional camera. That's a nice step forward. In earlier testing I found that circular polarizers, Variable ND filters such as the SR Vari-N-Duo, and Singh Ray graduated ND filters and found they block very little if any IR light, so there is no color cast from those filters. 5