Lee Circular Polariser 105mm Rotating Glass Filter

Comments about LEE Filters Lee Circular Polariser 105mm Rotating Glass Filter:

Excellent optical and build quality, this filter is fantastic. Simply you get what you pay for.

When fitting to Lee Foundation kit and Lee 105mm Front Holder Ring do not forger to buy one pack of Lee Screws (5/8 or 7/8). The original ones are too short.

Comments about LEE Filters Lee Circular Polariser 105mm Rotating Glass Filter:

While the price make this filter unobtainable for some, its in a different class to anything i have ever used before and that makes the cost worth it, outstanding build quality, amazing results, well worth saving for once you buy one you will wonder why you never bought one before.

Comments about LEE Filters Lee Circular Polariser 105mm Rotating Glass Filter:

I've long been a user of the Lee system of square / rectangular filters. In my experience, nothing comes close to the optical quality of their neutral density graduated series which I use on pretty much every landscape picture I take. Other manufacturersí (e.g. Cokin) filters seem to introduce a very noticeable cyan colour cast which is impossible to remove in post-processing. One other thing I love is that the ND grads can be used as straight ND filters as there is enough surface area of the darkened bit. It saves having to carry around more of the very fragile bits of plasticÖ.

So, I recently purchased a Lee 105mm circular polarising filter (and adaptor) to go on the front of the filter holder at the eye-watering price of £230. A lot of money, but if lesser products are discouraging you from using them at all, its good value. Iíd previously been using a screw-in filter behind my Lee filter holder which a/ was very tricky to use as rotating the polariser meant rotating the other filters too and, b/ it caused vignetting at any focal length wider than 20mm or so.

Coming with so many great recommendations from well known and talented / discerning photographers I knew the image quality would be right up there and that the vignetting would no longer be an issue. After all, ultra wide angle lenses on full frame cameras are pretty common these days and the sheer size of the filter would mean the (very) thick rim would be safely out of site.

Not so. Again, beyond 20mm (I use a Nikon 17-35mm) and even stopped down to f16+ the rim is appallingly and distressingly visible. Iíve tried everything from trying the holder at different rotations to removing all the filter holder slots. But, the fact of the matter is that the polariser is just too big (deep). What is the reason for this? and why do you need a thread on the front like traditional screw-in filters when the only way to mount it on your lens (although I havenít tried it on a lens that has a native 105mm filter ring) is via an adapter that sits behind the filter and the only place you could conceivably want it is in front of all other filters?

For now, Iím restricted to longer focal lengths than my fantastic lens is capable of unless someone can point out what Iím missing.

Rant over