nd Archives - Sleeklens - Tools and Training for Photographers

Based in Ningbo, Haida is a company established in 2007, specializing in researching particularly the filters used on the photographic lens, and also other camera accessories.

Haida filters are among the best on the market and one of their best features is the great price-quality evaluation.

And as I’ve tried the new nano-coated products for months, and they survived many travels and extreme environments (like iced rocky beaches, deserts, salted water) I’ve been even more satisfied with the new stuff of the industry from Ningbo.

Here is some image I took with the new Haida filters.

Now to the main characteristics of the products I tested: Nano Pro MC ND 3.0 (1000x) 150×150 and Nano Pro MC Soft GND 0.9 150×170 filters.

The Nano coat

What does “Nano Pro” mean? Well, it’s the extremely thin, nano, a coat which covers the glass surface of the filter.

This is the great innovation of this new product line that makes the difference in comparison to the previous series. It gives resistance to dirt, reflections, and scratches.

Thanks to this coat, my filters fantastically survived sandy, earthy, rocky, icy places.

Furthermore, as a landscaper, I often take shots to waterfalls and rocky beaches where the waves move on the reefs and splash some water on the filter. Thanks to this coat I have just to clean lightly with a towel cause the drops come away very easily.

The holder

You have to put the filters in the grooves of the holder to use them. I own the 150 series holder for my Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED wide-angle lens.

The support system is steel and very steady and resistant. It consists of the universal holder that supports the filters, the front adapter ring and the rear adapter ring that sustain and connect the holder to the lens.

A little gold nut enables to remove or rotate the holder on the rings to position better the filter, especially if it’s a GND.

There are also two rubber plates (superior and inferior) on the holder surface, near the grooves; they prevent the light to come into the space between the lens and the holder, so the nuisance reflections don’t appear on our shots. You can find also some replacement rubber plates in the holder pack.

I also took many very long exposure shots with ND, GND and both filters and I never saw that horrible reflection (similar to crowns) that appear every time the light goes under the filter; so I’m really satisfied with this holder.

The filters

nd filter Haida and Haida

The glass filters are stacked in the grooves of the holder that I described previously.

The sharpness of these filters is excellent and also by the absence of color dominant even if they appear colored at the first sight.

Also, the management of phenomenon like flares and vignetting is great, also because my wide angle already creates some of those.

I also tried to take pictures with GND and ND both mounted and the results are great. But remember to insert the ND always on the first groove nearer the lens to avoid strange light reflections.

Comparisons

Here are following two “with-without” images that consist of not post-processed shots.

In the first, taken in Lanzarote, I used the Nano Pro ND 3.0 (1000x) filter.

You will notice how, in the “WITH” half, the sea water looks like a thick fog and seems velvety. Besides, the clouds are blurred.

comparison nd Haida

In the second, taken in Gran Canaria, I used the Nano Pro Soft GND 0.9 filter.

You will notice how the sky and the upper part of the image are darker, even if the foreground has almost the same brightness and contrast in both the halves. This allows a better managing in postprocessing.

desert Haida

Where can you buy them?

The new Nano Pro filters will be soon buyable in Amazon distributed from Pro-photoshop.

If you live in U.S.A you can visit the HaidaUSA online store.

If you are a Swiss customer, you can also visit the official distributor in Switzerland Fotichaestli.com.

In conclusion…

The quality of the Haida Nano Pro filters is excellent. The strength and the stability of the holder impressed and helped me during my adventures. Even if I often explore extreme and wild locations, my filters are already intact and not damaged.

For instance, I went, as you read, in the desert; there is a lot of sand there; if the glass would be of poor quality, would have a lot of scratches now.

But thanks also to nano coat on it, I was able to clean it without stress.

Many photographers could have some hassles taking shots, for example, to waterfalls. Indeed the water goes frequently splash on the ND filter used on these kinds of shots. But the nano coat permits to clean the glass very easily.

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Catch The Morning

If there is fresh powder stacked up during the night, catch the morning if possible. This is important since most likely the snow will be uniform and untouched. No footprints, no dirt, nothing. If you are lucky for the clouds to have cleared by the time you start shooting, it would be awesome. Getting the shot early in the morning will make sure that the tones are a combination of blue and orange, which is typical for sunrise, rather than being heavy on the orange during the sunset.

Overcast Weather And Snow

For landscape shots, it would be best if you’d avoid overcast weather since it is just gray. However, that kind of weather combined with snow can prove to be quite cool for portraiture, especially if it is still snowing. The snow on the ground will act as a reflector and bounce some fill light, making for nice soft and even lighting. Throw in some colored items/clothing to pop out of the whiteness, and you have a recipe for a great shot.

Footprints

The number one enemy of the snow. As mentioned in the “catch the morning” paragraph above, freshly layered snow is quite cool. So when you are walking up to a spot to photograph a vista, be completely aware of where you are passing through. If you layer up some footprints where you don’t want them to be, there is no going back. Yes, you might be able to fix that in the post, but why risk it?

On the other hand, you can get creative and intentionally place footprints to express an artistic idea. However, take the shot without them first.

With Or Without Snowflakes

Falling snow can be quite cool, but on the other hand, it can be a little bit distracting if the snowflakes are too big. You can remove them by being smart about it. You can either use long exposures and hope that they won’t leave any visible trails (which is usually the case), or you can use the old “remove tourists from photos” trick, and shoot several images, and then stack them up using median in Photoshop. Of course, a tripod is required for this ordeal.

Polarizing And Neutral Density Filters

Circular polarizer filters can be quite fun with snow. Since by definition they can remove reflections from nonmetallic surfaces (however, I’ve found that they work with metallic surfaces as well), it can remove some of the reflection in the snow, thus bringing out more definition in it, or it can increase the definition in the clouds and sky. Anyhow, in cases like this, CPL is quite handy.

Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski.

Graduated ND filters are usually used for making the sky darker. However, with snow, you can stack two, one from the bottom, and one from the top, thus effectively bringing out the horizon line or something that is in the middle of the frame. If the snow is too bright, you can use only the bottom ND filter to dim it down a bit. There are many fun combinations, so feel free to experiment.

Summary

Winter – it can be quite fun, and it can be quite dull. But, for the creative photographer, there is no such thing as a bad day. Therefore, get your gear properly packed and taken care of, and go out and shoot. There are so many things you can do in the winter, from snow, fog, mist, wildlife, to landscapes and portraits, the combinations are practically limitless. The only thing you need to do is learn how to use them.

Tag: nd

Haida nano pro: a review about the new GND and ND filters