Here at GCM photographic we take our filters seriously, by that, I mean we use them for a specific purpose and only when it enhances the final result.
After some research we came upon the Zomei range of filters.
Primarily we were looking for Z series ( ultra wide angle) filter holders.
Ordering 2 sets of holders and graduated filters did however get us an excellent deal.
M now uses the mark 2 filter holder, which has an improved filter ring retaining system, whilst I use the mark 3 holder which is made from high grade aluminium and uses an adapter ring which allows a filter to be screwed into the front of it.
Mark 3 Filter holder
The adapter rings and square filters are supplied in very neat black pouches, whilst round filters come in a plastic case.
All the glass filters are made from either Japanese or German sourced glass and are coated on both sides to improve light transmission and protest against dirt, scratches and water marks, the polarising filters are multi coated to improve matters.
This is only a small part of the Zomei range, they also make glass and resin square neutral density filters, conventional round filters, including starburst, colour effect, graduated, infra red filters and of course UV and skylight filters.
The quality of the filter holders and filters is very high, none of the filters exhibiting any distortion.
Both holders have 3 slots to take 100mm square or 100 x 150 mm resin or glass filters.
We both use resin 100 x 150mm resin graduated neutral density filters and screw in circular polarising filters.
When we heard that Zomei had released a series of 3 glass graduated neutral density filters we jumped at the chance to try one, we were priviliged to be some of the first photographers in the UK to obtain one.
Whilst the resin filters are lighter in weight the material can scratch if not handled carefully, the glass filters are a lot more robust.
Why use a graduated neutral density filter? There are times when the brightness range between the sky and foreground can be extreme, nobody likes a burnt out sky and a dark foreground, hence a graduated filter can help to redress the balance.
It is all well and good having these filters, but how well do they work?
There is only one real way to find out, take them on location and try them!
For the purpose of this review we used a Nikon D800 and a 19 – 35 mm lens, mounted on a tripod, the exposure was controlled manually ISO 200, 1/640 second exposure and an aperture of f8, shutter trigged by remote to prevent camera shake.
The results were impressive, no loss of sharpness, distortion or colour shift with the glass graduated filter, only a very slight hint of blue with the resin filter but again no loss of sharpness or distortion. Whilst I was out performing the review I decided to put the polarising filter to the test (although I already knew it was excellent), this did introduce a hint of yellow in the test, although probably the multicoating and the polarising effect of the filter actually removed the excess blue bias due to cloud cover. Finally one further test combining a glass graduated filter and a polarising filter, due to the filter holder being capable of taking both simultaneously, and since a combination of two filters can cause a degree of softness in the image it was a good test to try, once again however superb results.
What do the results actually look like and can we recommend Zomei filters? Absolutely! The results speak for themselves.
Control image
Glass neutral density graduated filter
Polarising filter
Glass graduated filter plus polarising filter
Resin Graduated filter
As proof of sharpness without and with filters a cropped section of the control image without filter and with the glass graduated filter.
Crop without filter
Crop with glass graduated filter
As a footnote to this review, we should like to point out that we pay for all our own equipment, that way we can be truly impartial when we review a product, in addition to this we will only recommend equipment we are happy to use ourselves.