How to spot a better filter from ebay?

mesinik · Joined: 06 Dec 2013 Posts: 50 Location: Estland

Well, there are good filters and even better filters.
But are there some criteria (and keywords), whitch help to spot a better one from ebay?

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I think there is a cut off point where cheap filters become poor quality, I've got some unbranded ND filters that came with camera kits I've bought and they vary a lot, some are complete junk, others are good. ( I use the Cokin P Series size filters. )

The filters that have bought have been from Formatt Hitech or Cokin, both a lot cheaper than Lee or the other major brands. Are they as good? I haven't got expensive ones to compare them against, but I'm certainly not disappointed with them. I have had the Hitech resin ND grad's for many years, use them a lot, and I have never seen an image where they show up. The downside is, you have to be more careful with resin filters. But they are tougher than you might think.

http://www.formatt-hitech.com/

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cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I recall reading a while back about how a cheap filter can actually substantially degrade a lens's performance, but I didn't pay this much attention until one day when I was testing out a lens that has a good reputation, but which I was getting miserable results with. I then noticed that it had some off brand filter screwed into the front, so recalling this bit of info I read, I unscrewed the filter and tested the lens again. The difference was remarkable. So this taught me a lesson. Never again will I attempt to take pix through a lens that has a cheapo filter attached.

So, my recommendation is that you stick to name brand filters. Nikon and Canon are safe bets. As for aftermarkets, Cokin, Tiffen, Hoya, and if you feel like really spending some coin, B+W are all producers of excellent quality filters.

TeemÅ · Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Posts: 586 Location: Australia

I use Schneider B+W filters, which are quite expensive and highly regarded, however from independent tests made by others, I believe the latest filters from HOYA are competitive. The differences are going to be very subtle, but at the end of the day I think you get what you pay for regardless of the name on them. Wink

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

What type or kind of filter?

mesinik · Joined: 06 Dec 2013 Posts: 50 Location: Estland

Thanks for all this good advice.
But if searching par example in ebay for "Hoya", what are the chances

1) to get a real Hoya product?
2) at least a quality equal to this trademark?

any opinions?

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

The HOYA web site can be used to survey the different-grade offerings, from inexpensive but adequate, to very expensive, among the best available filters.:

http://hoyafilter.com/hoya/

B&W has a web site too.