Glass vs Polyester ND filter

After attending a photowalk last Sunday where I wish I had an ND filter so I could take a more interesting photo of a waterfall, I started looking into them a bit more. While looking on B&H, I noticed there were glass ND filters and polyester ND filters (primarily looking at LEE). Could someone please explain the pros and cons of each? I'm assuming the polyester filters may become cloudy over time but are more scratch/break resistant whereas the glass filters wouldn't become cloudy but could be scratched/cracked/brok​en.

not sure polyster is the word your looking for, that's a clothing material.

are you thinking of Cokin's polymer ones that are plastic?

Cokin's give off a distinct purple hue when stacked vs Lee which is glass and doesn't change the color of the images.

Cokin's are cheaper by a long shot though, and come in several sizes so pick accordingly, especially if you plan to upgrade lenses. the adapters may not work and the filters may be too small.

Cloudy? not sure but mine have scratches on them from just being in the cotton sheathes, glass ones won't scratch so easily on soft materials

This is what I'm referring to:
LEE Filters 4x4" Neutral Density Polyester Filter Set (0.3, 0.6, & 0.9)

After reading the reviews they seem to get the job done but are lacking build quality. I was given a Lee Big Stopper and have used it a handful of times. However each time was awesome! You still have to get the foundation kit with an adapter for your lens . I think this might be a very cheap way to experiment with ND filters. If you like it, you can get better ones in the future

I have 3 basic types(material wise) of filters-glass, resin and gel. Each type have some things that about them that are better than others.

The glass ones cost the most and break the easiest but with be best for IQ as they usually don't have as much color cast(I think this has more to do with who makes them) don't scratch as easy and attract dust as much.

The resin ones are cheaper and will likely never break but usually have more color cast(I have some Hitech GNDs-I don't really have issue with what I have with color cast even when stacking but they're only 3 stop), scratch easier and are dust magnets.

The gel ones are just thin film and are even cheaper. I have them for my fisheye and have to cut them to fit into it's holder in the rear of the lens and the drop in holder that came with my 300 also takes gel filters but there's also optional drop in CPL and one that holds screw in filters.


When it comes to my 100mm square/rectangle filter holder, I like glass better while shooting, and resin better while stored(I use a soft pouch I can put onto a belt) and paying for them.

DGStinner wrote in post #16840489
While looking on B&H, I noticed there were glass ND filters and polyester ND filters (primarily looking at LEE).

Oh no, polyester is making a come back! And I threw away all those plaids from the 1970's.

All kidding aside, B&H does call them polyester. That makes them plastic of some form so I would prefer glass. It takes a lot of mishandling to scratch a glass filter as opposed to something made of plastic.

Good discussion at http://photo.net …a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000zzg. The discussion also includes resin filters, something you should also be aware of.

I am being old fashion and prefer glass. I am excited that lee is making a little stopper (6 as opposed to 9 or 10) and it is glass like the big.

I apologize for resurrecting a thread from seven months ago.

My wife purchased the Big Stopper and LEE filter holder for me as an anniversary gift so I've begun looking into hard and soft edged GNDs. All the ones I see on B&H and Adorama are made of resin. Does LEE make glass GNDs or are they only available in resin?

DGStinner wrote in post #17262691
I apologize for resurrecting a thread from seven months ago.

My wife purchased the Big Stopper and LEE filter holder for me as an anniversary gift so I've begun looking into hard and soft edged GNDs. All the ones I see on B&H and Adorama are made of resin. Does LEE make glass GNDs or are they only available in resin?

You may want to check the Lee website directly. I am a fan of glass as well and did some research on their site when I was looking for a ND that was a 3 or 4 stop.

Used the polyester on a film set. They do the job fine, although for long-term longevity, they should be babied when fitting them into filter slots. I think they're only available in 1-3 stops because of the physical limits of that material. I think high-end resin might be better from Lee and Singh Ray than from "smaller" brands like Tiffen, Hitech, etc, but I can't speak from experience for all those brands, just from what I've read so far and from what a landscape friend has taught me.

It looks like they're only available in resin.

DGStinner wrote in post #17262865
It looks like they're only available in resin.

They're fine; been using mine for 3 or 4 years and never had a problem with them