10 stop ND: Lee Big Stopper vs. Singh Ray vs. Breakthrough Photography

Jeez, when I look at the Lee big stopper system there's a myriad of choices: 4"x 4", 150mm x 150 mm, 100mm x 100mm, 75 x 90mm Seven5 Big.

Which one for use on the discontinued Canon 24-70 f2.8 L and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L First one has a filter size of 77 mm and the latter has 82 mm filter thread.

hope these links help.

there is the filter holder.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ion_Kit_Standar​d_4x4.html

big stopper
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …_GLASS_4X4_4_x_​4_Big.html

77mm ring - you want the wide angle one to avoid vignette
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …77_Adapter_Ring​_77mm.html

82mm ring
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ng_82mm.html/pr​m/alsVwDtl

or another option is to just get the 82mm and get a step down adapter to 77mm.

tbh.. from the looks of it.. I would consider the haida 3.0 over the big stopper because of the non color cast. If I didn't have the big stopper I would totally chose the haida. I just do not use filters much to bother switching around :P
http://www.achim-sieger.de …itech-prostop-irnd-haida/

DTBaan beat me to the reply, but he is correct!

100mm x 100mm is the same as 4 x 4, fyi.

My BS doesn't seem to have a color cast, but some people have noted theirs does.

If you do go with the Lee system, the Foundation holder will hold three filters. You can stack the BS with ND grads and / or a polarizer. The ND grads you use with that holder are 100 mm x 150 mm.

Mild color cast would not be a negative for me on any setup.. It's so easy to fix.

I just tested out my new Formatt Hitachi ProIRND setup this weekend... Despite the marketing hype... It does have a distinct blue color cast...

I kinda like the blue colour cast from the BS and sometimes don't even bother trying to remove it. I think it works with certain images

DTBaan wrote in post #17676765
hope these links help.

there is the filter holder.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ion_Kit_Standar​d_4x4.html

big stopper
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …_GLASS_4X4_4_x_​4_Big.html

77mm ring - you want the wide angle one to avoid vignette
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …77_Adapter_Ring​_77mm.html

82mm ring
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ng_82mm.html/pr​m/alsVwDtl

or another option is to just get the 82mm and get a step down adapter to 77mm.

tbh.. from the looks of it.. I would consider the haida 3.0 over the big stopper because of the non color cast. If I didn't have the big stopper I would totally chose the haida. I just do not use filters much to bother switching around :P
http://www.achim-sieger.de …itech-prostop-irnd-haida/

THANKS, I really appreciate this.
I'll look in to the Haida as I've never heard of it before

cutwater wrote in post #17676772
100mm x 100mm is the same as 4 x 4, fyi.

Yeah, I think that's what confused me. If they are the same size I owndered why would they sold as separate items on sites like B&H, adorama....but in hindsight I guess since they take orders from metric countries that they would do that for those customers.

cutwater wrote in post #17676772
DTBaan beat me to the reply, but he is correct!
If you do go with the Lee system, the Foundation holder will hold three filters. You can stack the BS with ND grads and / or a polarizer. The ND grads you use with that holder are 100 mm x 150 mm.

Of course...they'd have to be larger on one side that the solid ND filters. Cripes. It's all coming together for me.
Thanks!

DTBaan wrote in post #17676765
hope these links help.


tbh.. from the looks of it.. I would consider the haida 3.0 over the big stopper because of the non color cast. If I didn't have the big stopper I would totally chose the haida. I just do not use filters much to bother switching around :P
http://www.achim-sieger.de …itech-prostop-irnd-haida/

I've been using a Singh Ray circular gradual ND filter coupled with a polarizer to get about 8+ stops. However, the screwing and unscrewing of the filters is a pain. Even if I want to recompose slightly I have to screw/unscrew them. I definitely am going with a 4x4 filter soon.

I've been reading some of the Haida reviews. Great reviews about the glass filter but I haven't read much about the Haida filter holder. Do they make their own holder? Does the Lee holder work with it?

What size is the Haida glass filter? 100mmx100mm or 4"x4" will fit in a Lee Holder.

I might be selling my whole Formatt Hitech kit... It just sits since I don't really need two redundant kits.

Thanks TR.

What I would like to know is how the Haida filter holder stacks up compared to the others. I've read favorable reviews of the Haida glass but I am just wondering if their filter holder has any design problems. If it is more cumbersome to use than the Big Stopper.

TRhoads wrote in post #17736706
I might be selling my whole Formatt Hitech kit... It just sits since I don't really need two redundant kits.

One of the earlier reviews I read was this one:
http://digital-photography-school.com …or-landscape-photography/

The reviewer doesn't seem enamored with the Lee filter holder. My experience with the screw on filters leads me to believe that the filter holder will be very important for me. Ease of use first, and filter safety a close second.

philmar wrote in post #17745505
One of the earlier reviews I read was this one:
http://digital-photography-school.com …or-landscape-photography/

The reviewer doesn't seem enamored with the Lee filter holder. My experience with the screw on filters leads me to believe that the filter holder will be very important for me. Ease of use first, and filter safety a close second.

I will write a much longer post once I am off my phone... Both holders have issues and neither IME are perfect...

OK, I read the article you mentioned...first let me say, I am not partial to either the Lee or FH systems, not endorsing them either way...this is just my opinions...

They are essentially the same system with different holders and potentially different filter materials. Lee uses glass, while it is fragile, it isn't as easily scratched. My LEE GND that I use all the time, will likely need to be replaced after my next trip, it is plastic, and scratches. I have never had issue with the Lee FIlter holder popping off, even when I carry the camera on a tripod with the filter ring and holder still on the camera, never with a filter in place...but still, that is hiking, walking, shaking it around, I have never had it fall off. If the guy who wrote that had it fall off when he tilted the camera down...it wasn't on right and it was operator error. The BS filter isn't a thick hunk of glass...its thin and light, certainly not heavy enough to pull the holder off the adapter ring. I actually quite like the ease of operation of the LEE Foundation system. Part of shooting LE is slowing your process down for many reasons. To want a system that is just faster...or to cite that as a pro over another system...seems pointless to me. LE is long, and slow..it just is. My two glass filters have no scratches, and they get used a lot, sometimes they get put back in my gab with no case while I am swapping to make sure I don't have too much or note enough density and don't want to miss the shot...it happens, but they have survived.

The FH system, yes, the filter is aluminum, but that means its also heavier. A good bit heavier than the LEE, so much so that I don't know if my 24-70L will stay zoomed out to 24mm if there is any tilt up on the camera. And mine is not one of the loose ones, its tight, but the FH holder is substantial, and that comes at the price of weight. The attachment of the holder to the adapter ring, to me, is not as secure, it has a set screw that screws down onto the adapter ring, which if over tightened could bend the ring, and if undertightened, well, that is the only thing holding it on...just a bit leery of it really. When I have used the FH filters, I put them in my LEE holder. My Prostop IRND filter set is the resin set, I have not used them much, mostly because I don't have proper cases for them yet and don't want them getting scratched up. The Firecrest filters are glass, so just like the LEE, they are breakable...FH also makes you stick the foam ring on the filters, which was a PITA, and as hard as I tried, they are not perfect, they work, and don't become visible, but it was a PITA, and paying that much for something, it should have been done at manufacturing.

That article also mentioned availability...yes, LEE went through a period of low supply and high demand...I paid over retail for my BS, but paid retail for all of the other parts, and it took me a while to assemble my kit...which was fine, it wasn't cheap and it allowed me to do it over time, not all at once. FH, well, they are not much better. The set I have, was a prize, for winning an image contest...but its not the set I won, because after nearly a year, they still could not supply the Firecrest 10,13,16 stop set I won...I still don't have it, and likely never will. They have had issues with suppliers for the holder and filters...so its not a fair statement to say that FH is readily accessible...they aren't.

Bottom line...if you can, try out something if a fellow shooter has it...see what you like, see what works for you and your workflow, and your budget. They are almost equal kits in my eye...with minor nuances...

Great summary travis, nice info in there.

My 16 stopper arrived today. Hopefully get a chance to put it to use soon. I'm going to poland for 4 days on saturday and wasn't planning on taking a tripod but now I'm considering it

xpfloyd wrote in post #17746406
Great summary travis, nice info in there.

My 16 stopper arrived today. Hopefully get a chance to put it to use soon. I'm going to poland for 4 days on saturday and wasn't planning on taking a tripod but now I'm considering it

I have only done 2 test shots with mine...really hoping to use it next week on my trip...I need to shoot...and shoot some LE...been too long.