Warming filter/72mm or Series 9
 

I am in the market to buy some filters and was told to buy a Series 9 adapter ring and Series 9 filters. It seems a lot more difficult (and expensive) to find these. The reason was that the format will someday change and then you'll only need to buy a step up ring for all your filters. Also, I really like the 812 warming filter and have found some good deals on filter kits that contain the 812 plus the UV filter for 72mm. Any comments?

Does this mean that I can only use one filter at a time or do they screw on to each other?

Also, will the standard hood still fit on the lens with a filter?

Hi

The Series 9 filter holders I have seen have a screw-in locking ring so the filter glass is sandwiched in the holder. The filters themselves (usually with a metal ring around the edge) don't have a thread. You might be able to get more than one filter in a holder at the same time.

The advantage of Series 9 is the wide selection of filters, diopters, etc available in this size.

The standard bayonet lens hood will no longer fit once you have a Series 9 on there. You could get a Series 9 hood but it will probably not be as effective as the standard hood as it will almost certainly have to be circular.

As an alternative, you might like to think about a matte box which accepts standard 4" x 4" glasses. This could be a future-proof solution as you can get different screw-in adapter rings if you change your equipment. 4" x 4" filters are widely available in a huge range. They're not cheap but once you've got them you've got them.

Al

72mm or Series 9
 

Thanks for the feedback. A friend uses the matte box and it's awesome, but I can't afford that route. Are the 72mm filters okay to use? I just got the XL1 and don't expect to be changing formats for quite some time.

Yes, standard 72mm filters are just fine. They vary a great deal in quality. Some brands don't even polarize (Quantaray - Ritz Camera's house brand). In no particular order I've had the best luck with B+W, Heliopan, Ziess and Nikon. Tiffen and Hoya are slightly beneath the first group. This ranking is based on years of field use and the overall quality of the filters. By quality I refer to the quality of the glass, multicoating, thinness of the ring (mount), and materials (brass vs. aluminum). Some good speciality mfgs include Singh Ray and Cokin.

Buy the best quality filters you can afford. Remember, the quality of the Canon lens is what makes the XL1 such a great camera. Don't degrade the picture quality by putting a cheap filter in front of your lens.

Jeff