Tiffen 77mm Digital HT Ultra Clear Review

If you have a lens with a 77 mm filter thread, then you probably spent a lot of money on it, so you will at least want a UV filter to protect the front element. And a polarizer; who'd be without one of those? It's debatable whether the 812 'warming' filter is 'essential', especially in these days of computer enhancement, but it is a useful filter to make up the trio. I recently bought a Sigma 10-20 mm zoom. I knew that I would want at least the UV and polarising filters, so splashing out on this set didn't hurt too much. I am pleased with it. The filters, including the polariser with its two glass elements, have very slim profiles, so there is no mechanical vignetting, even when the lens is set at its minimum focal length of 10 mm. The polarising filter rotates smoothly and is a joy to use. I take a lot of landscapes, and in good weather this filter is usually the one to be found on the lens. The deep, saturated colours it is capable of producing are stunning. Least used is the 812 'warming' filter, though this will no doubt come more into its own as winter approaches. I believe that the quality of glass used in the filters is very good, and will not detract from the clarity or sharpness of your photographs.
The filters come in a soft folding pouch in which they are held in individual net pockets. There are four such pockets, so you have space for one more filter. A clever marketing ploy on the part of Tiffen to get you to buy one more, a nice neutral density filter for fifty quid perhaps? Who knows? The pouch has a velcro fastener and looks quite smart, though I would question whether it will protect the filters in the long run as effectively as the circular plastic boxes that house my smaller filters. We'll see. One more beef - the price, which is about twice as much as that on amazon.com. I know that electrical and photographic goods are invariably cheaper in the USA, but really! Even so, I would recommend this set. If you can afford a fancy lens, then you could (and probably should) get something like this to go with it.
Tiffen 77mm Digital HT Ultra Clear Overview
The Ultra Clear filter is designed for protecting your lens with high quality glass that can be left on at all times. This High-Trans Titanium Filter has very high transmissive properties utilizing multicoatings and a Titanium oxide component. These filters are mounted in a light weight metal ring with a matte black anti reflective inner ring and a Titanium finnish outer ring to identify the titanium oxide componenet in the filter. The new coatings for this filter increases hardness and reduces the suceptibility to smearing.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 03, 2010 06:28:03