Hi Giancarlo and fellow Nikon users, I have been shooting actively (on a semi pro basis) for almost 3-4 years now. I would like to add to the thread on filters. >B+W filters are known for their optical and especially (IMHO) mechanical >quality but they are expensive too if compared with universal filter japanese brands. Based on that sentence, same could be said of Nikon lenses and a 3rd party/Russian lens. The question here is: How much are you willing to pay for better quality? I highly doubt that Nikon filters were made by Hoya. Why should they when Nikon has the facilities/machines? If you compare the coating on the Hoya filters and Nikon filters, you will see a sharp difference, in term of colour/shimmer and reflective-ness. Last year, out of boredom, I took out UV filters from Hoya (the cheaper universal ones as well as the Super HMC), Marumi, Nikon, Schneider and B+W. In terms of the coating, Nikon's filter has a greenish colour, both the Hoya filters has a more reddish colour, Marumi looks uncoated (very, very faint red) while the Schneider and B+W has little colour, too. You can do this by placing these filters on a peice of pure white paper. In terms of reflection, Schneider and B+W is clearly the winner which looks almost like there weren't any glass there! Nikon and the Hoya Super HMC comes in second, as the reflection can only be noticed on certain angles. There was so much reflection on the cheaper Hoya and the Marumi that it reminded me of a dirty windscreen. I only use these filters when I want a diffused portrait shot where I apply clear vasoline or petroleum jelly on them. The colour bled (when shooting wide open with mild back lit) is unbelieveable. I do this because my AF-D 105/1.8 is too sharp sometimes for portraiture. I suppose Schott glass does have its benefits as they are said to be clearer and allow more light in. Certainly Nikon and Hoya Super HMC filters (they claim to allow 99.5-99.9% of light through) are good. If I was shooting against the sun or with strong back lit subjects, I would certainly want a filter that does its work (reduce UV light) as well as reduce flare and ghosting. And for that, the B+W MC have my vote because (in Singapore) it more affordable than Schneider (and surprisingly, Nikon's L37c) where I live. It cost me Singapore$30 for the B+W 010MC. Also, B+W's filters are tough coated....fungus seem to grow on MC lenses. I had fungus growing on a universal japanese MC filter I left outside the dri-cab for 2 weeks. But the B+W filter showed little sign of fungus (which was also left outside). I suppose Heliopan's filter might be just as resistant with the MC being inside the lens rather than coating on the outside. If you have a hand held flash meter, try comparing the flash readings you get using different brands of filters over the meter. You will find that a cheap filter does in fact allow less light in, whereas my B+W filter (when tested this way) gives the same reading as without the filter. But I'll say this for the L37c filter, its quite thin and it never get stuck to the lens. In fact, I have 2 on my AF-D 24/2.8 and AF-D 105/1.8 Micro and one sitting in the cupboard (no fungus yet after 3 months). The only time when I remove them is when I need a polariser (for the 24/2.8) and when I'm shooting against the sun (and replace it with a B+W MC, for the 105/2.8). I picked 3 of them up used for NZ$5 each! They are well worth the money. Hoya's Super HMC is good and I have 2 of them. But the QC has more to be desired. Each of the Super HMC filter I looked at in the store has a slight pin-price sized blemish. The colour of the coating is uneven that this small point, not enough to appear on the shots but still.......well, they do cost 30-60% less than Nikon or B+W, though. >Don't trust on this and I'd really like a feedback but I read somewhere >that Schneider glass provider is Schott that gets tha glass from Hoya japan. It is possible Schneider could have licensed out their glass making process to Hoya (maybe due to lower cost or greater economy of scale) but that doesn't mean that Hoya uses that technology on their filters (due to copyright). One example is that of Contax and Yashica. Most Carl Zeiss MM lenses are made in the Yashica factories. But that doesn't mean Yashica lenses are similar to CZ MM lenses in performance. My personal view is that after spending so much on lenses, why pinch the pennies by using filters that are inferior? Well, that's my 2 cents' worth. Cheers! Regards, Deric Soh.
