Filter System for 100mm thread

[Richard Kelham]

Are you sure the filter size of your lens is 100mm? According to current Nikon specs, the front filter thread size for the 300mm Nikon W is 95mm, and the front barrel diameter is 100mm.

My 300mm Nikkor-W definitely has a 95mm filter ring. I have more or less convinbced myself to go the Cokin X-pro route, but meanwhile blutack gels onto the rear of the lens: no discernible degradation of the image as yet.


Richard

[Shmoo]

I've used the Lee filter holder on my 90mm SAXL and it works fine. It slips over the rim of the lens and you use a small tensioning nut to fix it. Works great, but I've also used Helen's "snot tape" with gels...and it's pretty economical and works just as well. Roll a bit of tape and place in 3 places around the rim of the lens at the edges...then pop the filter on the tape. The key to using the gels is to have fastidiously clean fingers...

[Eric Leppanen]

Tape, rubber band or home-made filter holders can work well in many cases, and they are certainly cost-effective. However, there is no substitute for a full-fledged filter holder such as the Lee holders when using ND grad filters. Setting the horizon line of an ND grad requires sliding the filter in the filter holder with one hand, while looking through the ground glass and holding your focusing loupe with the other. The filter holder needs to stay stable during this process; otherwise setting the horizon line properly becomes nearly impossible. The Lee press-on holder is machined to tightly fit a 100mm diameter lens barrel, plus it has a clamping mechanism to ensure it stays on tight.

I've seen several homemade foam-based holders that worked great for holding a single 4x4" filter. But they could not handle a sliding 4x6" ND grad.

Another issue is whether or not you want to use a compendium hood (such as the Lee hood) at least some of the time. To use the Lee hood, you will need more than one filter slot (the hood is attached using the outermost slot), and here again a full-fledged Lee filter holder will be the most stable solution.