I give this filter 4-stars because it does what it’s advertised to do. Not because it’s an outstanding filter, or even a great filter.
Many of the other reviews have pointed out vignetting, effects on the image, etc, so I’m not going to belabor those points.
Something that hasn’t been mentioned is why would you use a filter, any filter? There’s an odd trend in digital photography to apply all the old ideas of film photography, including use of filters, and it just doesn’t apply. Particularly with regards to warming or cooling. Frankly, you never, ever need a warming or cooling filter in digital photography if you understand white balance, and how to set it manually. The filter is built into your software with no negative effects on image quality, no added noise, nada.
Polarizing, haze and other wavelength modifying/filtering elements are another story, and can provide benefit, but they should be thoroughly understood before being used. Many digital photographers throw a UV or Haze filter on just because they’ve seen photos with great color, the guy said he used blah-blah-filter and so they ran out to get it, thinking it was the magic bean to get their photos to really pop. Again, this just isn’t the case.
I suggest that you really understand what a filter does before you put it on your lens, and only put it on when you want that specific effect. Otherwise why would you put a signifcantly cheaper piece of glass in front of your objective lens? You’re basically shooting through a car window.
Now I do understand that some people like the protection a Haze-1 or even a clear glass filter gives them. It keeps dust off the objective, is easier to clean, adds a bit more protection from dust getting inside the lens if it hasn’t a high-end sealed unit… and if you ever did drop/bang the lens against something, ideally the filter would take the brunt of the impact. The only argument of that group that really holds any water with me is the last one, and if you know you’re going into a rough environment, then sure, pop it on. But if you’re using a lens hood, again, what’s the point?
Final words.. I really like B+W filters but lord are they expensive. I have one, it’s a CP and I use it particularly for outdoor portraits and landscapes (which I rarely shoot). I’ve used Tiffen and Hoya CPs and quite honestly, while I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison with all the same conditions, same lenses and sensors.. there really isn’t an enormous difference. Especially if your images are going on the web or being printed to 8×10 or smaller. The B+W is low profile, which helps avoid light falloff on a full frame sensor with a wide angle lens. It’s a 90% solution for a 5% problem that can be easily fixed in post.
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