NiSi Filters PRO Nano HUC Protector-

NiSi Filters PRO Nano HUC Protector 105mm

NISIPROT105

R 3,199.00
/
Tax included.
1 in stock
Size

NiSi's range of Protector filters is going through a major overhaul and simplification, read the below to avoid confusion. (January 2023) 

Before 2023 NiSi offered 4 different UV filters targeting 3 different price classes. As is usually the problem with Homo Sapiens, too many options is not always a good thing, despite the good intentions. In January 2023, NiSi released the UHC UV, which packs all of their latest optical tech into an ultra-thin knurled aluminium frame. This filter is cheaper than 3/4 of the previous offerings, but offers superior optics to all 4 ranges. The goal is to replace all 4 the previous ranges with this one. The only compromise is the aluminium ring, which is why we will still stock a minimal amount of the HUC UV for those who insist on brass.

UV Filters

UV filters eliminate the ultraviolet light, which we cannot see, but affects our images. One of the first issues to take note of is that the light we as humans see and that is critical to our images' colour capture is around 400-750nm. Anything below is considered UV and anything higher is considered IR.

Most camera's sensors can potentially see a massive spectrum, ranging from 200nm to 900nm, which contains a lot of light that is detrimental to the colour integrity of any photo. For this reason, most cameras have an IR and UV filter that limit the range from around 250nm to 780nm. What remains between this range and the visible range can affect colour, but it is very seldom noticeable in images. It used to be a much bigger problem in the film days when UV filters were considered a must-have accessory. One can't absolutely make the argument that UV filters serve no optical purpose in the digital age, as there are situations in which they do help as they cut out the range between the built-in filter and the visible spectrum; 280-395nm. Their real purpose lies in something much simpler - as a protective element for the lenses that cost us so much money. 

In the film days, this was a secondary benefit to the filters, but with the advent of digital sensors and built-in UV filters, their secondary property has become their primary purpose. NiSi offers three different UV filters, the primary difference being the material that the ring is made of.

  1. UHC UV (released 2023) - All the latest and greatest optics and coatings in an aluminium frame at an excellent price. (77mm = R899)
  2. SMC UV (LAST STOCK)(77mm = R699.00)
  3. Pro Nano HUC Protector Filter (LAST STOCK)(77mm = R1 049)
  4. PRO Nano HUC UV (will hold minimal stock going forward)(77mm = R1 399) – This filter series filters feature a brass ring, which doesn't jam easily as it's a very malleable material. It is also more resistant to temperature changes, meaning it won't get stuck as easily in extreme temperatures. The downside is that brass is very heavy (3.5x times the density of aluminium).

All NiSI circular filters ship with a hard plastic storage case. If you are purchasing multiple circular filters, the circular caddy pouch is a great addition for quick, safe and easy transport, storage and access. 

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Solid Neutral Density Filters

Solid neutral density filters lengthen exposure by cutting out a specific amount of light. This is very useful for creative purposes, whether you want to blur a wave, waterfall, leopard or a street scene.

They are available in many different densities, ranging from 2 to 20 stops, but the most popular are 3-, 6- and 10-stops.

3-Stop | 0.9 - This filter is used to add a slight blur to water before the sun has set or after it has risen. At f/16 and ISO100, it is impossible to achieve a slow enough shutterspeed to get the ideal amount of blur in the waves while the sun is up. Three stops of darkening will normally allow a shutterspeed of 1/10s to 1/2s during this golden sunlight phase, producing soft lines in the waves.

6-Stop | 1.8 - This filter serves the same purpose as the 10-stop, but it is better suited for sunset and sunrise. When the sun is close to setting or rising, a 10-stop ND will require a very long shutterspeed at f/11-16 and ISO100 to produce the correct exposure - often as much as 5-10 minutes. A 6-stop ND is thus much more suited for capturing long exposures of 30-60s around sunset and sunrise.

10-Stop | 3.0 - This filter is used primarily for blurring the sea to a flat mist and for blurring clouds into abstract lines. It can also be used to remove traffic and people from urban scenes by blurring the moving elements. At f/11-16 and ISO100, it usually produces a shutterspeed of 20-30s in early morning or late afternoon with strong sunlight.

15-Stop | 4.5 - This filter is serious long exposure territory and will produce exposures times of 1-4 minutes in peak daylight and 5-30 minutes during golden hour.

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Graduated Neutral Density Filters

Landscape photographers use graduated neutral density filters because the sky is usually brighter than the land – especially in dramatic sunset light. Graduated ND filters are dark on the top half and transparent on the bottom half.

When the dark part is positioned over the sky of an image, it ‘reduces’ the amount of light allowed through that part of the frame and this results in a darkened exposure of the sky. On the left side of the image it shows the result without any filter and on the right it shows the result with the filter. Graduated Filters have two variables - the graduation type and the density. Read below to find out more.

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Graduation Type

This determines how the filter changes from transparent to dark. No two landscapes are the same and thus there are different grads for different situations.

These filters are typically for scenes with a very dynamic horizon, like landscapes with trees or high mountains. Soft grads are the most forgiving and easiest for beginners to use.

Hard Grad - These filters are typically for scenes with a straight and uniform horizon, like the sea. If a hard grad is not positioned perfectly, it will be clearly noticeable in the image as a dark line below the horizon or a bright line above it. We advise that beginners stick to soft and medium grads.

Medium Grad – Medium grads are a newer product that most manufacturers only released in 2016/2017. Many photographers often found hard grads too hard and soft grads too soft and thus it was obvious that something in between was necessary. It is also the perfect solution for photographers that don’t want to commit to a hard or soft grad. Not everyone can afford to buy the full range of these filters and the medium grads are an excellent new compromise.

Reverse Grad – These filters serve a very niche, but useful purpose. When shooting into a bright sunset/sunrise, the brightest area is right on the horizon and then the sky darkens towards the top. When using a normal graduated ND, it will result in a correctly exposed horizon, but the top part of the sky will be far too dark. A Reverse Grad also has a clear lower half, but it is darkest in the middle and then gets lighter towards the top. This allows one to more accurately balance those exposures that are brightest on the horizon.

Focal Length Factor - A longer focal length softens the graduation as the image is captured through a smaller portion of the filter. If you shoot a lot of landscapes with your 24-70 or 70-200, then you'll need hard grads.

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Graduation Density

All the different types of grads are available in different densities, because light is dynamic and different scenes require a different amount of ‘darkening’ of the sky. We stock a variety of 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 (0.3 = 1 stop) in NiSi's various size ranges.

The most popular densities are 0.6 and 0.9, but a 1.2 is becoming increasingly popular.

1. 0.3 (1-stop) is for experienced shooters, usually to be combined with a 0.6 or 0.9.

2. 0.6 (2-stop) is the most popular filter as a 2-stop difference between land and sky is most common. If you shoot a sunset/sunrise the 0.6 will be the all-rounder that best balances exposure between land and sky in most directions.

3. 0.9 (3-stop) is the ideal if you like shooting into the sunset as the 0.6 isn’t always dark enough for into-the-sun shots. The issue with the 0.9 is that it will be too dark if shooting 90-degrees from the sun or with the sun at your back.

4. 1.2 (4-stop) is for shooting directly into a very bright sunset/sunrise.

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Local ambassadors

See how local NiSi ambassador Kyle Goetsch is putting his filters to work. Photo by Kyle Goetsch taken with the NiSi 6-stop ND.