The brand new Ultra Hard Coating (UHC) UV features all the latest and greatest optics and coatings in an aluminium frame at an excellent price. NiSi is coming out of an intense period of R&D, which has seen them rise to the top of the filter market thanks to their True Colour and other technologies.
This new filter offers several features normally found in much more expensive filters.
- UHD Technology for high resolution sensors | Double-sided high precision polishing ensures a perfect surface, which delivers uncompromised detail, even on the latest medium format sensors.
- Water White Pro Optical Glass | Extremely high 99.3% light transmittance and perfectly neutral colour.
- Double-Sided Ultra Hard Hydrophobic nano-coatings | Easy to clean and difficult to scratch
- Ultra-Slim Knurled Frame | These filters are thinner and lighter than their predecessors.
- Cheaper than predecessors | The new UHC UV filters are 20% cheaper than the HUC Protector range.
While the aluminium frame of the Ultra Hard Coating (UHC) UV offers a benefits in both weight and pricing, we still stock a minimal amount of the HUC UV for those who insist on brass. Brass doesn't jam easily as it's a very malleable material and is more resistant to temperature changes. This means it won't get stuck as easily in extreme temperatures. The only drawback is the weight, brass is 3.5x times the density of aluminium, which means the HUC UV is heavier and a bit pricier.
About 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.
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.
Do you have the item in stock?
Products are either in stock, out of stock (sold out) or special order.
- In stock: We have stock at our local warehouse. You can see how many we have in stock, add these products to your cart and check out.
- Sold out: We usually carry stock of this item but it has sold out. Please get in touch to get an ETA and reserve and incoming product. Or use the "Email me when available" button to get an email when new stock arrives.
- Special order: We don't carry local stock of this item. Get in touch to confirm stock availability and ETA to place an order.
Delivery options and what they cost
We pride ourselves on lightning fast shipping, FREE on all orders over R1000. For orders under R1000 a courier fee of R120 will apply. Apart from large f-stop gear orders and large tripods, most of our items ship overnight and the daily cutoff is 13:00. You can read more on the deliveries page.
Can I collect my parcel?
Yes, you can collect your order from our warehouse in Saxenburg Park, Blackheath (08:00 - 14:00). Just choose the collection option at checkout- we'll follow up with the specifics. Please note that we are very strict about payment if collecting. We will not release any goods if we are not 100% comfortable about payment. We accept the following as payment confirmation in order to release the goods.
- Payfast Card Payment (any customers, new or returning)
- EFT from FNB to FNB, pending fund clearance (any customers, new or returning)
- Normal EFT from other banks to FNB (return customers only)
- Instant EFT from other banks to FNB, pending fund clearance (Any customers, new or returning)
- Cash (any customers, new or returning)
What payment options are available?
What is your policy on returns and or exchanges?
We are more than happy to exchange any product for something else or a full refund* if you feel that the item you chose isn’t quite right for you. See our Return Policy page for more.
*If paying with any card, 4.5% of the transaction value goes to the credit card payment facilitation company. "Full Refund" means that we will return the full amount we received after the credit card service fees. If you are at all unsure that what you're buying is ideal for you, rather opt for EFT payment to be safe.
Where is my order? How can I track my order?
You will receive an email with your tracking number once your order has been collected by our couriers. You can also find tracking number for your orders under "My account"
Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
0214653573
Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
Fritz, 0219101380
Boskruin, Randburg
Deon Truter, 0823148308
Stonemill Office Park, Greenstone House
300 Acacia Rd, Johannesburg
Wilhelmus Möller, 0118802885
28 Pearce St, Berea, East London
043 726 2200
Kloof, Durban
Emil, 0844849959
Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
0214653573
Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
Fritz, 021 910 1380
Kloof, Durban
Emil, 0844849959
Durbanville
Bernard Kotze - 0727156743
Ivan Fourie - 0825290593
1032 Silvergrass St, Montana, Pretoria, 0182
Wayne Lesch – 0798834407
Damien Bradshaw
Eastern Cape (Hunting Products Only)
0835749134
Approved Arms
Pretoria
Dirk Pio – 0730556726
We have a no-nonsense approach. If a product breaks due to a manufacturer defect, we will replace it without asking any questions. If we have any reason to believe that the product was put through unreasonably heavy usage, we will have to follow the manufacturer's standard warranty procedure.
Leofoto
The manufacturer offers a 10-year limited warranty on all products and we extend that warranty to our customers. Please read the below very carefully, so you understand your position when something breaks or doesn’t work ideally anymore.
It is critical to understand that this warranty only applies to factory faults and not to standard wear and tear. Tripods are subject to a lot of gray areas in this regard as tripods used outdoors, particularly in sand and sea water, are subjected to extreme wear and tear. We will e.g. replace the affected part of your tripod if a carbon tube snaps or cracks without much pressure applied to it or if the apex breaks. We will not replace your tripod or the affected part if e.g. a joint locks up due to sand or salt build up or if a hinge becomes corroded or stiff/floppy and unserviceable due to corrosion or salt build up.
In sum, if we see that you took good care of your tripod and something went wrong, we will go out of our way to fix or replace it for you. If we see that you dragged it through the mud (literally or metaphorically), then we are unlikely to fix/replace it for you. How you handle your tripod and take care of it, is all the difference between 3- or 20 years of service.
The best of tripods will not last longer than 2/3 years if used regularly in the sea, INCORRECTLY, and never serviced. Always make sure to extend the lowest leg section first, so you keep the joints out of the water/sand. Always rinse with freshwater after use in the sea, wipe down with a wet cloth, leave extended to dry and ENSURE YOU KEEP THE HEAD AND APEX DRY. If your tripod’s joints start feeling sandy/gritty, open them up, give them a proper clean and lubrication and fine-tune the tension on the joints.
If travelling on dirt roads, ensure that your tripod is in its carry-bag when not in use.
Your tripod will not take care of itself – it is up to you to do so. All our tripods ship with an info-sheet on taking care of your tripod. We also offer a full tripod disassembly and service for R1000, including shipping both ways.