Welcome to my Joel Tjintjelaar signature edition Formatt Hitech filter kit #2 Review
So the first question I would ask anyone looking at buying kit #2 is what do you want to use it for as there is also the more versatile Kit #1 version.
What’s the difference in the two kits you may ask?
Well, Kit #1 is exactly the same as kit #2 only for the strength of the ND filters.
Kit #1 includes a 3, 6 and 10-stop ND filter.
Kit #2 includes a 10, 13 and 16-stop ND filter.
Both kits include the filter holder, pouch and cpl. I explain exactly what is in the kit further down.
I would appear obvious that if you want to do longer long exposure shots then kit #2 is the best option or is it?
In my blog post here on Kit #1, I explain exactly what variety of ND stops can be achieved with that kit. Which goes all the way up to 17.5-stop from the basic kit. If you click here you can read that in a bit more detail.
So is Kit #2 useless? Absolutely not and it’s actually a very relevant option depending on the style of photography you want to achieve. In Kit#1 you needed to stack ND filters to achieve the high ND stop strengths.
On Kit #2 you can use a single filter to achieve this hence leaving a spare slot where you can use a graduated ND filter. So if you never use a graduated filter I would opt for Kit#1 for its sheer versatility. Again have a read of its details here and my review.
Getting back to the basics of this review again…
I have been a fan of Formatt Hitech filters for many years now and some of you will probably know as a result of my very vocal praise of their products I was made a Featured Artist and Brand Ambassador for their products.
As a Brand Ambassador and Featured Artist and for transparency I should add that Formatt Hitech gives me a slight commission for filters purchased with my discount code. I should also add I was using their filters already and purchased them with my own hard-earned money before I was asked to be an Ambassador. I was also asked by two other companies but refused politely as I didn’t believe in their products.
The great news is an Ambassador I can offer you an additional 10% off Formatt Hitech products with discount code , simply enter it at checkout on the Formatt Hitech website. So instead of paying £380.99 you pay just £343.39 for the 100mm Firecrest Pro kit delivered directly to your door.
I get a slight commision from any sales made with my code but that helps me write blog posts like this and hey you get a nice saving also so it’s a win win situation for everyone.
The new Firecrest Magnetic 100mm filter holder now comes in this kit, watch the video below to find out more about it.
Why buy this particular kit?
Well, that’s simple, it comes with everything you need to get started in proper long exposure photography at a great price.
Just look at what you get.
I should also say this kit is available as a screw-in filter kit also.
You can buy it in 72mm 77mm and 82mm filter threads, this review also applies to those kits as the filters are exactly the same quality. The only difference with the screw in filters is you can’t always stack them and also can’t use a graduated filter. Hence the reason I always default to the 100mm filter kit.
In my guide times below for each filter it entirely depends on the light levels you are shooting with on the day and your camera an. They are only very rough estimates. If you want to work out your exposure times properly then have a look at my blog post which nd filter do I need to buy?
100mm filter kit contents…
1.-Firecrest 100mm filter holder.
1.- Firecrest ND3.0 (10-stop) Great in lower light conditions like sunsets and very overcast days for 30-second long exposure photographs. In bright daylight conditions, it gives the option to shoot short long exposures of around a second or two.
1.-Firecrest ND3.9 (13-stops) Ideal for around sunset or sunrise for longer long exposure photographs 1 minute to 5 minutes long depending on, light levels. In very bright daylight conditions you could well be shooting up about 10 seconds with this filter on.
1.-Firecrest ND 4.8 (16-stop), this filter is great for near minute long exposures (depending on lighting conditions again) in daylight. It’s also great for super long exposures mid-day on overcast days or at sunset.
1.-Magnetic circular polarising filter.
1.- Magnetic lens cap.
4.- Adaptor rings incl.. 72mm and 77mm adaptor threads and two rotating rings in 82mm and 86mm threads.
1.- Filter wallet
As I said earlier priced at £375.99 +£5.- shipping totalling to £380.99 it’s good value for money but if you enter discount code at checkout you get 10% off so it’s just £343.39 delivered to your door.
For a filter holder, 3 filters, adaptor rings and a filter wallet it truly is fantastic value for money.
Going back to the products themselves in a bit more detail…
Firecrest 100mm MKii filter holder.
The Firecrest filter holder is a beautiful bit of kit, with the extra light shield adaptors you can actually stack ND filters. Yes, you can use the 13 & 10-stop filter together at the same time making it a 23-stop filter for example.
Again the extra light shields help protect your filters from sea spray and light rain.
Firecrest Pro filters
The Firecrest Pro series of filters are colour neutral, incredibly hard-wearing and the sharpest filters I have ever used (just like the Ultra’s).
So what’s the hard-wearing part about?
A filter is a filter, right?
Well, that’s wrong… The way the Firecrest filters are made they actually sandwich the ND coating in between two slivers of glass.
Yes, the filters are made of two thin sheets of glass and not one.
This has two advantages, firstly the ND coating can’t be scratched as it’s protected by glass on both sides and secondly due to the construction of the bonded glass it makes the filters more resilient to damage than a standard filter.
Again I have an in-depth review of the Firecrest Pro filters here.
Ultra Kit
The same applies for the Ultra kit but there is a difference between the pro’s and Ultra’s for my in-depth review of the Ultra filters click here.
Before you go I have two great blog posts on long exposure photography and another one on a comprehensive guide to seascape photography that would probably be a very good read for you.
I also have a review of the other signature artist kits simply click on the text below to read them…
Colby Brown signature edition landscape kit
Elia Locardi Signature artist travel kit
Patrick Di Fruscia Pro essentials signature artist kit
Joel Tjintjelaar signature edition Formatt Hitech filter kit #1
A few more products you might be interested in…
Firecrest 85mm filter holder review
Firecrest Nightscape light pollution filter
What other filters would I buy?
If I were buying another add-on filter it would be a 4 stop or 1.2ND graduated Pro filter to help balance out the sky and foreground.
If you have any filter related questions then feel free to drop me an email at info@kieranhayesphotography.com I am always happy to help.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review and enjoy those filters, you won’t regret it.
See you out there,
Kieran.