Filter holders adapted for wide-angle lenses

Whether you’ve been following me on this blog since the beginning or whether you discovered it after doing some research on the internet, you should now know that I’m a fan of camera equipment, and in particular of camera lens filters (general article explaining all the possibilities). Indeed, despite the arrival of digital technology and the more and more advanced developments of editing software and Photoshop, I can’t help saying that I much prefer spending time outdoors with my DSLR camera, filters and tripod rather than playing with cursors on DXO, Lightroom or Photoshop. A matter of taste some will say, but that’s my preference!

I should have written this article a long time ago. Indeed, I’ve had it in mind for quite some time, especially a few months ago when I bought a new wide-angle lens for my 6D, the Canon 16-35mm L f/4 IS. It really took a lot of research to make up my mind, which was based on my desires, my budget and filter systems. This is what leads us to discuss today the different filter systems that can be put in place. A majority of people who buy wide angle/ultra-wide-angle lenses do so in order to use them for landscape photography. And if there is one area where the use of filters in photography seems essential to me, it is this one. Anyway, here’s the thing.

Today, I wanted to talk to you about filters, but not just any filters. Indeed, the vast majority of lenses that are in the shops allow for only the use of simple screw filters. Those who wish to use graduated neutral density filters (GND) use “classic 100mm filter holder systems”. So, I won’t talk about that today. The article will therefore be dedicated to all special filter systems apart from these “screw-in and 100mm filter holder systems”. This is essentially the case for all wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses that have a curved front lens and/or very often a fixed lenshood, which prevents you from using the classic “screw-in” systems. It a good thing to know this before you invest, isn’t it?

After a few reminders on the traditional filter systems, I would like to talk about all the necessary references of camera equipment for the use of these special filter systems, both for DSLR lenses (mostly) and for mirrorless cameras (which I will complete as I go along). As soon as you start searching on the web, you’ll realize that finding all the right references for adaptor rings, adapters, filter holders and associated filters, is not that simple. Here’s the article that should help you to see more clearly!

One final clarification. This article required a lot of compilation and research work. I won’t pretend to say that what I wrote is perfect. It is possible that you may find inaccuracies, omissions or mistakes. If this is the case, or if you have specific information to add/correct among the references (filter holders, filters, adaptor rings) or their uses, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. This will allow me to complete the article and it’s always interesting to get precise feedback from people who use these lenses. I’m waiting for your comments then?

Let’s summarize things simply because I already mention this topic in the article on camera lens filters. I consider that there are 3 useful filters especially for landscape photography. I’ll put the links to the three already dedicated articles on the blog to learn more about each of these types of filters.

• The ND filter / neutral density: mainly used for long exposures on the seaside, rivers, waterfalls, etc.
• The polarizing filter: allows a saturation and an increase of contrast in the picture,
• The GND filter / Graduated Neutral Density: allows to compensate for differences in the brightness of a scene (often the sky and the foreground) by reducing the amount of light on a part of the scene.

Generally speaking, you have two types of filters. Screw filters are the easiest to use. There are polarizing filters and screw-in ND filters. Filter holder systems allow you to stack several filters at once (usually square or rectangular). They are often used for GND filters, but they can be stacked with a polarizing filter and/or an ND filter. With standard systems, the GND filters will be 100x150mm in size, the ND and polarizing filters will be square 150x150mm or in the form of a circular filter that can be screwed on the front of your lens. These systems work perfectly on the majority of lenses that do not have a curved front lens

For this article, the focus is on filter holder systems for special lenses, with a bulbous front lens, whether for DSLR or mirrorless lenses. Basically, the filter holder system is “simple” since it consists in buying an adaptor ring that is screwed on the front of the lens. The filter holder will be clipped on the adaptor ring, in which filters will be inserted at will.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter regarding special filter systems. Of course, this article will be of interest to all those who are interested in filters and who own (or are about to buy) these curved front lens optics, which are often considered expensive, in most cases.

To my knowledge, there are several brands that offer this type of special filter system. I would say that the two most renowned brands are LEE and NISI. But I also know that Haida, Rollei, Benro or Kase offer this type of filter systems depending on the lenses. Very often, each brand offers a unique system for each type of optic. After a lot of research, here is a summary of everything I found.

I have to admit that I had to go over it all several times to write this article and above all find a way to avoid repeating myself all the time. Because finally, in the world of special filters for wide angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses, we almost always find the same possibilities. The only things that change are actually the filter holders and the adapter ring which are often specific elements dedicated to the lenses I’m going to talk about.

So, I decided to proceed as follows. Henceforth I present, the different filter holder systems mentioned in this article for each lens. For information, the links are clickable and bring you directly to the filter holder system you want to know more about.

For each wide angle or ultra-wide-angle lens presented below, I indicate the filter holder system to be used as well as the adapter ring to be used (if necessary). When I have managed to collect and confirm the information, I can give you details about stacking the number of filters, vignetting, etc…

Regarding the filters to be used for each lens, I remind you in the presentation of each filter holder system, the filters you can use (polarizer, ND, GND) in the form of a summary table. I didn’t always find all the references online, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you find others!

The two tables below summarize the main part of the article:

• Table 1: the lenses and the required filter holders,
• Table 2: the different filter holders and the sizes of the polarizing, GND, ND filters to be used.

You can click directly on the lens you are looking for to get detailed information about the filter holder options for that lens.

Please note that in the table above, the last two lenses for mirrorless cameras (Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN FE – Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 FE) are noted for a Sony mount (FE label as a reminder). I don’t know yet if the filter holders associated with these lenses could fit on other mounts, for example the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN L, for the Panasonic L range (full frame mirrorless camera).

You can click on the filter holder system you want to see directly all the filters to be used with it.

The NISI 180mm system is a very special system since it concerns, to my knowledge, only two ultra-wide-angle lenses, the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 L and the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 (with a special adapter). A special filter holder for the Irix 11mm f/4 lens was also produced by Nisi for this 180mm system. The filter holder contains 2 slots. The brand confirms no vignetting, even at 11mm with two filters installed.

Regarding the filters of this system, there are:

• Square ND and polarizing filters in the size 180x180mm,
• GND filters size 180x210mm.

The table below summarizes all the filters (that I found) that can fit on this NISI 180mm system. The choice is limited for the moment.

Please note that there is a special 180mm filter holder that allows you to adapt your 180mm system to any Nisi S5/S6 system. Concretely, this avoids you buying a whole set of filters + filter holder to shoot on a Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 or a Sigma 14mm f/1.8 (standard filter holder in 150mm).

In addition, Nisi offers adaptor rings that allow to adapt this 180mm system also to lenses with a smaller diameter. They are available in 77mm and 82mm.

This NISI 150mm system allows a set of square and rectangular filters to be placed on wide angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses. It is not possible to use a circular polarizing filter with this system. Each filter holder is unique to its dedicated lens. Depending on the focal length of the lens, the filter holder can be used with 2 or 3 filters (2 or 3 slots available).

Concerning the filters, they are much more available and varied than for the 180mm system. The ones that exist are referred to in the following:

• Polarizing and square ND filters of 150x150mm size
• Rectangular GND filters size 150x170mm

The table below summarizes all the filters that can be attached to this system.

According to the brand, all NISI filter holders would be compatible with NISI, Lee, Hitech, Cokin and Singh-Ray filters.

The main disadvantage of this system is that you cannot use a polarizing filter independently from other square (ND) or rectangular (GND) filters. All the filters mentioned in the table above are compatible with the new NISI 150mm S6 system (mentioned below).

Note also that there are adaptor rings for this Nisi 150mm system to be able to mount it on lenses with smaller diameters, in particular for 95mm diameters (for Hasselblad lenses – 35-90mm HCD/ 300mm HC / 35mm HC / 50-150mm HC and the Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens) and for 105mm diameters (for the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 DG OS).

UPDATE : 10/07/2021 : adding the new S6 system. It’s a bit like the Rolls Royce of filter holder systems, a great improvement compared to the old 150mm system. This new system allows the insertion of a circular polarizing filter (CPL) on which two 150mm wide filters can be fitted, either ND or GND filters. This gives you the possibility to use your polarizing filter independently from your ND or GND filter, which is really convenient. The concept is as follows, you have an adapter ring (unique for each lens) that you screw onto your lens, on which a circular polarizing filter is then screwed. On top of it, you place a filter holder system with 2 slots.

Regarding the filters, we will use a circular polarizing filter (simple or ” Landscape “), generally sold in kit, with a 150mm diameter. For the other filters (ND and GND), it will be a question of using the same references mentioned in the table above for the “basic 150mm” system. Here it is as a reminder.

There is also the possibility of placing a circular screw-in ND filter instead of the circular polarizer usually used with this system. It can be found in ND8 (3 stops), ND1000 (10 stops), ND3200 (15 stops), but also as ND64 + CPL. This is an interesting option for people who do not wish to use a polarizing filter or GND filter with this system. Below is a small summary of the 150mm circular CPL + ND filters for this S6 Nisi system.

We have just tested the new NISI S7 filter holder system that has just been released (standard 100mm system)! We made a detailed article about it !

At the time of writing, this new system does not yet cover all wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle DSLR lenses. It concerns however the very famous Nikon 14-24mm F/2.8, Tamron 15-30mm F/2.8, Sigma 14mm F/1.8, Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 – Sigma 20mm F/1.4 DG Art and two special tilt shift lenses, the Canon TS-E 17mm F/4L and the PC Nikkor 19mm F/4E ED.

Two other important points to acknowledge:

• NISI offers adaptor rings for several of these lenses (several diameters often available) allowing to use the whole S6 system on smaller diameters, often in 77mm and 82mm,
• Finally, NISI also offers a kit including the S6 150mm filter holder, a 105mm main adaptor ring (to place the CPL) and two adaptor rings 95mm – 105mm and 82mm – 95mm). Unlike conventional S6 kits which require a special adapter for a specific lens, this kit allows you to use the S6 system on any lens with 82mm, 95mm and 105mm diameter.

It is the brand’s adapted system for almost all the lenses mentioned in the article. The system works as follows. The filter holder is identical for all lenses that are compatible. Only the adapter rings are unique and dedicated to each lens. So, you need to buy a filter holder + an adapter ring. Note that the filter holder is sold with a rear sun shield (“Lee Lightshiled”) which allows to limit the effects of flare or light leakage on the images (even if there are many photographers still grumbling about it saying that it clearly doesn’t work that much).

As far as I know, you can’t place a circular filter (like on the Nisi 150mm S6) meaning you have to use the polarizing filter separately from your ND and GND filters, which is a shame. This is one of the limitations of this system, the other main one being that you have to remove the lens from the camera to add the whole system every time you want to use it (not very practical). It’s again a pity. However, as specified by Lee, you can use the SW150 square polarizing filter in the filter holder and rotate it to get the desired polarization. Once a GND is installed, you won’t be able to rotate the polarizing filter without rotating the GND.

Regarding the filters, here is what you should use:

• A circular effect polarizing filter (square) of 150x150mm size,
• Square ND filters size 150x150mm,
• Rectangular GND filters of size 150x170mm.

The table below lists all the filters that can be installed on the Lee SW 150 Mark II system.

For long exposure fans, as mentioned in the table, Lee offers a range of ND filters, perfect for long exposures (ND64, ND1000) but also for fans of very long exposures during the day, the Lee Super Stopper with 15 stops (ND3200). Please note that Lee’s ND filters have a strong blue coloration. Of course, it’s not that much of a problem since this issue can be corrected in post processing, but everyone agrees that the rendering with the ND filters is not that close to the reality seen in the viewfinder (I can confirm since I use a Big Stopper).

Reverse filters are also available for sunrise/sunset, but some people seem to point out that the separations between the graduations are too sharp and not degraded enough.

Finally, Lee also offers (like Nisi) adaptor rings to use the SW150 Mk II system on other lenses (available in 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 86mm, 95mm and 105mm).

Haida is one of the lesser known brands but often offers a cheaper alternative to the classic Lee/NISI systems. As with Lee, the filter holder system consists of a common filter holder for all lenses and unique adapter rings for each lens. According to the information I managed to find, the M15 system would work on a vast majority of current WA and UWA lenses.

The M15 filter holder was built to accommodate up to 2 square or rectangular filters (ND, GND) as well as a circular magnetic filter (CPL, ND or CPL + ND). The advantage of this system, like the 150mm S6 from NISI, is that it allows the circular magnetic polarizing filter to be used independently of the ND/GND filters that are placed in front. This is a big pro. Concerning the filters from Haida, the choice is limited and you will have to choose the famous “Red Diamond” series with:

• ND filters in the size 150x150mm.
• GND filters size 150x170mm (available in Soft, Hard, Medium, Reverse and Horizon)

In addition, Haida has 4 usable circular magnetic filters: ND, CPL, Clear-Night and CPL+ND. The table below summarizes available filters, but I have to admit that it seems difficult to find filters in Europe at the common online retailers. From what I found, the system should be compatible with filters of other brands such as Lee, Nisi, ICE, Kase, etc.

It is worth mentioning that there is also an older version of the Haida 150mm filter holder that is still available online for most of the lenses mentioned in the article, which are compatible with the brand’s new M15 system. The important difference is that this system does not allow the use of circular polarizing filter (CPL) unlike the new M15 (the same thing for the old 150mm from Nisi compared to the new S6). Moreover, with the old system, you have to remove the lens each time to install the system, which is not practical at all. The M15 solved this problem, so I wouldn’t recommend choosing the old system.

This German brand also offers some special filter holder systems for particular wide angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses. Their filter holders are known to be compatible with the filter brands Lee, Formatt, Hitech, Nisi, Haida and Cokin. For these lenses with a wide viewing angle, you will need to choose between a 150mm or 180mm filter holder. These two systems do not allow the use of a circular polarizing filter (CPL). However, you can place up to three square or rectangular filters in the 150mm system and up to two filters in the 180mm system. Each filter holder is dedicated to one lens. For the filters shown above, the availability is much higher at Amazon.de (it’s normal, it’s a German brand).

Like all other brands of filter holders, Rollei offers step-up rings allowing you to use the 150/180mm system on lenses with smaller diameters.

Benro also offers two filter holder systems with adapter rings for wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses. The best known and most suitable for the majority of these lenses is the FH150 system, while the FH170 filter holder is only designed to work on the Canon 11-24mm f/4.

Concerning the FH150 filter holder, the front part of the filter always remains the same. It’s the rear part of the filter holder that changes according to the lens you’re going to use (it’s an adaptor ring that screws from the rear in fact). According to Benro, this FH150 system accepts all filters in 150mm width (and 2mm thickness), glass or resin. The advantage of the Benro FH150 system is that it allows the use of a circular polarizing filter (CPL) independently of the ND or GND filters that can be placed in front (like the S6 from Nisi or the M15 from Haida).

According to the information given by the brand, it is possible to use two square (150x150mm) or rectangular (150x170mm) filters in addition to the CPL. Without using the CPL, three square/rectangular filters can be placed in the FH150 filter holder. However, it would seem that every time you wish to use the 150mm CPL, it is necessary to remove all the slots to be able to place special slots to accommodate the CPL, which is not very practical (see this video).

Although the Benro filter holder accepts filters from other brands, Benro offers filters from the brand itself. Here is a summary of what the brand offers. For the moment, I haven’t really found many online retailers offering Benro filters. Additionally, it is not possible to buy on their website at the time of writing this article.

I must admit that before writing this article, I only knew the brand by name. During my research, I realized that they offer a lot of filter holder systems and filters adapted for wide angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses mentioned in the article. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:

• In most cases, the filter holders are unique and made exclusively for one lens,
• For the majority of the lenses in the article, you will need to remove your lens from the camera to be able to install the filter holder system,
• There are generally two classic models of the brand:
  • The WonderPana Holder 145mm
  • The WonderPana XL Holder 186mm

The two systems were created for different focal lengths. For each of the two models, there are two options, so to speak:

• Core option: this is the ideal solution if you only want to use a screw-in circular polarizing filter (or a screw-in ND filter) for your lens (without using GND filters),
• FreeArc Core: This is the required and necessary solution if you want to use a circular polarizing filter independently of ND and GND filters.

The WonderPana Holder 145mm remains the most widely used filter holder system. The basic version allows the use of an ND or circular polarizing filter (CPL) with a 145mm diameter. With the FreeArc Core option, you can place GND filters of size 168x216mm.

The WonderPana Holder XL Holder 186mm is a filter holder system reserved only for 4 lenses with a very wide focal length on a full frame camera, all mentioned in this article: the Canon 11-24mm f/4 L USM, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art, the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art and finally the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art. The brand has therefore created 4 dedicated filter holders for these lenses.

This filter holder allows in its basic version to accommodate a circular polarizing filter (CPL) or a 186mm ND filter (yes yes!). With the FreeArc Core option, you can place 200x260mm graduated neutral density filters.

Here are the filters I managed to find during my research. There are often also available packs (filter holder + ND and/or GND filter). Another important point is that for a part of the ND filters listed below, you can choose normal filters and ultra-slim filters.

Filters suitable for WonderPana 145mm and 186mm filter holder systems

The brand offers (like most of them) step-up adaptor rings that will allow you to use their systems on your other lenses with smaller diameters (77mm, 82mm, 95mm and 145mm).

The Kase brand also offers two filter holder systems adapted to specific optics mentioned in this article, the K150mm and the K170mm. The most standard filter holder of the brand is the Kase 150mm. The Kase 170mm can be installed on lenses with larger diameters such as the Sigma 12-24mm f/4, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 or Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8.

The Kase 150mm filter holder (K150) is the most widely used. It can hold up to 2 filters with the possibility of adding a third one. This system does not allow the use of a circular polarizing filter (CPL). The brand has released a K150 II version which can be sold without an adapter ring. You then have the possibility to buy the rings for the desired lenses, for the moment: the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 FE, the Fujifilm 8-16mm, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 and finally the Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8.

The Kase 170mm filter holder (K170) allows on some lenses the independent use of a 150mm circular polarizing filter (for example on the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8).

Regarding filters, the K150 will accept 150x150mm ND/Polarizer filters and 150x170mm GND filters while the K170 filter holder will allow the use of 170x170mm ND filters/Polarizing filter as well as 170x190mm GND filters.

Concerning the filters, here’s what I’ve found so far.

Please note that Kase offers, like many other brands, adaptor rings that enable the adaption of their systems on lenses with smaller diameters (from 77mm to 105mm).

To be confirmed but Kase filter holders should of course accept filters of other brands in 150mm.

To my knowledge, there are 2 Canon lenses with a special filter system (Canon 11-24mm f/4 L and the 14mm f/2.8 L II), as well as two particular lenses: the Canon 8-15mm f/4 L Fisheye USM, a Fisheye lens on which no filter system exists and the Canon 17mm TS-E, a tilt shift lens. I won’t talk about these two particular lenses for the moment (waiting for info).

• Check out the lens in detail on: Amazon / Adorama

This is a very well-known Canon lens for landscape photography. According to my research, there are several special filter systems for this lens. Here is a summary of the different filter possibilities for the Canon 11-24mm f/4 L USM.

• From what I have found in my research, the system that NISI offers is the one that works best from this lens. Their system allows no vignetting even at 11mm with 2 filters. Note that Nisi offers a ring to adapt this NISI 180mm system to the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 HSM Art. Moreover, if you wish, you can use NISI’s adapter rings to adapt this 180mm system to other smaller lenses (77mm and 82mm),
• Confirmed by several users and by Lee, on this lens, this system however is vignetting up to about 12.5mm with the use of a filter. Count vignetting up to 14mm with 2 filters. As a reminder, like Nisi, Lee offers step-up rings to be able to use their system on smaller diameters (see the references for the step-up ring in the table above),
• Concerning the WonderPana system (186mm), the brand guarantees no vignetting with a screw filter (CPL or ND) and two GND filters, even at 11mm (see the presentation video here). It is also possible to screw two 186mm filters on top of each other CPL+ND but vignetting will appear,
• I also saw that there was a possibility at LucrOit, the 165mm Pro L, but the system seems very limiting since it is necessary to use brand filters (size 165mm) and they are the only ones to offer this size,
• Finally, it is important to note that several brands offer gelatin ND filters that can be placed on the rear of certain lenses (Aurora, Haida or Kase),
• Here is a video of Kase installing their K170 on this lens (which is done without removing the lens from the camera body).

• View the lens in detail on: Amazon / Adorama

This ultra-wide-angle Canon lens also has a curved front lens, let’s see together which filter systems are possible.

Observations:

• Kase confirms the possibility of using their K170 with 2 square/rectangular filters without vignetting if the filter holder remains straight. Turned at 45°, vignetting will appear on the pictures. There is no possibility of using a CPL with this system on this optic,
• NISI confirms that it is possible to use 3 stacked filters without vignetting,
• At Wonderpana, it is necessary to install the filter holder system on the lens first and then on the camera.

As with Canon DSLR lenses, only two Nikon lenses commonly used for landscape photography have a special filter system, the famous Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G and 14mm f/2.8D, which are almost the equivalent of Canon’s. Two particular lenses will not be mentioned in this article for the moment, the Fish Eye 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E FE and the Nikon 19mm f/4 E Ed, a tilt shift lens.

Considered one of Nikon’s best landscape lenses for a very long time, the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G has a bulbous front element that requires the use of a special filter system.

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

The table below summarizes all the possibilities for placing filters on the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G:

Observations:

To my knowledge, there are two renowned systems, Lee and Nisi’s, that seem to be commonly used by landscape photographers.

• From Nisi, this system allows the use of two square (ND) or GND (rectangular in size) filters as well as a circular polarizing filter, all without vignetting. For this lens, NISI offers two adaptor rings in 77mm and 82mm, which allows the whole system to be used on lenses with smaller diameters. There is also a 150mm version of the filter holder that does not allow the use of CPL,
• Lee’s system would allow, according to the information I could find on the web, to use three square filters without vignetting at 14mm, as long as the filter holder remains straight. You can’t use a CPL with this system,
• With Haida, it is generally provided as a kit including the filter holder + adapter ring as well as the magnetic circular filter, as here or for the old 150mm system of the brand, here,
• The Kase 170 system is in my opinion a very good alternative since it allows the use of a 150mm CPL and two square/rectangular filters without vignetting (see this video for installation). Note that the Kase 150mm version also exists for this lens but only allows the use of 2 square/rectangular filters (without CPL). According to the brand, vignetting is visible as soon as the filter holder is shifted at 36° (on the K150),
• Other people according to my research also use the Progrey G-150Z system (Amazon US) or the Lucroit filter holder and Hitech filter (165mm Hitech filters).

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

Regarding the 14mm f/2.8D ED, here are the special filter systems to be used.

Observations:

• I haven’t yet found a filter holder reference from Nisi or Rollei, which could fit on the Nikon 14mm f/2.8,
• The system proposed by Kase (K170) allows the use of a CPL (150mm) and two square/rectangular filters without vignetting. Note that the system must be first mounted on the lens before it is attached to the camera (as on the Wonderpana system),
• The Benro system requires placing the filter holder with the lens detached from the camera.

To my knowledge and at the date of writing this article, there are 4 Sigma lenses with a curved lens and therefore requiring special filter systems: the Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Art, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art, the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art and finally the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art. I voluntarily ruled out the Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM which is a special Fisheye lens as well as the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG EX HSM which is a rather old and less used lens (but I could add it in an update of the article).

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

Regarding the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG Art, you have the choice between all these systems:

Remarks:

• Nisi guarantees that there would be no vignetting with 2 square or rectangular filters with the filter holder set at 90°. There would be a slight vignetting at 45°, however. To avoid vignetting, it is recommended to use the Nisi 180mm system (the one of the Canon 11-24mm f/4 L) with the special adaptor ring for this lens.
• The Kase 170mm system for this lens does not, to my knowledge, allow the use of a circular polarizing filter (CPL). No vignetting announced with two filter at 12mm filters -> watch the installation video,
• The SW150 Mk II system vignette from about 12 to 13.5mm, which only allows the lens to be used from 14mm upwards.

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

Regarding the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG Art, you can choose between all these systems:

Remarks:

• Kase with its K170mm system confirms no vignetting at 14mm with 3 square or rectangular filters. No possibility of using a CPL on this set-up,
• NISI offers two adaptor rings (77mm and 82mm) for its S6 system, which allows this system to be used on optics with smaller diameters,
• Note that several brands (including Kase and Haida) offer gelatin ND filters that you can place on the rear of the lens.

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

The table below summarizes all the filter holders that fit on the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art.

Remarks:

• Kase offers both systems for this lens, the K150 and the K170. The K170 allows the placement of a CPL (150mm) and 2 square/rectangular filters (unlike the K150). The K170 system must be installed on the lens before the lens is mounted on the camera.

• See the lens on : Amazon / Adorama

Here are the possibilities regarding filter holders for the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art.

Remarks:

• Here is the installation video of the Kase K150II on this lens here. It is possible to place 3 square/rectangular filters without vignetting. No possibility to place a CPL.
• The Nisi 150mm allows the placement of 2 square/rectangular filters without vignetting (video here). The new S6 system is also available for this lens with two rings (77mm and 82mm) to install the S6 of the lower diameter lenses,
• You can also ask Sigma to install a kind of mini rear filter holder to place gelatin filters (see at Adorama for example). Kase offers for example an ND rear filter set here.

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

At the time of writing, only the 15-30mm f/2.8 optics (G1 and G2) have a curved front lens requiring a special filter system. Here is the set summarized in the table below.

Remarks

• As with other lenses, Kase offers the possibility to install two systems on this Tamron lens: the K150 and the K170. As a reminder, the K170 allows the use of a CPL (150mm), which is not possible with the K150,
• Note that the Canon version of this lens allows the use of a gelatin rear ND filter at the back of the lens, but I still have trouble finding it anywhere online,
• Nisi offers two adaptor rings for using the S6 system of this lens on optics with smaller diameters (77mm and 82mm).

I will only mention (for the moment) the two Samyang/Rokinon lenses: the 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF and the Samyang XP 14mm f/2.4. Of course, there are other Samyang/Rokinon lenses (especially with manual focus) that I could add references if you are interested.

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

Remarks:

• Samyang offers for this optic its own filter holder system, the Samyang SFH-14. It has two slots to use two square/rectangular filters at the same time.
• According to user feedback, it seems that the product is not very well thought out and that many people choose the system from Lee, Nisi or Wonderpana for example,
• Wonderpana also confirms a slight vignetting at 14mm from this system (the system needs to be attached to the lens dettached from the camera first),
• I haven’t found a Benro or Rollei filter holder for this lens yet,
• The system offered by Kase needs to be attached to the lens before the lens is on the camera. No 14mm vignetting with 2 filters is apparent. There is no possibility of placing a CPL with this system.

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

Note:

• On the day of writing this article, I only found 3 possible filter systems for this optic (Nisi, Haida and Wonderpana). Do you know others?
• For now, I really had a hard time finding online resellers for these filter holders (update later).

• See the lens on: Amazon / Adorama

Many people have been talking about it a lot lately and given the price and quality offered by the brand, a lot of people have been tempted. The optic has a curved front lens but its design allows the use of a circular screw filter in front of the lens (CPL / ND) of 95mm. However, if you want to use a GND filter, you will need a filter holder (just like any other optics…).

The brand offers its filter-holder system, the IFH-100, which would be compatible with two square (100x100mm) or rectangular (100x150mm) filters, the whole thing needs to be assembled with a 95mm adapter ring (supplied with the filter-holder). Note that the filter holder can be used with a circular screw filter, even if you lose a slot on it. Nevertheless, it allows the use of a CPL + ND filter. Finally, Irix also offers adaptor rings (from 52mm to 95mm) to be able to use their filter holder on any lenses. All diameters are here. However, some users talk about light leakage concerns with the use of their filter holder system.

For those who don’t want to bother with a front filter system, you can also simply place small gelatin ND filters at the rear of the lens (which doesn’t cost anything), like the brand’s ones.

To my knowledge, only two other brands offer other possibilities:

• NISI offers a filter specially adapted to the Irix 15mm f/2.4 in 150mm. So, you can look at the filters adapted to this system here.
• Lucroit also offers a special 100mm filter holder for this lens.

Concerning the filters, for this lens, Irix offers:

• GND filters (Soft, Hard and Reverse),
• ND filters (ND8 to ND3200),
• A CPL (Irix Edge Circular Polarizing Filter),
• One screw-on ND filter (Irix Edge Full-ND) 10 stops.

A short aside, but for those who are wondering, I only found NISI which offers an adequate filter holder system (Nisi 180mm) adapted for the Irix 11mm f/4 lens. Two 180mm wide filters could be placed with a slight vignetting.

Of course, for the classic 95mm screw filters, you may very well decide to use filters of other brands. The GND filters of this brand are compatible with any classic 100mm filter holder (Lee, Nisi, Cokin, Haida and others).

See the lens in details on: Amazon / Adorama

To my knowledge, this is the only brand lens for which a special filter holder system must be used. These are the systems that can be adapted to this optic.

Remarks:

• Unless I’m mistaken, the S5 filter holder from Nisi fits both the Pentax 15-30mm f/2.8 and the Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8. There is however a 150mm system of the same brand which fits on the Pentax,
• Haida offers an old system (150mm), as well as their new S6 filter holder system for this optic.
• At Lee, it is the same system as the Tamron (SW150 filter holder + Tamron adapter ring) that fits on this lens,
• At Rollei, it is also the filter holder of the Tamron that fits in with this optic,
• Apparently, there is an FH150 filter holder for this Pentax, but I haven’t found it online yet.

See the lens in details on: Amazon / Adorama

Once again, I only know this lens from Tokina, requiring the use of a special filter holder system. Here’s what I found to be compatible with:

Remarks:

• Here is the installation video of the Nisi 150mm system on this lens,
• I still haven’t found out if all these filter holders fit on the new Tokina 16-28mm Opera (except for the Lee SW150 Mk II).

I am coming to the end of this list of special filter holder systems for wide angle DSLR lenses. Some of them are missing and I’ll add more as I find new ones. Do you see others that you want to be added in this list?

Mirrorless cameras have been popular over the last few years and more and more photographers, even professional ones, are considering purchasing them. I have therefore decided to also regroup all the mirrorless camera lenses that require the use of special filter holder systems, mainly also due to their curved front lens and/or a fixed lens hood. As a reminder, this prevents you from placing conventional screw filters. Let’s take a look at the lenses concerned.

• See the optics on: Amazon / Adorama

Remarks:

• The S6 filter holder from Nisi allows the use of 2 filters + one CPL without vignetting, whereas the Nisi 150mm does not allow the use of a PLC,

• See the optics on: Amazon / Adorama

Remarks:

• Kase offers an adapted system, the K170, which allows the use of a CPL filter (150mm) independently of the square/rectangular filters. Note that it is necessary to install the system on the lens before it is placed on the camera,
• Nisi offers both filter holder systems for this optic with the S6 (to use CPL + 2 filters) and the 150mm (without CPL but with 3 filters).

• See the optics on: Amazon / Adorama

• See the optics on: Amazon / Adorama

This is a rather special lens. It has such a wide angle of view that few classic brands have started to create a filter holder system for this lens. I found three options that come up often:

• The PVGear system to simply place a circular ND filter (diameter 86mm). The system would vignette at 7mm (but not at 8mm).
• The Shapeways system (3D printer) with a special filter holder for this optic that would allow the placement of two filters without any vignetting,
• The system from WonderPana (145mm).

Do you have other ideas? Other systems in mind?

• See the optics on: Amazon / Adorama

Remarks:

• Kase confirms with their K150P filter holder that up to 3 filters can be used without vignetting,
• Nisi confirms that there is no vignetting at 14mm with 2 square/rectangular filters and the CPL filter installed (see installation video),
• Haida offers their popular M15 system, but I’m having trouble finding it online anywhere at the moment,
• Haida offers ND filters that can be placed at the rear of the lens (“rear filters”) which look very good and which can (for those who wish) save you from breaking the bankwith a front filter system (see a video of their installation here).

• See the optics on: Amazon / Adorama

Last lens for the moment of this very long article, the new Samyang/Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 FE, for Sony mount. It’s a lens that has been talked about a lot too and I have only found so far Nisi that offers a 150mm system that works with it. Beware, the system mentionned below does not work on the Samyang f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC version (manual focus) for Sony.

Haida also proposes its M15 system for this lens, but I have had difficulties in finding it for the moment with a dealer in Europe.

I haven’t looked at everything yet, but from NISI you can find the new NISI S6 filter holders for :

1. Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
2. Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L
3. LAOWA FF S 15mm f/4.5 W-Dreamer

I don’t know who has had the courage to read so far, seriously? The majority of people interested in this type of article will be so for a particular lens mentionned in this one and obviously the goal is not to read this article like you would a travel story or photography tips post!

Anyway, I must admit that this article took me more than 10/15 days of research, gathering information, searching for links and references and I sincerely hope that if you come across it, you found the article very useful and that it may have helped you in your research.

As I said in the introduction, this article is not perfect, and you may find some inaccuracies or mistakes for sure. Please do not hesitate to comment on it so that I can correct it immediately to avoid spreading misinformation.

If you already use a filter holder system with the lenses mentioned in this article, I sincerely invite you to give me a detailed feedback on your use and to confirm or clarify what I wrote in the article. This will always be extremely helpful. For fans of camera equipment, I invite you to read the article on the best Canon wide-angle lenses. The majority of the lenses mentioned in the article require the use of these special filter holder systems!

I will try to personally test several filter holder systems and give feedback; I think it will be interesting! Finally, if you want me to add lenses that I didn’t mention in this article (I know there are some), don’t hesitate to tell me with the references! I’m thinking in particular about Canon EF 8-15mm f/4, Samyang 8mm f/3.5, Samyang 10mm f/2.8, Sigma 8-16 mm f/4.5-5.6, Voigtlander 21 mm f/1.8 ULTRON and others. If you have any information or if you want me to mention them and do the research, don’t hesitate!

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

Despite our care, a mistake may have slipped into this article. If you find any, please don't hesitate to let us know so we can correct it as soon as possible and keep our information up-to-date!