PolarPro Peter MCKINNON Mist Variable ND Edition II 67mm 6/9 Stop Filter

I hated that the company made me pay for fedex shipping, but shipped through USPS. I also hate that the packaging is completely unessessary. The packaging is what increases the price of these. As for use, they are the exact same as the cheaper freewell filters. Only difference is that they are less bulky and allow the use of a lens hood. That is the ONLY good thing. Everything else is just too extra. Planning on returning.

Absolutely Beautiful Filter Engineering

Have used the previous polar pro VND 4-6, and was stunned with the results on this lens in comparison. I mainly bought it to have a great option for VND 2 for lower light shoots and to resolve some of the foreground harshness on beach shoots (previous VND 6). I think the biggest difference I've noticed so far is in exposures on the surfaces of skin during (e.g. beach volleyball) -- the lens preserves, or perhaps elevates, some of the brilliance/color and dynamic range of subjects in the context of the background.One point of feedback that is purely a "nit" is that it took me a while to figure out the 3-layer case/protective covers it comes with. And each time I put the lens away, wait a few days, and come back to it, it's sortof like a logic puzzle again to figure ... MoreHave used the previous polar pro VND 4-6, and was stunned with the results on this lens in comparison. I mainly bought it to have a great option for VND 2 for lower light shoots and to resolve some of the foreground harshness on beach shoots (previous VND 6). I think the biggest difference I've noticed so far is in exposures on the surfaces of skin during (e.g. beach volleyball) -- the lens preserves, or perhaps elevates, some of the brilliance/color and dynamic range of subjects in the context of the background.One point of feedback that is purely a "nit" is that it took me a while to figure out the 3-layer case/protective covers it comes with. And each time I put the lens away, wait a few days, and come back to it, it's sortof like a logic puzzle again to figure out how to get it out haha.That being said I can fit the litechaser adapter on the rear side of it in snug, which is pretty cool.All around great engineering on this one polar pro! You can really tell every surface, seem, curve, texture, material was obsessed over. Well freakin done.

Color Cast when shooting in portrait mode is absurd

Wish I never bought this. Waste of money. I was incredibly excited for this filter, compared it to the B+W, Hoya, reviews seemed to say this was the move. If this is the move, the others must be terrible. You truly can't rotate your camera if you hold it vertically. I asked polarpro to explain this and they said What you are seeing there is the result of polarization. Yes, I agree that is what is happening, but not being able to simply rotate your camera for landscape shots is utterly ridiculous. I sent them a video of rotating my camera and the color changing. They also said you can fix it in post, well sure, except that you lose tremendous detail in the photo because its not just the warmth that happens you also lose detail.HERE IS THE KICKER!!! This only ... MoreWish I never bought this. Waste of money. I was incredibly excited for this filter, compared it to the B+W, Hoya, reviews seemed to say this was the move. If this is the move, the others must be terrible. You truly can't rotate your camera if you hold it vertically. I asked polarpro to explain this and they said What you are seeing there is the result of polarization. Yes, I agree that is what is happening, but not being able to simply rotate your camera for landscape shots is utterly ridiculous. I sent them a video of rotating my camera and the color changing. They also said you can fix it in post, well sure, except that you lose tremendous detail in the photo because its not just the warmth that happens you also lose detail.HERE IS THE KICKER!!! This only happens at the 3rd stop down...no other ones. They refuse to honor that it defective. Never again.

Haptic Feedback Should Be Standard!

Over a year of use, these VNDs rarely come off my lenses. The 2-5 is used most often and is typically the only filter I take on vacations. What makes these filters stand out is the haptic feedback. As much as I loved the original PM VNDs, it was frustrating not being able to lock into a stop or accidentally rotating the filter. Having to actively monitor the stop got tiresome. The haptic feedback in this edition was such a game-changer for me. I can't go back to freely rotating designs.

Incredible

I can't believe I didn’t purchase this variable ND filter sooner! It’s been a game-changer for my workflow. While it’s not perfect in every scenario, it performs exceptionally well in most situations. I originally bought it for a wedding shoot after receiving feedback about noisy image quality. Previously, I was using a 10-stop ND with a circular polarizer while shooting in S-LOG 3, and switching between indoor and outdoor settings was tricky—especially in fast-paced, run-and-gun situations. This variable ND filter has resolved 95% of those issues. It’s much easier to thread on, the stops are smooth, and the image quality is fantastic. I’m now planning to buy another for my other lenses!

Love these filters

I’m a professional Magician from Savannah Ga, but I am also an aspiring cinematographer/videographer. So needless to say I am no stranger to Peter McKinnon. Huge fan!But even my admiration for Pete’s work could not make me overlook the price of these. However, anyone who has experience shooting knows how valuable good glass is.When you also combine that great glass with the protectors included with these for scratch free implementation, you’ve got a winning combination. I have the two standard variable ND’s, but I’m looking forward to adding the mist versions as well, completing the set in the future.

Online experience

I purchased a number of products to take advantage of Black Friday sales. What I found surprising - and did not realize - was the website didn’t show the prices in CDN $ when shopping from Canada like most other online sites. This is especially odd when the featured products are sponsored by a Canadian. I haven’t had a chance to really try the product but did note that one filter cap is not threaded correctly. The filter fits fine on a lens, but the cap threads don’t align correctly and squeals when you thread on the filter. Overall, after the exchange rate and shipping, I don’t feel like I got much of a deal going directly to the site when compared to local pricing.

[Rewarded Review] Lots to love, but that cap/case though...

Let me start this off and say this is a MAJOR upgrade from my first Variable ND filter. Love the design and ease of use, when controlling the stops on the filter. I know exactly what stop I'm on, without looking and basing it on the haptic feedback! That feature alone makes it extremely user-friendly.Some minor complaints are that I notice weird patterns on windows (i.e. cars, office buildings, planes) and I blame that on the polarizers on the filter. It's expected but could be a huge deterrent if you are getting this solely for video. But if I just want a still shot of whatever I want and not have the pattern there, I can easily remove it with the lens cap/case!Speaking of lens cap/case, I absolutely LOVE what PolarPro did here! The filter's case also acts as a ... MoreLet me start this off and say this is a MAJOR upgrade from my first Variable ND filter. Love the design and ease of use, when controlling the stops on the filter. I know exactly what stop I'm on, without looking and basing it on the haptic feedback! That feature alone makes it extremely user-friendly.Some minor complaints are that I notice weird patterns on windows (i.e. cars, office buildings, planes) and I blame that on the polarizers on the filter. It's expected but could be a huge deterrent if you are getting this solely for video. But if I just want a still shot of whatever I want and not have the pattern there, I can easily remove it with the lens cap/case!Speaking of lens cap/case, I absolutely LOVE what PolarPro did here! The filter's case also acts as a cap. It makes traveling with this thing a breeze and it doesn't feel like I'm FORCING myself to make room to bring this filter. I can also just leave the filter on my camera and the cap works pretty well...for the most part.While I do love what PolarPro is doing with the case/cap, it needs some more work. The metal portion of the cap/case has no form of locking mechanism when attaching it to the rubber portion of the system. You can easily be removed with one finger. As such, if you have the camera sling on your side and the lens constantly rubs against your leg, the metal part will fall off constantly! There are more dents and scrapes on it, just from the cap falling off accidentally.I felt like that was a major oversight from the designers and it doesn't give me the confidence that I won't lose one-half of the case/cap! PolarPro (if you're reading this), please improve on the case/cap system! I love what you did with it and want more filter systems to adopt this style. But I can easily lose and destroy the metal portion of the cap/case but it just falling off accidentally.Overall, it's a SOLID Variable ND filter! Hardly notice any quality changes and love what they're doing with the cap/case. It just needs more refinement and then it would be an absolute BEAST! Just know it can fall off easily and you may end up losing it, if you're not paying attention to it.

[Rewarded Review] There's a reason so many use i

It's so hard to spend so much on something like filters. I've come to realize there is cheap and S tier. Nothing in between. Do yourself a solid and go ahead and get the good one. By the time you buy a few of what you would think to be mid level you could have gotten this quality piece of glass. Don't put a $30 filter on you multi thousand dollar lens. You and your art deserve it!The construction is premium and the case/lens cap make installation and protection seamless. Very slight color shift. Nisi offers a true color if that's what you need but the build quality of the polarpro is the best ive seen.

[Rewarded Review] Works great. as does the 6-9 stop.

This is well made. color is good. hard tactile stops is nice and gives confidence for consistency. the on and off with this filter is nice, you can screw it on with the cap over it and then pop the cap off, or screw the back cover on quickly. not as quick as magnets, but knowing me i would smack my elbow on the magnetic kind and send them flying or something. Only thing I wish this had was a version in between. Sometimes, 2-5 stops is not enough. Oftentimes, 6-9 stops is way too much. Would be nice to have something like 4-8 stops so i dont have to jump between the two filters. You can get 1-10 stop filters but they don't have as reliable color in the glass, more vignetting, etc. I still love these filters