Why I'm travelling with NiSi filters (and why I didn't buy cheap ones)

Two small filters for my Leica Q3, a circular polariser and an ND64, are coming with me to Cambodia and Vietnam. Here's why I chose NiSi, why I steer clear of cheap filters, and how I pack them so they take up almost no room.

By Bron · Carry & Kit

I'm heading to South-East Asia soon, with time in Cambodia and Vietnam, and my Leica Q3 is coming with me as my main camera. This time, two small additions are going in my camera bag: a NiSi circular polariser (CPL) and a NiSi ND64 filter, both 49 mm to fit the Q3's lens.

Filters aren't the most exciting thing to buy, but I've found they're one of the best upgrades I can make to my photos.

Why I chose NiSi

When I started looking at filters for the Q3, NiSi was recommended to me as one of the best filter makers you can buy from. The more I read, the more I understood why. NiSi makes filters for landscape and travel photographers, and the brand is known for clear optical glass, good coatings and very little colour cast.

That last point matters a lot to me. A filter sits in front of everything my camera sees, so any tint, softness or flare it adds would end up in every photo I take through it.

The two filters I'm packing

NiSi 49 mm circular polariser (CPL)

If I could only take one filter travelling, it would be a polariser. Turning the front ring cuts reflections and glare from water, glass and wet stone, deepens blue skies, and makes the colours in leaves and foliage look richer.

In South-East Asia, I expect to use it almost every day:

• Temples and stonework. Wet or polished stone can throw back a lot of glare. A polariser helps me cut through it and bring back texture and colour.
• Tropical skies. It turns a hazy, washed-out sky a deeper blue and makes the clouds stand out.
• Water. Rivers, moats, rice paddies and the sea look clearer, with less surface shine.

NiSi 49 mm ND64 (6-stop neutral density)

I think of an ND (neutral density) filter as sunglasses for my lens. It cuts the light coming in, without changing the colours, so I can use a slower shutter speed than the light would normally allow. NiSi's 49 mm ND64 cuts six stops of light, and it has a slim aluminium frame and a nano coating that helps water and oil bead off the glass.

I'm bringing it so I can use slower shutter speeds in bright light without blowing out the highlights in my photos. I'm looking forward to trying:

• Motion blur in busy streets. Think rivers of scooters through a Vietnamese city, or crowds moving past a still figure.
• Smooth water. Rivers, fountains and waterfalls turn soft and silky.
• A wide aperture in daylight. I can keep the Q3's lens wide open for shallow depth of field, even in harsh midday sun.

Why I don't like to put a cheap filter on an expensive lens

I understand the temptation to save money on a filter, especially after spending a lot on a camera. But I always think about where the filter goes: right in front of the lens I paid for. For me, a cheap filter risks undoing a lot of what makes a good lens good.

• Softer images. Lower-quality glass that isn't perfectly flat can make photos less sharp. On a high-resolution camera like my 60 MP Q3, I'd notice it.
• Colour casts. Cheaper ND filters can add a magenta, blue or brown tint, often stronger the darker the filter. Some of it can be fixed later, but I'd rather not spend my evenings correcting a whole trip's photos.
• Flare and ghosting. Poor or missing coatings can let light bounce between the filter and the lens, leaving hazy patches and bright spots, especially when I'm shooting towards the sun.
• Fiddly to clean. Good coatings make it easy for me to wipe off fingerprints, dust and rain spots. Uncoated glass tends to smear.
• Frames that stick or damage threads. A badly made metal frame can jam on a lens or wear its filter thread, and that's not a repair I'd want to pay for.

The way I see it, a good filter costs far less than the lens it sits on, and it's something I'll use on every trip for years. I'd rather buy once and buy well.

Packing them small: 3D-printed filter cases

Both NiSi filters came in small plastic boxes. They're perfectly good cases, but I like to travel light, and two boxes took up more space in my camera bag than I wanted.

So my partner 3D printed me a set of protective cases made to fit the filters exactly. They're slim and light, they keep the glass from getting scratched or knocked, and they slip easily into a pocket of my Domke bag, ready to grab when the light is right.

If you don't have a 3D printer at home, a padded filter wallet or pouch could do a similar job: something slim that protects the glass without the bulk of a hard box.

My filter tips for the tropics

• I carry a lens cloth. Between humidity, rain and sweaty fingers, I expect to clean my filters more than usual.
• I don't stack them unless I need to. Using the CPL and the ND together can darken the corners on a wide lens like the Q3's 28 mm, so I'll test it before relying on it.

Final thoughts

Two small filters, two slim cases and a lot more creative control. When I'm travelling with a camera I love, I like to give it filters that match. I'll be sharing what I shoot with them in Cambodia and Vietnam soon.