Kase Wolverine 100x150mm Double Grad
Andy Westlake nds out whether getting two lters in one is too good to be true
● £209 ● www.kasefilters.com
THIS is one of those ideas that at rst sight you think can’t possibly work, because otherwise everybody would be doing it. Landscape photographers use neutral density graduated lters to balance bright skies against dark foregrounds, with 100mm-wide lters often the preferred size to minimise any risk of vignetting with wideangle lenses. These lters usually measure 100x150mm, but at any given time, most of the glass isn’t being used. So Kase has realised that it can make two lters on one piece of glass.
Rather than simply fading from neutral density at one end to clear at the other, Kase’s new double grads are split into thirds, with a clear centre and ND sections at each end. The two grads are labelled so you can tell them apart, although with small lettering just 2mm high. My review sample had 3-stop hard and soft gradations, with the rst providing an abrupt transition that’s ideal for straight horizons such as seascapes, and the other with a more subtle fade that works better for more complex scenes. The idea is that you can choose between the two simply by spinning your lter holder through 180°.
So does it work? I tested the double grad using a wide range of focal lengths and a variety of holders of different makes. To cut a long story short, for the vast majority of the time it works just ne. You can eventually run out of glass in the most extreme situations – for example when shooting with lenses of 16mm or wider, in portrait format, with an angled horizon either high or low in the frame. For me that’s a niche scenario, but for other users it could be a legitimate concern.
Another niggle comes with horizons in the bottom half of the frame, for which the lter must be placed very low down in the holder, as shown on the right. This makes it more awkward to adjust accurately, as you have to manipulate it from beneath the camera. It also raises concerns over light leakage and are, but these are perhaps more theoretical than practical. There’s nothing to complain about regarding the quality of the glass, though; the lters are perfectly neutral and have no impact on detail.
Verdict
Kase’s double grads turn out to be an ingenious concept with surprisingly few snags. Photographers who routinely shoot at very wide angles should probably stick with conventional lters, but for other users they could save both money and space.