Welcome to my review of the 100mm Firecrest MKII filter holder from Formatt Hitech.
Before I mention the Firecrest MKII filter holder I have to say I loved my my Firecrest MKI 100mm filter holder it has served me very well over the years.
So looking at the new 100mm Firecrest MKII filter holder you can see it retains the key benefits of the MKI holder.
1.- It comes with a CPL (circular polarising filter).
2.- You can stack ND filters in it.
3.- It still has the Extra light shields (thankfully).
I have had the MKII filter holder now for over 6 months and I have to say it has completely replaced my MKI filter holder.
The main reason for this is down to the larger CPL, The MKI holder had an 82mm CPL but the MKII has an 86mm CPL.
This holder works beautifully with the Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra filters (review here) which are always in my bag
This might seem like a small change but if you are using an Ultra wide angle lens like the Nikon 14-30 F4 Z series lens it works really well on this lens with little to no vignetting even at 14mm which is amazing.
So what has the CPL got to do with that you may ask? Well it’s down to the fact that with a larger CPL your filter holder then has a larger throat so there is far less of a chance for the holder to cause any vignetting on your lens.
The new locking mechanism is something I wasn’t overly gone about at first but it has grown on me now and just become a part of my workflow now. Some of you will know I was a huge fan of the way the MKI filter holder just clipped onto the lens with an audible click.
Checkout my video review below or continue reading to find out what else is in the kit.
Before we get to that I just want to remind you that I can offer you 10% off Formatt Hitech products with my discount code HAYES10 simply enter the code at checkout to get 10% off. I get a slight commission when my code is used but you also get 10% off, this commission helps me to write blog posts and reviews like this one. Don’t forget to check out my Formatt Hitech Discount code Page here for up to the minute offers and extra discounts also.
You can check the latest price for your region and exactly what’s in the kit of the MKII holder (see the pic below also) on either the Formatt Hitech USA Website or the Formatt Hitech Worldwide website (opens in a new tab).
What comes with the Firecrest MKII filter holder.
Filter slots
The MKII holder comes with two filter slots fitted but there are longer screws and an extra set of slots in the kit also so you can easily convert it to 3 filter slots. Now the only thing to take note of here is that you can’t use the extra light shields then with the third slot being used. Then again no other filter holder provide the extra light shield with their filter holder.
The next point to note is that the filter slots work well and the filters slide in and out nicely with a nice bit of tension on them still. So they basically work as they should.
Light shields
The MKII like the MKI comes with extra light shields and these are great for two reasons.
1.- The ability to stack ND filters and yes you read that right you can actually stack ND filters perfectly in this holder.
2.- The vented light shields are great for preventing train getting in between the back of your graduated filter and the front of your ND filter like they did on the MKI version. The only difference here is the light shields filter slots on the MKII are wider and I am going to make up a way of closing that in slightly, when I do I will add it to this post. But it’s possible to that and no other conventional filter holder has that option.
So as you may have guessed the kit comes with both vented light shields and non vented light shields.
The new kid on the block has taken over from the MKI holder and I didn’t think I would say this so easily but the MKI holder will now be sitting on the shelf gathering dust with my Cokin, Lee and Nisi filter holders.
Now if you’re wondering why I have so many filter holders then have a read of my blog post here on my filter holder journey.
As Imjmentioned above this holder is perfect with the Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra filters you can read my review here on them.
Oh and don’t forget to save yourself a bit of money by using discount code HAYES10 on both the Formatt Hitech USA website and the Formatt Hitech Worldwide website.
See you out there,
Kieran.
Kieran Hayes Landscape Photography Ireland Kieran Hayes Photography Formatt Hitech Firecrest 100mm MkII filter holder review My review of the new Formatt Hitech Firecrest 100mm MKII filter holder 3rd of February 2021 https://www.landscapephotographyireland.com/firecrest-mkii-100mm-filter-hoder-review 5.0 43 10% off promotional code