Kase K8 Magnetic Filter Holder First Thoughts

Last week I posted about my recent purchased of a Kase filter holder kit. This was to replace my 100mm Lee Filter holder. Since switching to use the glass Kase Wolverine filters I had been using them with the Lee holder with replacement Kase slots.

But the problem I have with the Lee filter holder is that it vignettes quite badly when using wide angle lenses. This always frustrated me and is caused by the large polarising filter ring on the front of the holder. Attach a polarising filter and the problem gets worse. Being able to use a polarising filter is important so I was keen to find a solution.

First Thoughts

The K8 filter holder is a recent release from Kase and is an improvement on the already good K6 holder. The advantage of the K8 holder is that the polarising filter attaches magnetically to the filter ring. This allows you to easily pop it on and off; much better than fiddling around trying to screw and unscrew filters. Especially when it’s cold.

Kit Contents

The K8 filter holder kit comes with two metal adapter rings, a 77mm, and an 82mm. These adapter rings screw to the front of your lenses allowing the adapter to attach. Also included in the kit are a 72mm to 82mm and a 67mm to 82mm stepper ring. These are standard stepper rings and you can easily purchase other sizes cheaply from the likes of Amazon and eBay. This means you should be able to accommodate most lenses up to 82mm. Beyond this size, you would need to consider using the 150mm filters as opposed to 100mm.

Attaching the Holder

The filter holder locks onto the adapter ring using a tab which holds it very firm. The tab is moved into place using a screw on the side of the holder. In the past I have experiences filter holders popping off the adapter ring, but I can’t see that happening with this holder.

The filter adapter ring that attaches to your lens also has a geared or toothed edge. This interlocks with a geared wheel on the side of the filter holder. You can then use the wheel to rotate the polarising filter to give the desired level of adjustment. All this happens whilst the filter holder stays still and locked into position. It’s very well designed and easy to use.

Holder Construction

The holder itself is made from aluminium and the face has a foam gasket attached. If you are using a long exposure ND filter, this will minimise the risk of any light leaking around the edges of the filter.

The filter slots are made from plastic and attach to the front of the holder. Slots can be removed and changed using a small screwdriver that’s also provided. Additional slots and screws are provided in the kit. I have configured mine to accept three slot-in filters of 2mm thickness. That’s in addition to the polarising filter.

As most filters from other manufacturers are 2mm thick, you can use them with this filter holder. I have tried the Lee 100mm filters and they fit just fine, although I don’t think I will be using them again. The only Lee filter that doesn’t fit is the 10-stop because it has a gasket glued to it, which catches on the gasket in the Kase holder. You can easily overcome this by turning the filter round, so the gasket faces out.

In the Field

At the weekend I headed out with the Kase holder to try it out. Attaching it was very easy and just like Lee holder except that it takes a second longer. That’s because the lug on the side screws firmly into place where the Lee holder is spring loaded.

Once in place, I was able to attach the polarising filter and slot in the Kase Wolverine square filters without a problem. Removing the filters was also easy except for the polariser. It sat so far inside the holder that I couldn’t reach it. Then I realised I could remove the filter holder and the polariser is still attached to the adapter ring and lens. This is a great design feature and means you can use the 86mm polarising filter with just an adapter ring and you don’t the filter holder on the lens.

Removing the polariser from the filter ring is also very easy. Because it’s magnetic you can just pop it off and then back on again. It’s very secure but you do need to be a little careful that you mount it onto the ring properly so that it sits flush all the way around.

But the big question for me was would this solve my vignetting problems. I decided to try the filter holder using the polarising filter and a 0.6 ND grad. It was perfect. Not a hint of vignetting even on the Fuji at 10mm (15mm equivalent in full frame). I also found the rotation of the polarising filter very easy using the wheel on the side of the holder.

Later I also tried out the holder for some long exposure shots. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my Lee 10 stop ND filter and so had to improvise with the Kase Polariser and 3 stop ND filter. By stopping down the Fuji lens to f/16 and setting the ISO to 100, I was able to achieve shutter times of around 3 seconds. Looking at the resulting images the quality is good, and I can’t see any evidence of light leaks or reflections.

Overall, I’m delighted with the K8 holder. I think this is going to allow me to use a polarising filter much more frequently in the future.

The Kase K8 Filter Holder Kit including Polarising filter currently retails for £110.00 and can be purchased from my website (https://lenscraft.co.uk/k8-kase-filter-holder-kit-100mm/).