Customer Reviews

58mm High Resolution 3-piece Filter Set (UV, Fluorescent, Polarizer) - Black

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I ordered these filters based on positive reviews and was pleasantly surprised. I was searching for a low cost polarizer, but the case, UV and fluorescent filter turned out to be very nice extras. I am mounting the filters on a point & shoot Canon PowerShot SX20IS using a 58mm Filter Adapter from Cowboy Studios. The Canon has a fairly strong 20x zoom (560mm 35mm equiv) but I'm not able to discern any obvious image quality problems with the filters even with a fully extended lens. The polarizer works as expected, the fluorescent filter brings out warm color under cool temp CFLs and the clear UV filter is a nice piece of lens protection.

I'm sure there are good photographers that can locate and point out aberrations with this low cost set, but for my use with a higher end point & shoot superzoom the resulting images are great. This purchase exceeds my expectations. The filters are made by Zeikos.

I'll tell you what, slapping one of these on the front of my lens, i was skeptical. However, i went shooting in an dark club like atmosphere with little lighting using the Fluorescent Light Filter (light purple). I was shocked as to how close i got to real skin tones using this filter under the conditions. No halos, no streaking lights effects, got every shot that i wanted...CLEAN. On top of that, they deliver to Afghanistan in like a week. I'm a PA officer serving with the USAF.

Thanks!

Delivery was quick. Used polerizing filter the first day I received package. Was surprised at how well it worked. The sky was a beautiful blue, clouds were an astounding white, it also increased the hue of other colors. I am so pleased with the purchase and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Quick shipment, item as described. Great addition for my telescopic lens!!! Love the added quality :)

I really have only used the Polarizer filter but it is exactly what I wanted. Great price, prompt delivery and the color in my pics is gorgeous. I can get some amazing lens flares with it!

Filters came in the nice little filter pouch with a burgundy case and the micro fiber cleaning cloth, which was a surprise because I didn't see that in the order description. They do exactly what they do. Each lens is for something different. They are metal ringed and constructed very well! For the price, this will definitely do if you don't want to spend a lot of money on really classy and expensive lens filters.

So I bought these mainly because I wanted a UV filter to protect my lens. I thought I might as well get the other two with it so I can mess around with them. I put on the CPL and messed around with a few shots and could not tell a single difference between having it on or off the lens. The fluorescent filter I haven't had to use yet so I can't comment on that one. The UV filter I keep on my lens all the time and it protects it great. However, I have not seen any benefits or downsides image-wise having it on there. So if you just want the UV filter I'd suggest just getting one separate and saving your money. But who knows I'm probably just a complete idiot and can't use the other filters right!

The ease of purchase and shipping made this item a nice Chistmas gift for someone far away. As it worked out the person receiving this item had placed it on the "wish list" with Amazon so I didn't have to worry about value or quality.

I ordered this filter set primarily for the sturdy carrying case and the great discount and was disappointed when it was delivered with a soft nylon filter wallet instead. A closer look showed I had been shipped the wrong brand (Vivitar) and after contacting the seller the problem was resolved quickly and I got the correct filter set and case and a return label to send the wrong one back. So watch out what you are getting and if it doesn't look like the picture and doesn't say Zeikos on the edge of the filters, contact the seller! Mistakes happen and it seems to happen a lot with camera filters.

Now that I have the correct filter set and carrying case, I'm very satisfied with it. I bought it for the case, so I'll comment on that first: The case is small enough to slip easily into a coat pocket and very sturdy so I don't feel I have to worry about accidental bending or breaking when carrying filters on a rough hike, which was the whole point of getting it. It fits three filters and my only complaint might be that I often wished I could fit four in it.

My camera is the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and I use a Lensmate adapter to fit filters on it. Sometimes it seems they don't thread on easily, but nothing that can't be fixed with a little bit of patience. My most expensive filter (B&W) threads on very easily by comparison and seems to be superior in construction, but I would expect nothing less. Out of the three filters that came with the set, I'm mainly using the CPL for landscapes. I compared it against a Hoya CPL and to my amateur eyes the test pictures I took are comparable in quality. No vignetting or ghosting. There are some minor color differences with both filters but I'd be hard pressed to determine which one was "better" or "worse." I have a feeling there are better CPLs out there, but for the price this one works great. Lens flares when shooting into the sun are more pronounced due to the added glass, but then shooting into the sun is not usually what you should use a CPL for. The ring rotates smoothly for the desired effect.

I have only once used the fluorescent filter to test it out, but have not had much use for it as I rarely shoot indoors. I would have been willing to pay more money to have the option to get a neutral density filter instead as I use that much more frequently. As it is, this kit was still a great deal and I bought ND filters separately to mix and match.

I ordered this set of filters based on positive reviews on Amazon, and hoping to use them (primarily the UV and the CPL) on my Nikkor 55-300mm lens. Filters arrived on time, wrapped in a neat-looking velcro pouch inside a sleek outer carton. However, my happiness almost ended there. My observations from about 50 shots taken using the filters (mine are branded 'Vivitar') are as below --

1) Fit & finish: comparable to a few higher-priced filters that I have (B+W, Hoya, Nikon). All the 3 filters in the set sport a pro-quality finish and are easy to attach/take off. No complaints here.
2) Optical quality: this is where I had issues, and serious ones at that. The UV works fine as a lens protector, but I noticed significant loss of fine detail in my images (visible at desktop screen size magnification, not talking pixel-peeping here). Had similar experience with the FL. Degradation of image quality was most obvious with the CPL filter - ALL images taken using the CPL came out blotchy, albeit with interesting color saturation! [*See note below].
3) Value for money: I would say 4 out 5 stars. At 9 dollars that I paid for the entire set, the UV filter alone justifies most of the price.

[*Note: While taking these shots I used a tripod, photographed fairly steady subjects, and worked in bright daylight. Therefore, camera shake, subject movement or inaccurate focus can be ruled out as possible reasons for the blotchy images that I got with the CPL. I have been shooting with a DSLR for the past 3 years and can confidently say that neither camera settings nor CPL usage technique could have been responsible for poor results either.]

In Summary...
IMHO, this set looks fine for someone looking for a low-priced 58mm UV filter. FL can be useful if you need it (I don't need it frequently). The CPL can come in handy in a pinch (but with some serious compromise on image quality). If I had a chance to undo this purchase, I would save the money, add a few more dollars and look for a better CPL (within my budget) that does not degrade image quality so much.