LeeElements 77mm Big Stopper Circular Filter, 10 Stop Neutral Density for Long Exposure Photography

Sturdy and serious ND 10 filter. Received the 77mm filter yesterday and ordered a 82 mm filter today. I recommend this filter without reservation.

This 10-stop neutral density (ND) filter arrives well packed and sealed, in a nice looking, Lee Filters branded cardboard box, that would be more than suitable should you be wishing to give it as a gift.The filter I am reviewing has a diameter of 77mm, but there is no reason to believe any of the other sizes would be any different.Lee Filters (owned by Panavision) set the standard for 100mm square filters. And their 100mm 10-stop Neutral Density filter, the Big Stopper, was so well known that for many the name Big Stopper has become synonymous with any 10-stop ND filter.This filter is Lee’s circular version of that famous filter. The advantage of the circular version is that it can be attached directly to the lens without any need to also attach any kind of filter system, which adds extra weight and bulk to the camera.As you would expect for the price, the build quality is excellent, and the filter feels extremely robust. It screwed on and off my lenses and step up/down rings very smoothly, with its knurled edge making it easy to grip. There is also a front thread, should you wish to attach another filter, lens hood, matte box, etc.In use, image quality is excellent and there was no discernable colour cast or colour shift that I could notice, no matter what conditions I used the filter under.In conclusion this is an extremely good, well made filter that more than lives up to the brand’s reputation. It is expensive, so not something I would recommend to everybody, unless you have very deep pockets. For those wanting to dabble with filters or only wanting something for the occasional shot, there are cheaper options that will be 90% as good. But for those who need a 10 Stop ND filter, know they will get the use out of it, and want the best, then this filter should definitely be at the top of your list.~ Amazon asked me to review this product and to give my honest opinion about it. That’s what I have set out to do, so I hope you found it helpful. ~

I made a little mistake with this. I thought I was getting a 10 stop variable ND filter, but that was my mistake for not reading the description more carefully. It’s just a 10-stop ND filter - hence its name - Big Stopper. It holds back 10 stops worth of light allowing the use of really slow shutter speeds.For this it works really well, and is great for when you want to turn movement into a graceful blur and produce those artistic sea shore, river, and waterfall shots, as well as anything else where you want blurry, rather than sharp, motion.Of course one consequence of that is that if you want to use this filter you’ll need to have a solid tripod with you, otherwise the whole image will be a blur rather than just the moving bits.It seems very well made, fits onto the lens easily, and has a comfortably knurled grip to allow easy unscrewing after use.The biggest problem I have with this, and any other filters I’ve used is that it gets in the way of attaching a lens hood and lens cap.It comes with a lovely, solid, well padded plastic case that is the devil to open. The catch is so tight that I can see, at some point, me using too much effort to get it open and the filter flying out and onto the floor. For the price, the catch on the case needs to be improved.This is undoubtedly both a high quality, and an expensive filter. If you want the best then you’ll probably be happy with this. If you just want to play about with long exposures for a little while then there are cheaper options that may do what you want.

What can I say about this filter apart from WOW, this is the first Lee filter I have ever tried as they have always seemed too expensive to me and after receiving and trying it out I can honestly say it is worth every penny.The packaging is good and looks basic but this is where the basic ends opening the box you have a good quality case that is padded to protect the filter, the ND filter itself is excellent quality and does not rotate separately so you should not have any issues removing it.As I said this does not rotate so it is just a 10 stop ND filter and this is all you could need if you want to do long exposure in daylight the first photo is 28mm, F11, ISO 100, 1/15 second, the second photo exact same settings but I had to crank the shutter speed right down 28mm, F11, ISO 100, 30 seconds.Would I recommend this filter it is on the expensive side and there are plenty of less expensive ND filters out there but I will have to say yes I would, if you have the money buy it you won't be sorry and if you don't have the money I would say don't buy the less expensive ones it will be better to save the money and buy this a few months later when you have enough. I am loving this filter so far and can't wait to get out there and try some more long exposure photography.

This is an expensive filter, no question about it, so is it worth it?For your money you get the filter, a cleaning cloth and a tough, well-padded case. The filter itself is well finished, the aluminium frame being really solid - thick walled and quite deep. It feels extremely robust and has plenty of surface area, with well cut knurling giving a great grip making fitting and removal quick and easy. All of which means nothing if the filter doesn't perform as expected.Not unexpectedly, it does - Lee filters do have a good reputation after all, that didn't happen by accident.Obviously, with a 10 stop filter, we're looking to increase the exposure time significantly enough to really smooth out the moving parts of the shot without adding any visible colour cast (hence Neutral Density), whether that's as a result of an inherent quality of the filter itself, or (so I've read), the result of an adverse interaction between the filter and the coatings used on the host lens. While I've no way of knowing if the latter situation does arise, I can report that on a Canon 16-35 F4 with a 5Dmk3 there is no visible colour cast - and that's in a variety of natural lighting situations.This isn't the first 10 stop ND I've used - I have a 100mm square filter setup that works just fine. However, it's extra stuff to carry, and it's a faff to setup. I've been keen on getting a decent quality circular version big stopper so when this came up for review, it was too good to miss. For me, the added benefit is that it's easy to carry and quick to deploy.Back to the price. It's expensive, there's no getting away from that. You can get cheaper for the same specification, but it's kind of pot luck whether you end up with one that adds a colour cast or has a coating that isn't up to the wear and tear. Obviously if you got it from Amazon you can send it back and try a different brand until you find one that works (I'm talking square filters here), but who has time for that? And how many shots will you miss in the meantime? I've had cheaper filters, and some have been fine (but haven't lasted well), and some have been outright lousy. In the end you get what you pay for. Lee filters are expensive certainly, but that's the price of quality - and I believe it's value for money.p.s. I do agree with another reviewer though, while the case is very robust and well padded, it's a swine to get open. For this much money, I don't think a push-button release would have been out of the question.

In the short time that I’ve had the Big Stopper, I’ve found that it’s actually a lot easier to use than I expected. The Big Stopper is a 10-stop neutral density (ND) filter. This filter is a useful addition to any avid landscape photographers repertoire. It’s a really dark piece of glass that covers the front of the lens. It stops down light so that even in midday you can make photos at long shutter speeds. Lovely effects with water and moving branches. Overall, I couldn’t be more happy with the Lee Big Stopper. A must have in any landscape photographer's kit, and if you are upgrading from cheaper filters, my research concluded in the Big Stopper for its quality, even if it seems a tad expensive.