Lee Filters Lee100 System

[r.e.]

I've decided to try out the Lee100 System, which Lee released in March 2019, with my Arca-Swiss F-line camera. Previously, I've used it mainly with a Blackmagic Cinema Camera. For both bulk and cost reasons, for video I prefer Lee100 to using a matte box. I also wanted to use Panavision/Lee IRND ProGlass neutral density filters, which are only available in a size that I can afford via the Lee Filters System. Finally, I wanted to be able to use graduated neutral density filters, which are a Lee strong suit.

I plan to try Lee100 with my Arca-Swiss this weekend, and I'll post observations and photos in this thread. My Lee100 System consists of the following components:


Lee Adapter Rings
Each of my lens filter sizes (e.g. 49mm, 67mm) requires an "Adapter Ring". Analogous to a step-up ring, these connect lenses to the Lee100 Filter Holder. There are "Wide Angle Adapter Rings" and "Standard Adapter Rings". The Wide Angle Rings are required for lenses shorter than 24mm (35mm equivalent), but will work for any focal length. However, the Wide Angle Rings are more expensive than the Standard Rings, which work for lenses 24mm and up. Also, some thread sizes are only available as Standard Rings. The Lee100 Holder uses the same Adapter Rings as the holder it replaced.

Lee100 Filter Holder

Lee 100mm² filters

Lee100 Lens Hood


Lee also sells a round polariser for this system, but I use a 100mm² linear polariser.

Los Angeles-based Panavision owns Lee, and I assume that it has a say in Lee pricing in North America. I suggest that anyone interested in Lee compare prices elsewhere and make purchases accordingly.

Lee has several YouTube videos about the Lee100 System. However, I think that this 2015 Joe Cornish video, which predates the Lee100 Holder and Lee100 Hood, is the best overview of how the Lee Filters system works. I think that the 2019 Lee100 Holder improves on the old one. Also, there is only one Lee100 Hood option, and it works differently from its predecessors.


LEE Filters - 100mm System Overview with Joe Cornish (2015)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHsZVjfaW8I

[r.e.]

This Lee/David Noton video is one of the Lee videos that shows how the new Lee100 System works. Note that the Hood, unlike the old hoods, does not have a filter holder built in. Rather, it attaches to the Lee100 Holder. The Hood can also be rotated independently of a filter in the Holder, useful if one is using graduated neutral density filters and essential with a square linear polariser. The PDF attachment below is a one-page tear sheet about the Hood.


LEE Filters - LEE100 Hood - with David Noton


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfVE75XTwjo&t=56s


Lee100 Hood Tear Sheet

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[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

I have the older Lee system and have difficulty fitting some of my thicker filters. I have a large number of glass Tiffen filters which came with a Cine camera that I would like to use with the Lee system, but they are too thick to fit. Do you know if the new Lee 100 system accommodate these?

[r.e.]

I have the older Lee system and have difficulty fitting some of my thicker filters. I have a large number of glass Tiffen filters which came with a Cine camera that I would like to use with the Lee system, but they are too thick to fit. Do you know if the new Lee 100 system accommodate these?

I work on the assumption that a filter designed for use with a matte box will be thicker than one for a Lee Holder and probably won't fit, but I have not tested this assumption with a Lee100 Holder.

For me, one of the main attractions of the Lee System was that I could use Lee/Panavision ProGlass IRND filters. These filters, introduced in 2017, are made by Lee and marketed by both Lee and Panavision. As you can see in the links below, the Lee versions are 2mm thick and the Panavision versions, made for use with a matte box, are larger and are 4mm thick.

Lee ProGlass IRND for Lee100 4"x4" and LeeSW150 6"x6" Holders (https://www.leefilters.com/index.php/camera/proglass-nd)

Lee/Panavision ProGlass IRND for 4"x5.65" & 6.6"x6.6" Matte Boxes (https://www.leefilters.com/index.php/cinematography)

The Lee100 Holder 4"x4" versions aren't cheap, but they are far less expensive than the Panavision Ciné versions, which I imagine are mostly owned by rental houses. In use, the Lee100 versions are also a lot more compact. I know that a fairly well-known cinematographer chose to shoot parts of a feature film last summer using a Lee100 Holder, rather than a matte box, with these IRND filters. The Holder simplified his camera rig and reduced weight and bulk.

It isn't directly relevant, but for me one of the attractions of these filters, in addition to their quality and neutrality, is that they address an infrared issue (hence IRND) that exists with many ciné camera digital sensors.

This is a brief News Shooter video about the IRND ProGlass filters from a cinematography perspective:

Lee filters show ProGlass Cine range of neutral-density filters at BSC Expo (2017)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkzsBgJ14-Q

[r.e.]

In this Lee Filters video, Mark Bauer demonstrates using the ProGlass IRND filters for still photography:

LEE Filters ProGlass IRND with Mark Bauer (2017)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHK_5svwhHY

[r.e.]

As part of this weekend's exercise, I intend to assess the performance of the Lee100 System with normal to long lenses, but I'm particularly interested in finding out how it does with these two wide angle lenses:


75mm Rodenstock Grandagon-N f/4.5
90mm Rodenstock Grandagon MC f/6.8

I'm not anticipating a problem with normal and longer lenses. The issue with the wide angle lenses is vignetting, especially when the Lee100 Hood is added. How much Hood extension can I use?

Both of these wide angle lenses take 67mm filters. The basic configuration is:


Lens > Lee 67mm Wide Angle Adapter Ring > Lee100 Holder > Lee100 Hood

These lenses also both take Rodenstock's E67/86 ND 0.45 Center Filter. This centre filter has a 67mm rear thread and an 86mm front thread. The centre filter configuration is:


Lens > Centre Filter > 86mm Standard Adapter Ring > Lee100 Holder > Lee100 Hood (an 86mm Wide Angle Adapter Ring doesn't exist)

[SergeyT]

I used the original Lee for a long time.
Always with the largest adapter ring (95mm) and a set of regular step-up rings from 49mm up to 95mm (cost, space and weight saving solution)
It was pretty unusable on WA lenses with a Polarizer stacked in between the lens and holder. Both the largest adapter ring and the holder were too thick and caused horrible vignetting.
No hood.
Recently I switched onto NiSi V6 holder with 95mm adapter ring and love it . Kept all my Lee 100mm filters , they have a more snug fit into NiSi holder but still work great. The built quality of NiSi ring and holder are very good (much better than original Lee) and no more vignetting even with polarizer in between the lens and holder.

[neil poulsen]

This is the system that I've been using. I didn't realize that it's introduction was a recent as 2017.

I can't remember them all, but I did a couple of customizations on mine. Being able to the brass screws makes that possible. It was interesting to see the demonstration using both a graduated nd together with the round polarizer.

I have adapters for all my lenses. But, I typically use this system with my 8x10 with 250mm f6.7, 300mm Fuji (inside lettering), 450mm Q, and 610mm Repro Claron lenses.

[Delfi_r]

The Lee100 system is quite old. They have upgraded the holder, but the other components are the same. The Hood it's new too. I use it with all my lenses. I use the wide angle hood even without filters

[r.e.]

I used the original Lee for a long time.
Always with the largest adapter ring (95mm) and a set of regular step-up rings from 49mm up to 95mm (cost, space and weight saving solution)
It was pretty unusable on WA lenses with a Polarizer stacked in between the lens and holder. Both the largest adapter ring and the holder were too thick and caused horrible vignetting.
No hood...

Thanks, interesting post because of the way that you apparently set up your filters:

Lens > Screw-in Filter (e.g. Polariser, UV Filter) > Step-up Ring to 95mm Thread > Lee 95mm Standard Adapter Ring (there isn't a 95mm Wide Angle Ring) > Previous "Lee Foundation Holder" > Lee 100mm² Filter(s)

I've discussed this approach with U.K. dealer Robert White. White is located about 50 miles from Lee and is very familiar with the Lee System. It says that some people who keep a UV filter on their lenses leave it in place between the lens and the Lee Adapter Ring and Holder. White says that this makes vignetting more likely. If one is going to do this, White suggests removing all but one of the filter slots on the Holder. It also pointed out that if the screw-in filter is a polariser, as you were apparently doing, the rotation of the polariser should be set before adding the Holder.

We did not talk about doing this with both a screw-in filter and a step-up ring between the lens and the Adapter Ring and Holder.

When I do my tests this weekend, I might try using a screw-in filter, but I'll use a B+W XS-Pro filter. The rims on that line of B+W filters are particularly thin in order to reduce the likelihood of vignetting, in particular with wide angle lenses.

[r.e.]

The Lee100 system is quite old. They have upgraded the holder, but the other components are the same. The Hood it's new too. I use it with all my lenses. I use the wide angle hood even without filters

Lee100 was introduced in 2019 and is a revision of the "Lee Foundation" system that you use. I think that the revision updated everything, although that mostly comes down to the Holder and the Hood, except the Lee Adapter Rings and the actual Lee filters.

Re your comment "I use the wide angle hood even without filters".... I have an Arca-Swiss compendium shade, but I'm interested to see how well the Lee100 Hood functions in comparison. The Hood is the one component of my Lee100 setup that is new. I expect to receive it today. It's the main reason why I'm doing tests this weekend.

[Alan Klein]

I have a 90mm Nikkor f/4.5 lens with a center filter that is 105mm making filters and filter systems quite expensive. I haven't made the plunge and probably never will. So If I need a filter, I switch to my 75mm lens which can use my existing 77mm filters and Cokin kit with adapter.

[r.e.]

This is the system that I've been using. I didn't realize that it's introduction was a recent as 2017...

It was interesting to see the demonstration using both a graduated nd together with the round polarizer.

The Lee100 System was launched in March 2019. The ProGlass IRND filters were released in 2017.

Sounds like you're talking about Mark Bauer's video (post #5). Starting at 04:37 he uses a Lee round polariser and a Lee 2-stop medium graduated neutral density filter as a base to show the effect of 2-stop, 4-stop, 6-stop, 10-stop and 15-stop ProGlass IRND filters.

As someone who shoots video, the main reasons that I went with the Lee100 system were the small footprint, compared to a matte box and filter trays, of the Lee100 Holder, and the high quality of the ProGlass IRND filters. This decision was also cost-effective. Having now used ProGlass filters for about 18 months, I think that they are well worth the cost, and they do come up second-hand occasionally. Personally, I have no need for 10-stop or 15-stop ND. However, up to 6-stop is essential for video except in controlled lighting, and I've learned that ND filters can be very useful for still photography.

[SergeyT]

Lens > Screw-in Filter (e.g. Polariser, UV Filter) > Step-up Ring to 95mm Thread > Lee 95mm Standard Adapter Ring (there isn't a 95mm Wide Angle Ring) > Previous "Lee Foundation Holder" > Lee 100mm² Filter(s)
.

To be precise it is :
Lens > Step-up Ring to 95mm Thread > Screw-in Filter (e.g. Polariser, UV Filter) > Lee 95mm Standard Adapter Ring (there isn't a 95mm Wide Angle Ring) (now NiSi which extremely thin)> Previous "Lee Foundation Holder" (now NiSi) > Lee 100mm² Filter(s)

I like fewer things to have and the 95mm polarizer is one-fits-all for me. Don't own any UVs.
Yes, I have to set the angle or polarizer before I attach the holder . NiSi holder allows to rotate it around the adapter ring and then fix in desired position with an extra screw. And there are 3 filter slots on the NiSi.

[Michael R]

I have the older wide angle bellows hood and it works pretty well, certainly better than most "regular" non-adjustable or non-self supporting hoods. I think there was also one that was less wide at the time and based on the later videos you linked to I guess these were both replaced with the updated hood for the newer system. Aside from the hood I never got into any Lee stuff so I can't say much else about the filters or system in general. At the time I was looking into hood options for the huge Schneider 90/72 XLs.

I still prefer the compendium, but it can be fiddly and sometimes it is just a pain.


Lee100 was introduced in 2019 and is a revision of the "Lee Foundation" system that you use. I think that the revision updated everything, although that mostly comes down to the Holder and the Hood, except the Lee Adapter Rings and the actual Lee filters.

Re your comment "I use the wide angle hood even without filters".... I have an Arca-Swiss compendium shade, but I'm interested to see how well the Lee100 Hood functions in comparison. The Hood is the one component of my Lee100 setup that is new. I expect to receive it today. It's the main reason why I'm doing tests this weekend.

[r.e.]

To be precise it is :
Lens > Step-up Ring to 95mm Thread > Screw-in Filter (e.g. Polariser, UV Filter) > Lee 95mm Standard Adapter Ring (there isn't a 95mm Wide Angle Ring) (now NiSi which extremely thin)> Previous "Lee Foundation Holder" (now NiSi) > Lee 100mm² Filter(s)

I like fewer things to have and the 95mm polarizer is one-fits-all for me. Don't own any UVs.
Yes, I have to set the angle or polarizer before I attach the holder...

For me, the use cases for this are limited. With the caveats in post #10, I'll probably try it anyway, just to see what happens. When it comes to screw-in filters, I'm mostly standardised to 82mm:

Lens > step-up ring to 82mm > 82mm screw-in filter > Lee 82mm Wide Angle Adapter Ring (there is an 82mm Wide Angle Adapter, which I have) > Lee100 Holder > Lee Filter(s) > Lee Hood

I'm skeptical about this working with a wide angle lens and the Lee Hood, but it might work with a normal to long lens.

[SergeyT]

I have a 90mm Nikkor f/4.5 lens with a center filter that is 105mm making filters and filter systems quite expensive.
I use the same but with no CF.
Step up from 82mm to 95mm , optional 95mm polarizer , 100mm Lee filters

[r.e.]

The Lee100 Hood, the component that's new to my Lee100 setup, arrived this afternoon.

Comes in a decent storage/transport case that opens and closes with two zippers.

Dimensions: 21.5cm x 17.5cm (8.5" x 6.9") including a ~11mm (.43") wide frame. Maximum extension from the front of the Lee100 Holder, to which one attaches the Hood, is about 14cm (5.5").

The four pleated sides can be shaped. I'm told not to worry that their ability to hold a shape will wane over time.

Tests and photos this weekend.

David Noton's video (post #2) shows the Hood in use. This brief video shows how it connects to the Lee100 Holder:


LEE Filters - Fitting the LEE100 Hood


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2HDJJHjTEA

[r.e.]

Here are some photos of the Lee100 Hood, split over two posts due to forum limits.


1. Lee Filters photo showing the Hood's features

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The rest are iPhone photos.

2. Hood in storage/transport case

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3. Hood in the open case

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4. Hood rear

This photo shows the back of the Hood and the Attachment Ring discussed in the video in post #18. The Attachment Ring connects the Hood to the Lee100 Filter Holder.

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[r.e.]

Lee100 Hood photos, continued from the above post...

5. Hood and the Attachment Ring, Hood side

This shows the Hood side of the Attachment Ring.

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6. Hood and the Attachment Ring, Lee Filter Holder side

This shows the Holder side of the Attachment Ring.

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7. Hood extended

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[Delfi_r]

The Lee100 System was launched in March 2019. The ProGlass IRND filters were released in 2017.

In 2019 Lee updated the Lee System but it's older than that. I don't know exactly when they were released, but it's more probaly on the 1990' than later. One thread from 2000 talks about them https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?2885-B-and-W-Filters&highlight=Lee

[r.e.]

In 2019 Lee updated the Lee System but it's older than that. I don't know exactly when they were released, but it's more probaly on the 1990' than later. One thread from 2000 talks about them https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?2885-B-and-W-Filters&highlight=Lee

Lee goes back to 1961. It's a major player in filters and gels for stage, photography and cinematography. It competes with Rosco. This is just one part of the business. The predecessor of the Lee100 Filter Holder, released in 2019, was the Foundation Holder. I don't know the history of the Foundation Holder, but my impression is that it was sold for many years.

This is the Wikipedia entry for Lee International: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_International
This is the Wikipedia entry for Panavision, which owns Lee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavision