A detailed look at the Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra Cinema filters.
The Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra filters cinema ND filters are constantly being improved upon and right now we are on version three of their Ultra filter range. So even that amazing Ultra filter you bought two or three years ago now has already been improved on and possibly even twice since then. Yes not many people know that but they keep improving their range.
It’s one of the reasons I love their products, they just don’t produce a good filter and wait for people to buy them they keep pushing the envelope and stretching the boundaries of what’s possible with an ND filter which in turn helps us create the best content we can.
So why buy Formatt Hitech Ultra cinema ND filters?
That might seem like a hard question to answer but once you know exactly how these filters are made then I think you will agree it’s easy to see why you should buy them.
Now before anyone says a filter is JUST a filter after-all they are just tinted glass… can I say oh how very wrong you are and that’s a bit like saying a camera is a camera and they are all the same.
Why spend tens of thousands on equipment just to have a piece of glass ruin your over all image quality just so you could save 100 bucks it makes no sense really.
To understand filters there are two things we need to really look at when we talk about filters firstly and they are…
Colour Neutrality
Colour neutrality on the Ultra range of filters is simply amazing… The best compliment you can say about an ND filter is when you look at two bits of footage and you simply can’t tell which was shot with an ND filter and which was without one from a colour perspective of course.
Of course any glass element introduces an absolutely minute colour tint and yes I mean minute in the same way as different lenses give slightly different colour characteristics so to say any ND filter is completely colour neutral is just incorrect.
To the naked eye these filters are colour neutral though and that’s a huge bonus for them.
Optical performance
Now again this might a bit of a strange one as most people think glass is glass, well it’s sadly not that simple.
These Cinema grade Firecrest Ultra ND filters are made of pure optical grade schott glass and crazily they are made of not one but two pieces of glass.
Yes, you read that right there are actually two pieces of glass bonded together with the ND coating sandwiched in between the two plates (I am going to get back to that again further on in the post).
Now this already makes these filters really good and while most companies would be ready to sell these filters as is the crazy people over at Formatt Hitech go one amazing step further. The filters are lapped and polished so they are ground down to be as optically flat as possible.
This interest in striving for for perfection is what makes me such a huge fan of their filters.
Every little tiny hump and hollow that other filters are sold with as normal have now been smoothed out and this process is what make the Firecrest Ultra filters the most optically perfect filters currently available worldwide.
This not only helps improves image sharpness but critically helps prevent distortion in your footage. This passion for perfection is why Formatt Hitech ND filters are used on many blockbuster movies and high end productions.
They don’t just copy other brands they innovated, they improve and they do it all quietly without massive advertising budgets instead they pour the money back into the products.
Available in a few different sizes and are 4mm thick but they are also bringing out a new selection of cinema ND filters in 2mm also.
I should also add I get a slight commission for any sales made with my discount code but this commission helps me write posts like this and it doesn’t cost you anything in fact you save 10% by it so it truly is a win win for everyone. There is one last aspect of these Ultra Cinema ND filters I want to talk about before you go…
Firecrest Ultra Cine Durability
We all know filters aren’t cheap but also how absolutely vital they are when filming so the last thing you want to do is scratch or damage your filters coating while on a shoot. It’s bad anytime but while shooting it could be a disaster.
This is where the Ultra filters really come into their own as they are made in an incredibly unique way and are the only bonded filters currently available with a rare earth metal coating that is in between two sheets of hardened glass. This means the coating is impossibly to scratch as it is protected by glass on both sides unlike the cheaper coated cinema filters that can have their coating easily scratched.
Before you say some filters have a scratch resistant coating on them then I will simply say I honestly wouldn’t like to test that one out as I have seen numerous filter coatings get scratched over the years, what a nightmare that would be on set…
The other slight advantage of having the bonded filter construction is that they are slightly more drop-proof than regular filters as a result of their construction. Now I wouldn’t like to test that one too often either and would never recommend you drop any Cinema filters.
Some more Formatt Hitech filter reviews you might be interested in….
Black Supermist Diffusion filter review here.
Soft silver diffusion filter review here
Soft Gold Diffusion filter review here.
Firecrest Ultra Cine superslim filters review here.
SmallRig Matte box vs Tilta Mini Matte box Review.
Thank you for taking the time to read my Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra Cinem ND filters review and why I believe these Ultra ND filters are the best cinema filters out there.
If you have any questions then please do feel free to reach out to me and ask, I am only too happy to answer any questions you may have.
See you out there,
Kieran.
Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra Cinema ND Filters Review
Discover the exceptional color neutrality and craftsmanship of Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra cinema ND filters in this in-depth review. Improve your cinematography with these must-have filters.
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