Why pick buy the Ken Kaminesky filter kit?
My default kit for my Photography Workshops is the Elia Locardi filter kit as it’s a great starting kit but if you have the budget then the Ken Kaminesky master kit has everything you could need and it’s amazing.
You can buy this Firecrest filter kit in both the Firecrest Ultra and Firecrest Pro range of filters, the next question most people ask is whats the difference between the two types of filters? Well if you click here on the Firecrest Ultra review I explain it.
Over the years I have purchased 5 other filter systems and I just wasn’t happy with any of them until I got the Firecrest 100mm filter holder that is. If you would like to read my group test review of my experiences with my Cokin, Lee, Nisi and Firecrest filters and filter holders here.
As some of you will know I have been a fan of Formatt Hitech filters for many years now and they are all I use for my work, I was so vocal of my love of these filters I was made a brand ambassador, Featured Artist and Photography educator for their products. It has been a complete honour for me to be partnered with such an amazing and passionate company for over three years now.
The plus side of all this is you can get an additional 10% off all Formatt Hitech products with discount code HAYES10 simply enter it at checkout on the Formatt Hitech website. This code works on both the worldwide and US websites.
For transparency I should add that Formatt Hitech pays me a small commission for any filters sold with my discount code. This helps me write articles like this and keeps my blog going also.
I should also add I was using their filters already and purchased them with my own hard-earned money before I was asked to be an Ambassador. I was also asked by two other filter companies but refused politely as I just wasn’t happy with their products.
Ken Kaminesky Kit Contents
1.- Firecrest Magnetic 100mm Filter Holder kit.
1.- Magnetic Circular polariser filter.
1.- Magnetic lens cap.
4.- Adaptor rings included so the holder will fit 86, 82, 77 & 72mm lens threads straight out of the box.
1.- Firecrest ND 3.0 (10 stops).
1.- Firecrest ND 1.8 (6 stops).
1.- Firecrest ND 0.9 (3 stops).
1.- Firecrest Soft Edge ND Grad 0.6 (2 stops).
1.- Firecrest Soft Edge ND Grad 0.9 (3 stops).
1.- Ken Kaminesky booklet.
A few hidden points you may not know about this filter kit
The big secret with these Firecrest 100mm filter systems is that you can actually stack ND filters so with this system you can achieve a massive variety of stops.
The 3, 6 & 10-stop ND filters and the CPL in this kit give you a massive amount of ND stops to play around with.
This one kit can give you the following ND stops…. 3-stop, 4.5-stop, 6-stop, 7.5-stop, 9-stop, 10-stop, 11.5-stop,13-stop, 14.5-stop, 16-stop and 17.5-stop reductions. Now that’s incredibly impressive and when you also consider you have the 2 and 3 stop ND graduated filters as well to offer a bit more of flexibility in the kit.
So how is it possible that 3 ND filters can give you such a variety?
Let’s not forget the CPL has a 1.5-stop reduction, so we can make the following nd filters from this kit by adding them together.
Total Filter combination
3-stop = 3-stop
4.5-stop = 3-stop and CPL
6-stop = 6-stop
7.5-stop = 6-stop and CPL
9-stop = 6-stop and 3-stop
10-stop = 10-stop
11.5-stop = 10-stop and CPL
13-stop = 10-stop 3-stop
14.5-stop = 10-stop, 3-stop and CPL
16-stop = 10-stop and 6-stop
17.5-stop = 10-stop, 6-stop and CPL
Now that is a lot of options from just 3 filters and as I mentioned above you can also use a graduated filter with an Nd filter and with or without the CPL also.
Firecrest Pro filters The Firecrest Pro series of filters are colour neutral, incredibly hard-wearing and the sharpest filters I have ever used (with the exception of the Ultra’s of course). So what’s the hard-wearing part about?
A filter is a filter, right? Well, that’s wrong… The way the Firecrest filters are made they actually sandwich the ND coating in between two slivers of glass.
Yes, the filters are made of two thin sheets of glass and not one.
This has two advantages.
Firstly the ND coating can’t be scratched as it’s protected by glass on both sides and secondly due to the construction of the bonded glass it makes the filters more resilient to damage than a standard filter.
I have an in-depth review of the here. The same applies for the Ultra kit but there is a difference between the pro’s and Ultra’s. I also have an in-depth review of the and what makes them special.
Thank you for taking the time to read this review and if you have any questions then please feel free to I am only too happy to help.
Don’t forget to save 10% off Formatt Hitech products with discount code… HAYES10
I have a list of the kits available below and my review of them and what’s in the actual kit also.
The Patrick Di Fruscia filter kit.
The Joel Tjintjelaar long exposure kit#1
The Joel Tjintjelaar long exposure kit#2
A few more Formatt Hitech products you might be interested in…
Latest Formatt Hitech discount code
Firecrest 100mm filter holder in the above kits lets you stack ND filters so again let say you buy the Elia Locardi filter kit. That kit comes with two ND filters and one graduated filter. The four and ten stop ND filter in the kit can be used separately or you can stack them to get a 14 stop ND filter. Now how cool is that?
Before you go I have two great blogs on and also a comprehensive guide to both of these blogs are full of tips and tricks to help you to improve your photography.
So take the leap and let the “fire in” you will never look back.
Thanks for taking the time to read this review.
See you out there,
Kieran.