Filter Reviews

I bought this unit because, with hot water base board heat, it seemed the best way to add moisture to the air in my home. I have a two story house, just a bit more than 2000 square feet. When I first started using this unit, it was the middle of winter and my house had dried out considerably. An independent gauge measured the relative humidity level at less than 20%. I ran my Bemis unit at full fan but was never able to have it use up the 5.5 gallons onboard in a 24 hour period. To me, the claims of 12 gallons per day are a real stretch.

OK, that aside, here are the pros: The unit seems well made and assembles easily. For the rated output, the overall size seems compact.

Now the cons: Output seems to fall short of claims. The replacement air filter seems very expensive. The highest speed of the fan is very loud and, for me, only to be used when no one is at home.

My two biggest gripes have to do with filling. The water tanks do NOT have a fill cap on their top surface, therefore you MUST remove the tanks to fill them. I would have liked the option of filling them inside the console. When you fill the tanks, they wobble on whatever surface you place them on because there is a seam running right down the middle of the bottom of the tanks making a raised area. This is a pain when you try to get the sink faucet to flow into the small hole used for filling. To be fair, Bemis supplies a fill tube which could be used, but only on small diameter faucets.

Before buying this unit, I searched a reasonable amount and could not find anything better, therefore I intend to keep it since having any humidifier is better than being without one.

Optically, you can't really do that much better than the f/1.8 - strong contrast, good color rendition, and very sharp even when shooting wide open. I bought this lens and it lived on my camera for several months and was the default piece of glass that I reached for when the quality of the shot "really mattered."

But, honestly, it's built about as solid as a toy prize in a box of Cracker Jack. After a few months of use - use, not abuse - the lens literally came apart, the front barrel separated from the mount. The bad news was that the lens was completely shot - it was in pieces, after all - the good news was that it had been cheap, so my pocketbook was able to stand the cost of replacement.

I replaced the lens with it's older brother, a used version of the Mark I - much more solid, and which gives equal optical quality even used. It's a shame that the body and housing on new version of this lens is so shamefully cheap, because the glass is very nice. But I can't recommend it, unless you either a) don't do that much shooting, or b) don't mind replacing the lens on a fairly regular basis.

My suggestion is to either cough up the money for Canon's 50mm f/1.4 - gains you a half a stop and is built to pro-quality standards - or pick up the older version of the f/1.8 on the used market. Either option will likely end up being cheaper in the long run.

Catch a glimpse of the past. Recapture the Sepia tones that give old pictures that special charm. Just photograph your subject in color with the Sepia filter. Or copy a black-and-white print. This filter will yield a pleasant Antique effect when combined with a soft-focus attachment like the Diffuser (083 and 084) or the Cokin Dreams (091, 092, 093) or Pastel filters (086 and 087). The Cokin 045 Sepialight is also a sepia filter but the effect is not as strong.

Helpful hints : When you have color negatives printed, be sure to tell the lab that the sepia tone is intentional This filter can be used with most other Cokin Filters, with the exception of color filters.

One can't write much of a review about an ordinary plastic box that holds filters. Yes, it is useful and saves space in an already crowded camera bag, but the price is a joke. But nevertheless it is something one needs and therefore gets - no matter how ridiculous the pricing is.

Center Spot filters are the perfect solution to the problem of background composition. Whether Surrounding area should be of the same color as the subject or of a contrasting color is a matter of personal taste. When the light source is behind the photographer, the center spot filter appears dense. With backlighting, particularly if the light strikes the filter directly, a soft. And glowing effect is produced. The size of the central area also depends on the groove into which the filter is inserted. Filters 060-068 are recommended for focal lengths between 50 and 250 mm, 070-078 for focal lengths between 20 and 40mm.

The Cokin Speed filter adds streaks of lights to give the impression that something is rushing by. If you want some part of your photo to stay sharp, place the hole of the filter in front of your lens. And don't use too small an aperture, or you'll see the filter rather than the effect. The Speed filter works best with lenses from 35 mm to 200 mm, and is very effective with the Cokin Creative Filters (375), Sunset (197,198), Color Polarizing (161-163), Vari-Color (170-173) and many others.

Be aware that you will have vignette until you get almost to maximum telephoto with the Fugi S7000 camera.

I bought this product for my son who has minor dust alergies. Firstly, how do you tell if it's even working to clean the air? I don't notice a difference. But really, my son's room is small (perhaps 10x12), but I purchased this larger unit (than the 17000) in hopes it would do an even better job (and perhaps clear a bit of the air in the hallway as well). My complaint is that even on the lowest setting, it is pretty loud in a small room. Perhaps to an adult it might pass as "white noise", but to a 6 year old, it's just noise keeping him awake. I was able to reduce the noise when I moved the unit into a space between his dresser and bookcase, but then it really can't draw the amount of air it's supposed to to clean correctly - I believe Honeywell suggests 3' clearance. I have nothing really negative to say, but be aware of the noise if you're planning on putting this in a child's room.

Being "old school" I was surprised that its made mostly of plastic (I suppose the benefit is reduced weight and lowered manufacturing costs, at the expense of durability). I guess that I shouldn't be surprised however as my new X-370s body is plastic too (unlike my old XG-2). Outdoor shots are sharp; indoor shots with flash are average. The zoom ring on my lens does not operate smoothly as there's a "notch" at about the 50mm mark. When I say that the price is okay (I paid [price])...

Having gotten frustrated with the limiting 35mm focal length of the Nikkor AFD35-70/2.8, I sold it and purchased the AFS28-70/2.8D almost 5 years ago.

It was an improvement over the AFD35-70/2.8 with respect to sharpness, contrast, and whisper-quiet autofocusing speed.

With the scalloped lens hood, this is a bulky lens. Infants tend to cry with this "in-their-face" monster.

Contrast is excellent, and distortion is negligible. Composition-wise, a very good portrait lens.

Of the three sharpest lenses owned, overall, it falls a distant third behind the leading Nikkor AFS17-35/2.8D, and second place AFD80-200/2.8 (2-ring version).

This lens used to be the standard lens on my Nikon F5, until I purchased the AFS17-35/2.8.

If the AFS28-70/2.8 were image-sharper for it's price, it would be used more frequently. I will be selling it before Nikon replaces it.