Do you think LEE filters are woth the money? WATCH!!!!

[russellsnr]

Hi, Maybe you wondered why LEE filters are expensive?
This may answer that question.
I found while browsing around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMu_m...e_gdata_player

Russ

[krispix]

Interesting, but I can't help thinking the process could do with streamlining and parts of it could be automated which would reduce costs and improve quality control.

[Manfred M]

Interesting, but I can't help thinking the process could do with streamlining and parts of it could be automated which would reduce costs and improve quality control.

Chris - after watching the video, I quite agree with you. The only caveat I would add is that the demand for these filters (Grad ND) might be so small that it might not be cost-effective to automate. Some parts of the operation seem a bit amateurish, but if it works, who are we to argue?

[Andrew1]

Many parts of even the newer electronic equipment processes are still completed by hand although in a more clean-room type of environment. Taking a look at their website shows this video may not be showing everything. What is rare and very nice to see is a manufacturer that hasn't shipped off their work to China or some other Pacific Rim location. A situation that is driving some of the work and financial problems elsewhere.

[Manfred M]

Many parts of even the newer electronic equipment processes are still completed by hand although in a more clean-room type of environment. Taking a look at their website shows this video may not be showing everything. What is rare and very nice to see is a manufacturer that hasn't shipped off their work to China or some other Pacific Rim location. A situation that is driving some of the work and financial problems elsewhere.

Things that tend to go offshore are high volume production products. The niche products with a few ten thousands of pieces a year are not attractive to the high-volume low cost production environment found in China and other low-production cost countries.

You are quite correct in that the video does not show "everything", but if you look at it, the pieces that are missing are the "secret sauce" parts of the production process; the formulation of the resin, the control process on the dye, the resin cure parameters, etc. The product is actually quite simple; the biggest production issues are likely to be cleanliness and repeatability.

I suspect that if you went to another high-end filter maker like Singh-Ray or Heliopan you would see a very similar production line for their resin filters.

[drjuice]

First, Russ, thanks for the pointer to the how-to video; that'll be excellent ti use as a teaching tool..

Second, Except for polarizing, ND, sky/uv filters, I've moved all my filtering into Tiffen's dfx software (currently at version 3) mainly because I can do there everything I used to do in a darkroom. Is there anybody else here on CiC who's made either that decision or a similar one with the equivalent software?

Thanks.

v

[Manfred M]

, Except for polarizing, ND, sky/uv filters

Hmm. Your "except for" list covers the only filters I use. UV, Polarizing, ND and grad ND. I will apply some of the PS filters or make my own using adjustment layers.

Which of the Tiffen digital filters do you use and when do you use them? I've looked at the Tiffen site a number of times and was looking for some real life users and examples to see if I should look at going that route.

Thanks