Review of the Haida Greystone Filter System

by Nando Harmsen

There is a new filter system on the market, made by Haida. This is the Greystone filter system, which consists of a UV filter, CPL filter, and a set of neutral density filters. I have used these filters for a while to see how they perform.

The Haida Greystone filter system is designed for photographers who don’t want to use a full-size filter system or a magnetic filter system. This new series consists of ultra-thin screw-in filters, measuring only 3.1 mm in thickness.

The first introduction of the Greystone series includes a UV filter, circular polarization filter, and three-, six-, and ten-stop neutral density filters. More filters are in development and will be added to this system.

Shot directly into the sun with the Greystone CPL filter. No flares are visible.

Design

The filters have a newly designed Goldline ultra-slim, aircraft-grade aluminum frame. It measures only 3.1 mm, making the filters suitable for ultra-wide-angle lenses. I have used the filter with a 15mm focal length on a full frame camera without any vignetting whatsoever.

The Greystone filters installed.

However, the Haida Greystone CPL filter measures 7.5 mm in thickness due to the rotating mechanism necessary to change the amount of polarization. This doesn’t produce any vignetting on a 15mm focal length either.

Despite being slim filters, each filter has its own filter thread, making it possible to stack multiple filters or to add the lens cap. Just be aware that stacking filters will increase the risk of serious vignetting with ultra-wide-angle lenses, but that is obvious, of course.

The type of optical glass is not mentioned anywhere, but it has a 10-layer NanoPro anti-reflective coating. It is water-, scratch-, and dust-resistant, offering extra protection for the front lens.

Keep in mind, this protection is not as extreme compared to the Bluestone and Premium Brass UV filters. Those filters are especially designed to withstand serious impacts. However, the Greystone UV filter will add another layer of protection nevertheless.

A comparison between the Greystone UV filter, the Bluestone, and Premium Brass.

The Haida Greystone UV Filter

Although the Greystone UV filter will block an unspecified amount of UV light, the only reason this type of filter is used is for extra protection. The filter does increase the risk of flares, but only slightly.

There is no visible color cast, but it’s said to reduce the bluish color cast of daylight. This will be most effective at higher altitudes. Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to use this filter other than at sea level, where the atmosphere is blocking almost all UV light naturally.

There is no color cast, except the ND 3.0, which shows a tiny amount of magenta color cast. There is a slight increase in flare in this specific situation. The filters perform well overall.

The Haida Greystone CPL Filter

A polarization filter will reduce glare and reflections on wet and reflective surfaces. This way, colors will become more prominent, and the overall quality of the image will increase in many situations.

To make this as effective as possible, the filter has to be rotated to the optimal angle. That’s why the Greystone CPL filter has a rotating mechanism, making it more than twice as thick compared to the other Greystone filters. However, no vignetting was present with a 15mm focal length, as mentioned before.

The rotating mechanism works smoothly and has just enough drag to prevent unwanted movement. It is wise to rotate clockwise to prevent the filter from unscrewing by accident.

The CPL filter improves overall contrast and colors. 

The loss of light depends on the amount of polarization. Expect one to one-and-a-half stops of light loss, which is quite normal for a polarization filter. I noticed no color casts or color shifts, except for the normal increased saturation.

Unedited image made with the Greystone CPL filter.

The Haida Greystone ND 3.0 Filter

There are three neutral density filters available at this moment: three stops, six stops, and ten stops. I only received the ten-stop neutral density filter for this review. This filter allowed me to reach up to 30 seconds exposure during a sunny day at noon.

The result of the Greystone ND 3.0 filter.

At first glance, you won't notice it, but the ND 3.0 seems to show a bit of magenta color cast. It's not much, but it becomes more apparent after post-processing. The filter thread is smooth, making it easy to attach or detach the filter. This is important since a neutral density filter of this type will be placed and removed quite often.

Using the Greystone ND 3.0 filter at sea.

Using the Greystone ND 3.0 filter at sea.

Because of the limited exposure time that was possible during daylight, I used the in-camera multiple exposure technique to reach a virtual longer exposure up to 4.5 minutes.

In-camera multiple exposures with the Greystone ND 3.0, stacked with the CPL filter. This resulted in a 4.5-minute exposure. Check out the magenta color cast, which is increased due to post-processing and perhaps stacking multiple images as well.

Stacking Multiple Greystone Filters

During the review, I used the Greystone CPL filter a lot. It made the skies vibrant and deeper blue, and I was able to increase contrast. However, since the Greystone filters each have their own filter thread, I was able to stack both the CPL and ND 3.0 filters.

A fishing boat on the beach in Denmark. The increased magenta color cast is due to stacking with the CPL filter. Avoid doing this.

Stacking works well, and I didn’t have any issues with vignetting. Keep in mind that for this, I only used a 24mm focal length on a full frame camera. I did notice a slight color shift in the corners, where a magenta color cast became noticeable.

Stacking the CPL and ND 3.0 increases the risk of the magenta color cast.

Conclusion

Up until now, I only have used a full-size filter system and a magnetic filter system. It makes it easy to change filters in the field. At first, it felt as if the Haida Greystone screw-in filter was a step backward. It felt like a hassle.

Greystone ND 3.0 with the Greystone CPL filter.

However, I grew to like having a regular screw-on filter. The occasional use of the Greystone ND 3.0 filter was no problem at all. I can understand why someone would prefer screw-on filters instead of a large filter system or filters that depend on magnetic force to keep them in place. This time I could walk around with a filter attached without having large square filters on the lens or being afraid of accidentally losing a magnetic filter.

Despite that, I had to be careful with the Greystone CPL filter because it didn’t stay fixed in place on the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lens I used. Having the ability to use the lens cap or lens hood with these filters was a big plus.

Greystone CPL filter.

If you are in the market for screw-on filters, I believe that the Haida Greystone filters are a good choice. These filters are not expensive while offering good image quality. However, be careful when stacking filters. Especially the ND 3.0 will introduce a magenta color cast that is pronounced when stacked with the CPL filter. My advice is to prevent stacking the filters.

Greystone CPL filter.

The Haida Greystone filters are available in sizes that start at 40.5mm and go up to 82mm. I want to thank Haida for providing me with the filters I used for this review.

About Nando Harmsen

Nando Harmsen is a Dutch photographer that is specialized in wedding and landscape photography. With his roots in the analog photo age he gained an extensive knowledge about photography techniques and equipment, and shares this through his personal blog and many workshops.

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