The NiSi V5 Pro holder system have some great innovative benefits compared to other filter systems out there. I have used the system for quite a while now, and I will share with you why I am so fond of this quality filter system.
The kit
The V5 Pro holder comes in a leather filter case that can be attached to a belt. The case have solid dividers inside for the holder, adapter rings and the circular polarization filter. The adapter rings comes in 67 mm, 72 mm and 77 mm. This will cover the most usual lens sizes. Very thoughtful of NiSi. It has a luxury feel to it and is very pleasing to the eye. As I am a designer by profession I must admit that I appreciate these nice details. But enough about the packaging, lets get down to the things that really matters; the functionality.
The case is made of leather.
The case contains dividers that keeps everything in place.
The V5 Pro holder
The V5 Pro holder is made of quality aluminum. No plastic here! The stacks allows you to place three filters, that should certainly be enough for all of your needs. The clips are left to right pressed instead of the traditional top to bottom design. This ensure a smooth passage of filters. The stacks are firm and perfectly tight, and it is easy to slide in and remove filters. They can seem a bit tight at first, but they will be smoother after some use. The polarization filter is screwed on to the main adapter. This is easy and quick due to the bulged mount screw. The holder can easily be attached to the main adapter with a small trigger on the side. This works very well in my opinion. I usually leave the main adapter with the CPL on and use the NiSi lens cap to protect the CPL. Then it is quick to just attach the holder and apply the filters you want. A handy solution in those situations when the light is changing fast and you need to respond quickly.
The V5 Pro holder is made of quality aluminium
It is easy to slide in and remove filters.
The holder can easily be attached to the main adapter with a small trigger on the side.
The NiSi polarization filter
This is where the V5 Pro really impress me. NiSi have placed two tiny wheels on the side of the main adapter. When you rotate these cogs you also rotate the circular polarization filter. This means that you are able to have the circular polarization filter closest to the lens, instead of having a big (and expensive) polarization filter in the end of your stack. I think this is a genious solution. The circular polarization filter from NiSi is also very slim, so you get no vignetting with this system. The polarization filter is made of glass and got nano coating applied. This makes it very easy to clean of water droplets and dust. That is big importance to me as I do a lot of seascapes and waterfalls.
When you rotate the small cogs you also rotate the circular polarization filter.
The Medium Graduated ND filter
Is this the only graduated filter you need? For most situations I think it is. The Medium GND filter has a very smooth transition from bright to dark opposed to the regular soft and hard edge graduated filters. This means that it works great with elements that protrude the skyline like rocks, buildings or mountains. Since the graduation is so smooth you will not get unwanted darkened elements that stretches above the skyline. So this filter is very useful in most situations. The Medium GND filter is made of glass and got Nano coating, so it is very easy to clean. If you are going on a hike and want to travel light this is the graduated filter to bring!
This is a raw file. No Medium grad filter was used and the sky is blown out in the highlights.
This is another a raw file taken straight after the image above. I used the Medium GND 8 filter in this shot and it works great to balance out the sky. Since the transition is so smooth it also works great with elements like the rock that protrudes the skyline. This makes your processing a whole lot easier.
This is a final processed image taken a bit earlier then the shots above. I used the Medium GND 8 filter when I took the shot, and I achieved a balanced exposure raw file. A great starting point for my processing.
All in all I think this system works brilliant, and since it is so easy to use you can give your photography 100 % focus. And in the end thats what we all want to do.
