Kinesis Large Grad Filter Pouch
WARNING: Since this blog entry, I’ve found that the Kinesis bag does indeed ‘outgas’, or create a kind of residue on my filters. So I’m afraid at the moment, I’m going to have to advise that this bag is not ideal until such time as I find out more information about the residue.
If you’ve got a lot of ND and ND grad filters like I have, then you’re probably making do with the (cloth) Lee Filter case.
I have the excellent leather access case – see below – (but it’s rather heavy out in the field and it only stores six filters). It is a great filter case, sturdy, and has amazingly quick access to my filters. I’ve had no complaints using it, except perhaps the weight of it, and the fact that I could do with a few more slots for a couple of more filters.
I personally detest the cloth case made by Lee. The zip makes getting access to the filters cumbersome, and once i’ve got the case open (like a book – using both hands), I have to go through each page in the holder to guess which filter is in each cloth cover. If I’m using the ND filters – which are square, they are buried deep within one of the cloth pages, and it can take a while to fish them out.
I hate faffing (a UK term for fidgeting).
Anything that causes me any delay in making the images I’m seeing open up in front of me – must go. I’ve discarded a lot of equipment over the years because it’s either too cumbersome, or simply it gets in the way. You’d be surprised how much stuff isn’t made to do the job it’s advertised to do. Well, the Lee case isn’t quite in that territory – it works, but it’s a little fidgety for me.
Each month on my workshops, I get folks coming along with the latest and greatest cameras, tripods and bags. The past few months I’ve started to see the Kinesis Large Grad Filter Pouch on my trips and I’ve just placed an order for one today (Kinesis have a problem with their web site which means you have to email them to buy anything from them if you are not in the US – get this sorted out Kinesis! You’ll be losing a lot of trade from this!).
The pouch as you can see is like a mini filing cabinet. I like how the filters are stored sideways, and there are some nice velcro labels attached to each section so you can find the right filter quickly. Access is a breeze. No horrible zip to undo, no filters falling out all over the place either. The filters are tightly packed together, and there’s ample room in there for quite a number of them too.
I can’t stress how important ‘process’ is to my photography. I have all my gear organised. I put things away in the places they were before I used them, because it means I don’t have to spend time hunting (faffing). Likewise, I dumped the Lee cloth case because it’s just a pain to use. I never zip it up because it takes a lot of time to unzip it round three edges of the case. The Kinesis has been designed with thought and care. It doesn’t just store your filters – it has been put together to give you quick and easy (read organised) access.
Highly recommended.
Ooh I like the look of that! You’re right, the Lee one is a total PITA to use. Will have to check this out.
Btw recall last time I commented on a Lee post on your blog it was about switching away from glass. Well, it happened. Fell into a waterfall, big chip on front :(
Resin here I come I guess!
Comment by Duncan Fawkes — 3 October, 2012 @ 8:17 pm
the problem with the kinesis is that they have plastics that outgas, leaving volatile chemicals on your filters, which will wreck them. mine are sitting airing out while I look for a new brand.
Comment by the light foreboding — 6 October, 2012 @ 8:38 am
Dear ‘the light foreboding’,
I’m not sure whether to take you seriously, because your handle is a little ‘doomsayer’ in nature, and I’ve not read about this problem with the bag anywhere on google.
If you’re going to write something of this nature, it would be beneficial if you could back it up. Where did you get your information from? How do you know the bag releases gasses that affect your filters?
It would be great if you could get back to me on this.
Regards, Bruce
Comment by Bruce Percy — 9 October, 2012 @ 7:01 am
Bruce, as a frequent reader of your blog I’m happy that you come with a solution for my filters other than the Lee ones. I to find the Lee pouch a bit of a not well engineered piece of storage. So thanks for that!
Best regards,
Bert
Comment by Bert Vliegen — 12 October, 2012 @ 1:14 pm
I have the kinesis bag. Put filters in bag, come back in few days/weeks/months and you will find residue on filters. The plastics used give off a gas. Mine had haze like residue after only a few days.
The residue will damage resin filters and coatings on glass filters if not cleaned off.
This is a common problem with filter bags. I switched to stacking filters with end caps quite a while ago, but can’t do this for rectangular filters which I have started using.
Have another brand on order, will see how that works.
Try it, put clean filters in bag return in a week or two and check filters. If they are not as spotless as you put them in, your bag is outgassing.
Comment by the light foreboding — 23 October, 2012 @ 11:37 am
Thanks Light-Foreboding,
I have put my brand new Lee filters in the bag, and will leave them there for the next week.
Your suggestion is best: always try things for yourself to see if it’s a problem :-)
Comment by Bruce Percy — 23 October, 2012 @ 11:39 am
Hi Light-Foreboding,
I’ve found today that my filters have a kind of misty residue on them, after spending a week in the bag. The filters are brand new, and they were completely clean before installing them in the bag.
So I’ve updated this post now to warn people about this, and I’ll be in touch with Kinesis to find out more.
To be fair though, I think I had the same issues with the Lee leather pouch and I was always cleaning the filters. I just didn’t know it was due to the materials in the case.
Comment by Bruce Percy — 27 October, 2012 @ 2:07 pm
I guess there’s no perfect solution but I use a Clik Elite filter valet. http://www.clikelite.com/products/square-filter-valet/
It shows no sign so far of gassing my filters and seems to work a treat. They are usually available from Amazin’.
Comment by Mountaineye — 3 November, 2012 @ 10:47 am
The thing is Mountaineye,
I reckon most people won’t see the degassing issue with the filters stored in the Kinesis. I didn’t and a friend of mine just had a look too and didn’t notice it. It was only when I cleaned half of the filter that we saw a difference.
So best to do that check as well.
I’m still not sure if it’s a degassing issue, or just residue coming off the material, which is fine and won’t affect the filter.
Having said all of this, I don’t own filters for very long – perhaps a year or two, so any colouration is probably going to be minimal in that time period.
Comment by Bruce Percy — 3 November, 2012 @ 11:35 am
I’m sure the big wave at Elgol on Wednesday will have helped to clean mine off…:-(
Comment by Mountaineye — 3 November, 2012 @ 5:07 pm
The outgassing is solvents from the plastics used. I know from personal experience the solvents will etch away multi coatings on glass filters (that was expensive) and eat into resin filters, leaving a plethora of what look like microscopic scratches/holes, lowering the contrast of the filter. If you get a magnifier you can compare clean filters with ones that have been exposed to the residue for a while and see how it is eating into the surface. I lost a few filters including an expensive polarizer after a few months in an old pouch and switched to stacking filters.
The easiest way to see the residue is to hold it up to an indoor light at an angle.
The first pouch that had this problem, I cut out all the plastics and the problem went away, did some googling and found it was a problem with the plastics in filter pouches. Unfortunately with the kinesis the plastics can’t be cut out, the bag needs to be redesigned with different materials. My kinesis outgasses so much I can feel a very slight wetness just by running my hand inside the bag.
(ps good luck with your book, the images look fantastic)
Comment by the light foreboding — 5 November, 2012 @ 9:46 am
I’m using the Clik Elite and have found it excellent so far. I’ve had it about two months with no sign that I can see of residue. I’ve writtena brief review at http://www.mikeprince.org/blog/?page_id=260.
Comment by Mike Prince — 12 November, 2012 @ 5:56 pm
This weekend I took delivery of one of these Kinesis pouches which a friend brought over from the US. Until I read your blog I was feeling very pleased with myself.
Kinesis claim to have worked with Singh-Ray to design this bag. In your post on 27 Oct 2012 you said you planned to contact them. Did you get a reply?
I am thinking of using lens cleaning cloth as additional lining in each each pocket to protect the filters. Do you think this would work?
Comment by Kasigau — 25 March, 2013 @ 10:57 am
One of my clients Brad, uses inser cloths to help with this matter. I have no experience of doing this, as I was put off by the fact that there is gas released, but like you – I really liked the design of the bag. I’m so disappointed about the gas issue.
Comment by Bruce Percy — 25 March, 2013 @ 4:36 pm