Super Wide Seascapes with the Kase Filters K9
In the blog this week I head out to one of my favourite coastal locations with the new Kase K9 filter holder and polariser to capture some super wide seascapes.
Switching to the Kase Filter System
Back in July I shared with you my thoughts on the Kase Filter system. I had made the switch from Lee Filters to Kase Filters back in late 2018, but I wanted to give them a proper test before I told you what I thought about them. If want to see that video and see the images of Boscastle harbour that I captured that beautiful summers evening then check out this blog post here.
Going from Kase K8 to the Kase K9 Filter Holder
As I said in that video, I was very happy with my Kase filter system including the K8 filter holder and slim polariser. I know nothing is perfect but I honestly didn't think there was room for improvement with the K8. That was all true until I picked up a Nikon Z7 with the Nikkor 14-30 mm f/4. With my previous wide angle lens, the Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4, you could happily shoot at 16 mm with the K8 and polariser with no vignetting. However, at 14 mm on the Nikkor 14-30 mm with the K8 and polariser, you could get a little bit of vignetting (the same applies for the Sony GM 16-35 mm.
So when the team at Kase Filters UK told me about the improvements they had made with the K9 and asked if I'd be interested in trying it out I jumped at the chance. I was keen to put this new K9 filter holder and polariser to the test but I needed a suitable location. Where could I shoot super wide angle images that need a polariser? Dawlish Warren beach of course!
Super Wide Seascapes
The removal of vignetting at 14 mm isn't the only improvement to the K9, there are a number of other minor, but very welcome improvements as well. If you want to know what they are, or if you should upgrade to the K9, then check out the video below:
When I got my Nikkor 14-30 mm f/4 lens I didn't think I'd notice that extra 2 mm or use it that often, but as it turns out I really appreciate it. Not only does it give me more creative options in certain scenarios, but the image quality and sharpness, particularly around the edges seems to be much improved over my trusty old 16-35 mm f/4. It's also good to know that I've also got a filter system that can make the most of those super wide angles and help me create images like this:
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7 with Nikkor Z 14-30 mm f/4 at 14 mm, f/11, 1.6 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 holder, CPL, and ND grad.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #2, Devon - Nikon Z7 with Nikkor Z 14-30 mm f/4 at 14 mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 holder, CPL, and ND grad.
I hope enjoyed this quick look at the K9 and the images I captured that morning on Dawlish Warren. If you've got any questions about the Kase Filters system, the K9 or the images I captured let me know in the comments below.
A Quick Word on Moving to the Kase System
Since moving to the Kase Filters system a number of regular readers of the blog and viewers of my YouTube channel have asked about how easy it is to move from another filter system to Kase. Well, the good news is that if you are coming from another 100mm based system such as the Lee100 Filter System, most of your existing ND and ND grads should work just fine in the K9 or K8 holder.
The Lee Filters range of Stoppers, which have foam on the inner edge, need to be slotted in with the foam facing outwards (as shown in the image).
Kase circular polarisers (CPLs) are designed specifically for each of their filter holders so you probably won’t be able to use a CPL from another manufacturer. The good news is that the K8 and K9 filter holder kits come with the correct CPL for that holder.
I appreciate that changing filter systems can be costly and the need to gradually transition is an important one so I hope this information is useful for you. I would of course recommend you plan to replace your ND and ND grads with Kase equivalents as Kase filters have some useful benefits (which you can hear about in the video below).
Photographing Boscastle and Using Kase Filters
I'm back with a new video! This week I head to the picturesque village of Boscastle in Cornwall to capture some images of the distinctive S shape harbour. I also talk a little bit about filters and what I like about the Kase Filter system which I'm now using.
Back to Boscastle
Boscastle has a special place in my photographic heart. It was about 5 years ago that I decided I really wanted to start learning the craft of photography so I spent the day with local photographer Ross Hoddinott for a bit of 1-2-1 tuition. The first location we visited was Boscastle and from that viewpoint on Penally Hill I probably learnt more about composition than I'd done in the previous 5 years.
Since that day I've been returning to that viewpoint every year to capture images the harbour. Some years have been more successful than others but I've always enjoyed looking down onto that distinctive S-shaped harbour and the hills that run along with it. There's more than just the harbour to shoot as well. There are a couple of great viewpoints closer to the coastline that are worth checking out. Read my blog post Sunrise at Boscastle to see them.
A Slight Break in the Weather
While the lovely summer weather we've been having here in the south-west is fantastic, it's not exactly been optimal for landscape photography. I love the extended hours of light that allow me to travel further and get out more, but those pesky blue skies don't always translate well into good landscape photographs.
After a few weeks of "great" summer weather there was finally a break from the blue skies and the weather forecast was predicting some decent cloud cover that would hopefully make things a bit more interesting. Fortunately for me it was also going to be high tide around sunset as I was keen to shoot some long exposure seascapes. All I had to do was pick a location. Boscastle immediately sprung to mind!
Kase Filters
Even though I'd already made one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos from Boscastle I was so optimistic about the conditions that I thought it would be worth making another vlog from there. As I was going to be shooting long exposures seascapes I thought it would also be an excellent opportunity to talk about Kase Filters. A few months ago I needed to purchase a new filter system and after recommendations from some fellow photographers I know I decided to go with the Kase Filter system. You can hear what I think about them in the video and watch me put them to use.
If you'd like to see how I got on with my latest photography adventure to Boscastle and hear my brief thoughts on the Kase Filter system, then check out the video below.
A Summers Evening in Boscastle
So was my evening in Boscastle a successful one? Let’s find out.
As you will have seen in the video I actually got the better light early on in the evening. Normally the light gets better the closer you get to sunset but due to atmospheric conditions the light fizzled out a bit as the evening progressed. The following image is my favourite because it has the golden light on the foreground rocks as well as the hills surrounding the harbour.
Last Light at Boscastle Harbour, Cornwall - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 20mm, f/13, 100 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, 6 Stop ND and ND Grad.
The other two images I took are pleasing enough but compared with the first I think they lack some depth and colour.
Boscastle Harbour at Sunset, Cornwall - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 100 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, 6 Stop ND and ND Grad.
Out to Sea, Boscastle, Cornwall - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 160 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, 6 Stop ND and ND Grad.
Overall though I was very happy with my adventure to Boscastle and the photographs I took. Does that mean I won't go back? Of course not! There will always be new compositions to found and different conditions and lighting to work with.
I do hope you enjoyed the video and photographs and that it has inspired you to visit Boscastle. If you are looking for more Cornwall locations to inspire your photography then check out some of my other posts from Cornwall. If you've got a favourite Cornish location that you want to share then let me know in the comments below. See you next time!