Our In Depth Cokin Filters P Series Review!

In this article, we will be going into our Cokin filters P series review and sharing our opinion on them. We have noticed a number of photographers reaching out for advice on if Cokin filters are worth their money as a good filter set is one of the first camera accessories photographers usually invest in after their initial kit.

The higher than usual price tag on the P series has attracted attention with many people asking if they are worth the money or if it is better to pick up a different filter brand.

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Cokin P Series Circular Polarizer Filters

First up on our Cokin filters P series review we will be taking a look at the Coking circular polarizer filters range (Click here to check for product prices and availability). A Cpl filter is an excellent camera accessory that makes it easier to get blue looking sky while making clouds pop in your photograph. They are also very handy for controlling or preventing any reflections bouncing off water and entering your lens potentially spoiling your photograph.

Although the Cokin P Series Circular Polarizer Filters come with a high price tag, this has not slowed their growth down and they have managed to earn a solid reputation within the photography community due to their excellent build quality and functionality.

One thing to keep in mind when using the Cokin P series is that they are a square based filter system so in addition to the actual lens itself, you will have to pick up the Cokin P-Series Holder (Click here to check for product prices and availability) as well as a Cokin P-Series Lens Adapter Ring (Click here to check for product prices and availability) in the correct side for your lens.

An example of the type of landscape photograph that you can take when using a good Cpl filter with your camera. As you can see, the clouds pop but there is no harsh reflection of the sun coming from the body of water due to the filter.
An example of the type of landscape photography that you can take when using a good Cpl filter with your camera. As you can see, the clouds pop but there is no harsh reflection of the sun coming from the body of water due to the filter.

The filter itself is able to rotate within the filter holder system to further customize the look of the photograph and provide some unique landscape photographs but in all honesty, it just takes too much effort for what you get. This combined with the very high price tag of the filters and the required accessories make us feel that many of our readers would be better off using something from the Gobe Cpl filter range (Click here to check for product prices and availability). Not only would this save you money but also your time and effort while out capturing photographs, additionally, you can check out our full Gobe filters review here if you wish..

The main advantage of the Cokin P Series is that they are a variable diameter filter system due to their design. This means that their advantage shines if you are planning to do a whole bunch of landscape photography with a large range of camera lenses. The variable diameter of the P series would then allow you to potentially save money on traditional style circular filters are the single square filter can be used over a range of filter threads.

One of the main points that users of the square filter system preach is that you are able to slot multiple filters into the frame at once to further customize your photograph. For example, you could use a Cpl filter to control reflections from a water feature and then add in an ND filter to allow you to use an extended exposure to capture a creamy water effect. Whereas this can be nice, many of the regular style filters offer double threaded filters now allowing for the exact same thing at a much cheaper price if you are planning on only using a single lens or lenses with the same filter size.

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Cokin P Series Neutral Density Filters

Next up we will be moving on to our Cokin P series ND filters review (Click here to check for product prices and availability). As we touched on earlier in the article, a good neutral density filter can be the perfect camera accessory if you are planning on taking photographs of water features such as waterfalls or streams. They allow you to control the amount of light that can enter your lens and get to your camera sensor offering increased camera exposure times to capture the creamy, silky smooth look of water as shown in the image below.

An example of the type of landscape photography that you are able to capture when using an ND filter. You can clearly see the silky smooth water effect due to the extended exposure time.
An example of the type of landscape photography that you are able to capture when using an ND filter. You can clearly see the silky smooth water effect due to the extended exposure time.

Again, the build quality of the Cokin P Series ND filters is solid and they do offer a good filter but the main thing that we feel you have to ask yourself is if they are worth the increased price tag or not.

As we mentioned earlier, the main advantage of using a filter system like the Cokin P series is if you are planning to use a large number of camera lenses that all have different filter thread sizes as you are able to use the same square based filter over multiple filter thread sizes. That said, if you are planning on using a single lens or multiple lenses with the same filter thread size then we feel that you would potentially better off with an ND filter from the Gobe ND filter range (Click here to check for product prices and availability).

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Are Cokin Filters Any Good

As you have probably gathered, we feel the Cokin P series filter system is over priced and will not play into its advantage for the majority of our readers. Although the filters are very high-quality, they simply cost too much, take too much time to set up, and you are able to get a similar, if not better effect from a regular filter system.

That said, if you are using a large number of lenses that all have different filter thread sizes then the Cokin system may be the way to go. Again though, the initial investment costs are high and even then you will probably have to purchase a bunch of Lens Adapter Rings in the required sizes for your lenses to get the most out of the filter system.

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