Chinese "Cokin" knock-off filters on Ebay

Kino · Oct 13, 2019

Picked up some authentic Cokin filters today, so I headed to Ebay to check on adapter rings and was floored by the flood of Chinese "Cokin" knock-offs and how at how dirt-cheap they are selling.

I can't believe anything that cheap is of reasonable quality; has anyone ventured a few bucks to check on their quality?

I have a Love/Hate relationship with Cokin filters. They are inexpensive, relatively speaking, but a bit of a pain to use.

Ariston · Oct 13, 2019

I've used them. The filter holders I have are cheap, but work fine. Every adapter ring I've bought has actually been metal, so I don't know how you could improve them. And they are usually less than five dollars. I buy all my step-up rings and such trinkets on ebay.

Kino · Oct 13, 2019

Thanks! Good to know.

I just wonder if the ND filters are truly neutral or not.

Ariston · Oct 13, 2019

I have never noticed a color cast and have been happy with them. But I must confess that I am probably less picky about these things than most (especially since I don't print in the darkroom). If something looks good to my eye, I am generally happy with it. I've never compared a filtered image side by side with a non-filtered image in order to be 100% sure... so keep that in mind, if you are relying on my opinion. I will say that there is very little to lose by trying them since they are so cheap.

Plastics these days are pretty amazing and pretty cheap. It is what is used in eyeglasses.

Of course, they may scratch more easily.

AgX · Oct 14, 2019

Ariston said:
Every adapter ring I've bought has actually been metal, so I don't know how you could improve them.

Being from metal actually does not mean everything, The correct diameter, flange angle, pitch and the surface condition are important too.
I got one filter made by KMZ that though looking mint, having right flange angle and pitch according to gauge, hardly fits its own counterparts from same set.

Ariston · Oct 14, 2019

AgX said:
Being from metal actually does not mean everything, The correct diameter, flange angle, pitch and the surface condition are important too.
I got one filter made by KMZ that though looking mint, having right flange angle and pitch according to gauge, hardly fits its own counterparts from same set.

Good points. None have ever given me issues with that, so I didn't even think of it.

abruzzi · Oct 15, 2019

I’ve never tried the Chinese holder or filters, but I did buy a number of $10 Chinese adapter rings, and had no issue using them with the Cokin holder.

Mal Paso · Oct 16, 2019

I bought a set of 8 Zome ND filters, half of them graduated to use the 4x one on a B&W darkroom meter as they were cheaper than one gel filter. $13 shipped. There is a barely noticeable color cast but they are very good for the price. Of the 2 filter holders the one that fits the included lens hood won't fit the filters but the one that doesn't fit the hood takes the filters just fine. There were 9 metal adapter rings 49-82mm which seem to be very good quality and the folding case would probably sell here for $13 by itself.

benjiboy · Oct 16, 2019

I have never bought a product that was made in China that was infirior, don't forget they built The Great Wall of China when we were living in mud huts.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 16, 2019

benjiboy said:
I have never bought a product that was made in China that was inferior, don't forget they built The Great Wall of China when we were living in mud huts.

Yeah, but those builders are dead. Many of the manufacturers today do produce crummy and cheap products. Unless you know who you're buying from, or through a reputable dealer like B and H, it's risky. Competition in China is brutal making for firms to cut costs.

railwayman3 · Oct 16, 2019

I have an acquaintance who imports precision machine components from China for his business, and tells me that the quality and service are as good as anywhere in the world. However, he does say that many Chinese firms will manufacture to meet the quality and price which the buyer specifies and for which he is prepared to pay, anywhere from cheap-and-nasty to the highest precision anywhere. (And not forgetting that most of us are posting here using Chinese PC's and tablets, and some of us even taking images on Chinese digital cameras and phones....)

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 16, 2019

Thanks for confirming my point.

Kino · Oct 16, 2019

benjiboy said:
You have to allow for racial prejudice as well in this matter.

If you are making a back-handed reference to my post, perhaps you are ignorant of how quality ND filters are made with particulate and not dyes.

Any inexpensive ND filter is probably going to be made with dyes that have a color bias.

I reserve the right to question the quality of any product from any country without inference of racial prejudice.

Kino · Oct 16, 2019

Mal Paso said:
I bought a set of 8 Zome ND filters, half of them graduated to use the 4x one on a B&W darkroom meter as they were cheaper than one gel filter. $13 shipped. There is a barely noticeable color cast but they are very good for the price. Of the 2 filter holders the one that fits the included lens hood won't fit the filters but the one that doesn't fit the hood takes the filters just fine. There were 9 metal adapter rings 49-82mm which seem to be very good quality and the folding case would probably sell here for $13 by itself.

Thanks for the detailed information.

I was looking at a set from K&F Concepts, as I have had good luck with their Nikon AI AI-S F to Canon EOS lens adapters.

rayonline_nz · Oct 16, 2019

Depends on what filters you are talking about. I have used diff filters but not eBay China. Esp with film some filters get color cast but it is tricky to assess because what we hear in the reviews and marketing is that they are assessed with a digital camera. Re: solid ND filters. I get absolutely color cast free with the cheaper standard Hitech filters (Cokin P mount) with digital but with film I get a deep red cast. With the B+W it is not exactly color cast free but the 2 stop is pretty good, the 6 stop I get a brown red cast both with digital and film. The Hitech grad filters quite good but they are not entirely neutral, a bit more contrast in the darker area of the filter but I quite like it myself. Not tried the Hitech Firecrest or the Nisi filters nor Lee though.

With b/w film YMMV though. I have used mine mainly with color slide film.

Edit - to add. Digital cameras like 10-15yrs ago a number of them also had a similar cast to color slide film. However, the more recent digital cameras don't. I have tested them side/side at the same time with the same filters. So when I am shooting film I am hesitant to use ND filters apart from my B+W 2 stop and my CPOL, the grads are not bad either as mentioned.

winger · Oct 16, 2019

Kino said:
Thanks! Good to know.

I just wonder if the ND filters are truly neutral or not.

I have an older Cokin P series ND8 filter. I bought it when I was still in MA, so likely 15-20 years ago? I used it the other day with a dslr and I think it may have a bit of a color cast (sorta on the reddish side) compared to shots without it. It also may have been getting hit with light from the side and I don't know if age is a factor. I was planning on turning my shots into B&W and adding some effects, so I wasn't really bothered.

mshchem · Oct 16, 2019

Alan Edward Klein said:
Yeah, but those builders are dead. Many of the manufacturers today do produce crummy and cheap products. Unless you know who you're buying from, or through a reputable dealer like B and H, it's risky. Competition in China is brutal making for firms to cut costs.

China is no different than any where else. If the business treats the employees well, have modern equipment and bribe the government, everything usually turns out OK. At least that's the way it is here in the US. .

Years back I had a Fotoman 6x12, that thing was milled out of solid aluminum alloy. I have bought Hasselblad bay 60 to 67mm filter adapters from a China manufacturer that I love.
Injection molding tooling production has moved to China. The old days in the US, the tool shops closed weekends, didn’t work over night. In China tooling is produced in half the time even with shipping. The molder usually goes to China for the final sign off.

Eventually there will only be designers and robots, but I won't live to see it.

Chinese "Cokin" knock-off filters on Ebay

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