As a professional landscape photographer, I have to say I fell in love with the Nikon 14-24mm the moment I attached it to my (then) state-of-the-art D3. It was amazingly sharp, and the zoom range just begged for wide open spaces and big skies.
However, there were more than a few times I found myself wishing I could attach a polarizer to the front of the lens to take reflections off of leaves and water. Enter the Fotodiox Wonderpana 145 Kit.
I’ve been using the Fotodiox adapter kit for my Nikon 14-24mm for about 6 months now and I wanted to let other 14-24mm owners know about this little gem. It’s a great way to add a polarizer (or neutral density) filter to your lens – check it out!
So, here’s the video review:
Psst – For a better view, make sure you go full screen 😉
Here are the 100% crops mentioned in the video above to compare the sharpness of the polarizer to the naked lens (as noted in the video, these were deliberately shot in a situation where polarization would have a minimal impact). Honestly, I just don’t see much difference between the two – it’s just too close to call. Focused with LiveView, and shot with mirror lockup. Both are unsharpened RAW files.
(click the image above for a full-size version)
Above is a close version -pretty darn close. If there is a difference, it wouldn’t take very much sharpening to fix it, that’s for sure.
I can also attest that this adapter kit and polarizer rocks in real life. I’ve been exceedingly pleased with the sharpness, color, and amount of polarization. Highly recommended for 14-24mm owners who love shootin’ in the woods or near water. Available from Amazon.
UPDATE: There has been an improved version released since this video and it’s at the amazon link above. My “old” version still works fine, but the new one looks ever better!
~Steve
PS – I’m not affiliated with Fotodiox in any way, I just really like this setup!
PS…
If you enjoyed this article, I think you’ll REALLY like my e-books, Secrets To Stunning Wildlife Photography and Secrets To The Nikon Autofocus System. They’re filled with hundreds of pages of information just like this. Check it out – click here (hey, it’s free to look 🙂 )
Hi Steve, Thanks for all your videos, I’ve converted to back button focus and several other techniques from watching your guides. I’ve also discovered the Wonderpana system, thanks to your review video and this site, and I have the same lens as you do, wonderful results, I have the polariser, the 4 stop ND and the 2 stop soft grad, and have made some improvements to just using the lens alone. As you say in comments, they have updated it now, the skinny front fitting ring you have to fiddle with has been replaced with a back of lens hood… Read more »
Hi! I posted this with your Youtube video, but in case you don’t see it, I am reposting it here. All your components for the Wonderpana are black, but I see them with a red ring. What is the difference? Have you heard of the Kase system, which is wider (150mm and 170x170mm) and might not vignette? Thanks!
Mine is the older system – the new one is better (easier to work with), but I just can’t justify buying it again when the old one gets the job done just fine.
There are a LOT of other options since the Fotodiox system came out, but I confess, I haven’t tried any of them, so I can’t say for sure if the one you mention is good or not.