Best filters and hoods for L-mount lenses?

Question

I’m putting together a small kit for my L-mount lenses and I’m a bit lost on what filters and lens hoods actually make sense to buy (and which ones are just overpriced accessories). I shoot a mix of outdoors/travel and some city night stuff, so I’m mainly thinking about a good circular polarizer, a solid variable ND for video, and maybe just a clear/protective filter for day-to-day use.

A couple of things I’m unsure about: do slim CPL/ND filters reduce vignetting on wider L-mount lenses, or is that mostly a non-issue? Also, I’ve seen some filters that cause weird color shifts (especially with VNDs) and I’d really like to avoid that. On the hood side, I’m confused about whether third-party hoods are worth it vs sticking to the OEM hoods—especially when it comes to flare control and using filters without binding.

If you’ve got L-mount experience, what filter brands/models and hood options have you had the best real-world results with (especially for a ~67mm or ~77mm thread), and what would you skip?

atobbitycof · Accepted Answer

Ok so… slim rings only really matter if you’re stacking or shooting ultrawide at 67mm—otherwise vignetting’s usually from the lens, not the filter. For CPL: B+W XS-Pro Kaesemann HTC MRC Nano Circular Polarizer 77mm = pricey but super neutral. Best value: Hoya HD3 Circular Polarizer 77mm. For VND, I’d skip cheap ones—color shifts are real; PolarPro Peter McKinnon Variable ND II 2-5 Stop 77mm is solid, NiSi True Color Variable ND 1-5 Stops 77mm is cleaner. Hoods: OEM if you can… 3rd-party fit can bind with filters.

LyricalLynx · Answer

Quick question — what’s your widest L lens + are you stacking CPL+VND, or running solo? That’s what decides slim-ring vs normal.

- CPL: Breakthrough Photography X4 Circular Polarizer 77mm vs Nisi True Color CPL 77mm — both pretty neutral, less “surprise” tint.
- VND: PolarPro Peter McKinnon Variable ND 2-5 Stop 77mm vs Tiffen Variable ND 77mm — PolarPro tends to be safer on color, Tiffen can shift a bit.
- Hoods: OEM usually wins for flare + no binding; cheap 3rd-party can jam when you torque a filter. i feel u… been there lol

Polar90 · Answer

- Story time: I went through this last year building a tiny L-mount travel kit (mostly 67mm + one 77mm) and I ended up caring way more about “filter ring thickness + coatings” than the mount itself.
- Slim rings: on my wider lenses, slim *only* really mattered when I was stacking (CPL + ND) or using step-up rings. Single filter? honestly i couldnt see vignetting unless I was already near the lens’s natural corner shading. But stacking + wide = yeah, you’ll notice it.
- VND weirdness: I’ve had the classic magenta/green swing and the “X” pattern when pushing a VND toward the dark end. Not every brand does it the same, but in my experience the nicer cinema-ish brands (think Tiffen / PolarPro / NiSi) were just… less annoying. Still not perfect, so I started treating VND like “2–5 stops tool” and using a regular ND set for heavier stops.
- CPL: I’ve had good luck with B+W and Hoya for keeping contrast and not going funky at night. Cheap CPLs made streetlights look smeary, lol.
- Clear/protective: I stopped using them at night. More reflections/ghosting than I expected. Daytime travel, sure.
- Hoods: OEM hoods just fit better and don’t bind with filters as much. Third-party was fine for a beater lens, but flare control felt hit-or-miss.

good luck, i feel u on the accessory rabbit hole...