LEE Filters launches LEE Elements range of high-performance circular filters

LEE Filters, a leading manufacturer of high-quality lighting gels and photographic filters and part of Panavision’s end-to-end offerings for image makers, has introduced LEE Elements, an all-new range of high-performance and quick-to-deploy circular filters for photographers and videographers.

Available in four standard sizes of 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm, LEE Elements comprises five filter types: Little Stopper (offering 6 stops of light reduction), Big Stopper (10 stops of light reduction), CPL (circular polariser) and two densities of VND (variable ND, providing 2-5 or 6-9 stops of light reduction). Each LEE Elements filter incorporates the highest quality multilayer coated optics, providing class-leading optical performance, including with wide-angle lenses, and making them ideal complements to the latest lenses and camera sensors. The filters feature a rugged and robust black anodized aluminium frame, and their innovative design enables quick and easy attachment and operation without the need for a filter holder, in any environment and even when wearing gloves.

“With LEE Elements, we’re bringing our experience and know-how to a new range of quick and easy-to-use circular filters, providing the quality and performance that customers expect from LEE in a form factor that can streamline their creative process, whether they’re capturing stills or video,” said LEE Filters Managing Director Paul Mason. “With the quality of the glass and the high-performance coatings across the range, LEE Elements offers photographers and videographers class-leading optical performance.”

For the first time, LEE’s renowned Stopper filters for long-exposure photography are available in a circular format ideal for grab-and-go shooting. The LEE Elements Little Stopper and Big Stopper also feature stackable housings, allowing them to be combined to meet users’ creative needs across a variety of shooting conditions. For further flexibility, the rotating CPL and VND filters—which feature increased front rings to ensure optimal edge-crop performance—can be stacked in front of a Stopper.

The fluid rotation mechanics of the CPL and VND filters ensure smooth, silent operation, ideal for videography. Additionally, the VND filters feature a bracketed design with a rotational limit that eliminates the risk of cross-polarisation anomalies. The VND filters’ clearly marked numeric stop positions—tuned to LEE’s tight tolerance standard for ND filters—support stills and video content creators with real-time exposure control in dynamic lighting situations and also provide another creative option for long-exposure photography. LEE Elements CPL filters draw on LEE’s expertise in polarisation for ultimate reflection and contrast control.

Beyond the filter range’s scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coatings, LEE Elements features hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings equivalent to those found on Panavision’s PanaND and LEE’s ProGlass Cine IRND filters, providing enhanced protection against moisture and fingerprints. The filters also feature a knurled finish for an enhanced all-weather grip. Additionally, the front and rear sections of the rotating CPL and VND incorporate differentiated grip patterns to provide users with tactile feedback as the filters are adjusted.

Each LEE Elements filter comes with its own single-piece, impact-resistant protective hard case with custom foam insert. The curved, single-piece design allows the case to be held comfortably in one hand as the user removes or replaces the filter, and the cases are sized to be able to fit into a pocket or occupy minimal space in a camera bag. Each filter also comes with its own cleaning cloth.

“LEE Elements will introduce new customers who might still be in the early stages of their image-making journeys to the high-quality, rugged and easy-to-use filter systems that LEE is known for,” Mason said. “As those image makers continue in their creative pursuits, we’ll be there to further support them across a whole range of lenses with our LEE85, LEE100 and SW150 filter systems for still photography and our ProGlass Cine IRND line of neutral-density filters for cinematography. Whether a customer is shooting stills or video content, LEE Elements offers a versatile solution that empowers them to simply go and create.”

LEE Elements is available globally through LEE Filters’ dealer network and in the U.K. through LEE Filters dealers and LEE Direct.