Cokin filters: Good, bad, indifferent? Advice pls

[tirediron]

I have always been a traditional "screw on" filter type person, but recently looking at a selection of Cokin filters in my local used equipment store, it struck me that for a couple of hundred dollars, I could have a HUGE selection of filters of all different types; a fraction of what new glass would cost.

My question: From experience, what are your thoughts on Cokin filters? How do they compare to their glass counterparts? I'm all for saving a buck, but not at the expense of the quality of my photographs. Any advice, experience etc greatly appreciated.

 

[Big Mike]

I have a few Cokin filters that I bought used. I like them but I'm not at the level where I would care too much about the ultimate quality of the filters...just their function. Because they are flat, they can be easy to scratch but if you are careful they are not hard to handle.

I have a few graduated filters, this is where the Cokin filter & holder system is great because you can slide the filter up & down in the holder to match your composition. You can also stack a few of them in the holder.

They can be a pain to use with external focus lenses because the whole thing will rotate with the front of the lens. And the smaller 'A' series might cause problems with wider lenses.

Overall I think it's a pretty good system. I've read about pros who use them quite often.

 

[westman]

i think , if u like photograph landscapes , Cokin is the best choice
u know, the gradual ND works better at a holder , sometimes it is hard to rotate the screw one.

so it just depends on what kind of subjects u intrested in and your habbits.

 

[etaf]

i use the cokin system and have quite a few filters - the one i used most is polariser, otherwise i have various warmups, effects etc

but i'm not looking at the top end quality just the effect