Disclosure
This product was kindly sent to me by WalkingWay in order to review and share my experience and thoughts on using it. The company does not claim to review this article prior to its’ release and everything that follows is a totally honest review. I have no economic benefit from WalkingWay for doing this review, other than the Affiliate links below. So let’s get into it.
Unboxing & first thoughts
I received the package and firstly, as always, I wanted to check the condition of the filter. As all filters are delicate products, finding out that it came in one piece and was not damaged during shipping, was a relief. The packaging itself feels premium and the filter itself is nicely protected inside the hard case, which is fitted with a precut foam insert, to match the filter diameter. If you are not using a filter pouch to carry all your filters with you, this case will conveniently serve this purpose.
Features and specs
After WalkingWay informed me on the intensities of the filters, I received the medium one, which gives you the maximum softness. As with all special effect filters that come in different intensities, I have always found that the lower intensity, output a very subtle effect, that might not be able to produce the look you are looking for. That way I think the medium one will serve the purpose better. The Light Soft Filter is marked as I on the filter frame and the Medium one is marked as II. I got the 58mm filter diameter, but the available options are from 37mm all the way up to 95mm, so you will have no trouble finding the one to fit your lens selection. The filter frame is made of aluminum and is just 3.2 mm in height, thus you are do not expect to experience unwanted vignetting by using it.
The Soft Focus filter is made of high quality glass and is intended to reduce contrast and create a dreamy fog effect that resembles haze. This will result in an overall softer image, mimicing the look of film shot images. Todays high dynamic range digital sensors, as well as super sharp lenses, are able to produce so sharp images that sometimes can be unpleasant. I am so interested in seeing the results and determine if it can replace the haze machine and in what degree. Also, the use of the filter helps to flatter the skin tones and skin itself, as it will help skin imperfections to be somewhat concealed.
My background
I have been using filters in my photography work almost from day one. My most used filter is the CPL and after that the NDs and VNDs. I have used some special effects filters from time to time, for creating a specific look or for getting familiar with a new product. For video shooting, I have almost exclusively used the VND filter, in order to get my exposure right and mimic a 180o shutter angle.
My expectation from using the White Soft filter, is to evaluate how it can match my style of work or not. Even if it pushes me out of my comfort zone, I will have to adjust my shooting style in order to get some useful pictures. I am also especially interested in using it for shooting video, as I think it will produce beautiful images. Of course the goal is whatever experience I have from using the White Soft filter, to share it with you, in order for you to decide if you should add it to your filter kit.
In use
First of all, all pictures in this article, are SOOC JPEGs, without any processing. This is deliberately done in order to demonstrate only the filters’ capabilities and not get confused with edited pictures that could alter the filters’ effect. With that out of the way, I tried to use the filter in multiple occasions and provide a wide range of use case scenarios. I used it from landscape photography to portraiture and I have to say I was impressed with its performance. When shooting landscapes with the sun included in the frame, it managed to even out some of its contrast, favoring the highlights. Of course this is something that can be adjusted by the overall exposure, but in general the haze effect enhanced the final picture. For nature closeups, such as shooting flora, the images were artistically superior. Without using the filter, the images might be technically superior, but looked like they were shot for the encyclopedia.
When using it for portraiture, it made the background less distracting, thus the subject stood out more. Being the most important subject in the frame, the eyes are drawn to it, making your images far more interesting. Also it concealed skin imperfection in great extend, so there was no need for postprocessing the skin of the talent. When there were shadows on the talents face, the White Soft filter managed to even them out, thanks to the foggy aura it produces.
For studio shooting it also proved to be very useful. In studio, the highlights that usually appear in the talents’ face, can benefit from the filter also. Although there are ways to soften the light in studio, sometimes even big softboxes could produce a couple of spots where highlights are clipped. The fact though, that when shooting in a controlled enviroment, it performed like the studio was lightly hazed, it was the most interesting to me.
Who is this for
You could use this filter as way to achieve a specific soft artistic style. Modern lenses are so sharp they can be distracting. Seeing your talents’ each skin pore, could impact your artistic vision and storytelling. That way you can produce interesting images focused solely on your subject. Also the use of it will save you time spent in post processing, if you are intending to edit your images later.
Even if your subject is not a person or animal, you could benefit from its use. Shooting sunrises and sunsets, which are by definition high dynamic range scenes, could be enhanced from the use of the WalkingWay Soft Focus filter. Also anyone who is into experimenting with camera accessories and filters in particular could have a look into it as its low price won’t break the bank.
Conclusion
I have been very satisfied from using the White Soft filter. It proved to be an interesting experiment to shoot with it, as it did resulted into beautiful images. It does what it promises as a diffusion filter, which makes your images have a hazy/dreamy look. This affects the image in an interesting way that enhances it aesthetically. I found though its’ effect was quite strong, not that this is a bad thing, but I would love to compare it with the WalkingWay Light Soft filter and the Black Mist filters.
So whether you shoot stills or video, portraits or nature, on midday or sunset, the WalkingWay Soft Focus filter can serve the purpose of taking away that clinical sharpness of modern lenses, and provide a more organic film-like feel to your images. Also with such a wide range of sizes and low cost, it deserves to give it a try, that I think will get you as excited as me.
For learning more about the WalkingWay Soft Focus filter, have a look at https://walkingwayfoto.com/?ref=dimoudimitris.com You could also navigate through the website to get familiar with the whole product range. Buying through the above Affiliate link, will provide me with a small commission that help me keep these reviews going, without any extra cost for you.