Formatt Hitech remains the only company who can produce genuinely bonded filters. This Firecrest multicoating technology, developed within our laboratories in the UK, protects the filter coating between two further layers of Schott B270i superwite glass. Giving unrivaled scratch protection to the rare earth coatings and protecting the image from light leaks and IR pollution which can occur through a scratched surface coating.
For Firecrest Pro filters, we hand apply a special black anti-reflection coating to the edge. This coating helps to protect the filter but also control reflections and light leaks.
We have taken this one stage further with Firecrest Ultra. Each filter undergoes an additional lapping and polishing phase, derived from our cinema technology to give incredible optical flatness and resolution.
Whether Firecrest, Firecrest Pro, or Firecrest Ultra, you can rest assured it is of the highest quality due to our stringent quality control and material selection.
| Firecrest ND | Firecrest Pro | Firecrest Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare Earth IRND Coating | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scratch Resistant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water Resistant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Anti Reflective Edge Seal | ❌ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Precision Lap and Polish | ❌ | ❌ | ✓ |
Firecrest ND
Firecrest is a revolutionary ND filter technology from Formatt-Hitech. Rather than dyed resin, Firecrest is a rare earth metal coating used to create hyper neutral NDs. These ND filter coatings are protected between two layers of Schott Superwite glass. Each filter is IRND, hydrophobic, anti-reflective, and extremely flare resistant.
Each Firecrest photography filter is IRND, meaning you don’t have to worry about color casts, so you can just concentrate on your photography. The light is always filtered evenly, including the Infra-Red spectrum, removing the risk of color casts, giving you the true colors in your images. Firecrest comes in our most popular densities from small corrections to a massive 16 stops for extreme long exposure photography.
Firecrest Pro
Each Firecrest Pro is IRND, meaning you don’t have to worry about color casts, so you can just concentrate on your photography.
The filters are water resistant with the coating safely sandwiched between two layers of Schott Optical Superwite glass. These outer glass layers give the coating a scratch resistant protection rather than just a simple coating on the surface.
In addition to all the standard Firecrest features, we hand apply a special black anti-reflection coating to the edge of every Firecrest Pro filter. This coating helps to protect the edges of the filter but also control reflections and light leaks giving you ultimate control of your image.
Firecrest Ultra
Firecrest Ultra is the next generation in Neutral Density filtration for photographers.
Firecrest remains the only professional grade filter that is bonded to protect the coating in the center of the filter; giving the filter enhanced durability over coated products and protecting your investment.
With Firecrest Ultra we have taken this process one step further and now “lap and polish” the filters, a process previously only carried out on our cinema grade filters. This makes them ideal for focal lengths in excess of 100mm where precision is crucial.
So in addition to the superb neutrality and durability that Firecrest delivers, the filters now benefit from enhanced clarity and sharpness and are the most optically flat photographic ND filters in the world, regardless of focal length.
Firecrest Ultra are available in 100x100mm and various circular sizes in a range of popular densities from 1 to 10 stops, 13 and 16 stops and now 18 to 24 stops.
