Blackstone ND
Blackstone are a premium line of glass ND filters. We believe they are the finest ND filters in the world based on three key factors; advanced coating technology, the finest optical materials, Swiss-watch precision in manufacturing.
Technology
The technology used to create Blackstone ND is revolutionary, and features a new 22 layer double-sided coating process that is perfectly neutral with no color shift, has zero loss of resolution and detail, has the best anti-reflective qualities of any ND on the market, and is both hydrophobic and oleophobic (meaning it sheds both water and oil). Blackstone 13 & 16 stop long exposure filters feature a full 28 layer coating.
100% Neutral. 100% Resolution.
Blackstone ND filters are a technological leap-frog advancement over competing ND filters. Legacy dye-based ND filters suffer from serious color cast. The first generation of Vapor Deposition Coated (VDC) ND filters have largely corrected the color cast problem, but lack the ability to resolve high-megapixel camera without diffusing the image. Wine Country Camera’s exclusive Blackstone ND features the next generation of vapor deposition coating that is both perfectly neutral across all spectrums of light (including UV and IR) and resolves the image with zero diffusion effect.
Sizes & Densities
Blackstone ND filters are available for the 100mm and 150mm system in the following densities:
Blackstone ND 3 Stop
Blackstone ND 6 Stop
Blackstone ND 10 Stop
Blackstone ND 13 Stop
Blackstone ND 16 Stop
Blackstone ND Grad 2 Stop Soft Edge
Blackstone ND Grad 3 Stop Soft Edge
Blackstone ND Grad 2 Stop Hard Edge
Blackstone ND Grad 3 Stop Hard Edge
150+ Megapixel
60 megapixel sensors are common on 35mm cameras, while medium format cameras offer 150 megapixels. Most filters simply cannot resolve light at that resolution. The result is blurring of the image. Blackstone ND filters are extensively tested on high megapixel Phase One cameras to ensure that they resolve with zero loss of resolution.
Visible Light + UV & IR
Legacy “stoppers” are now obsolete because digital sensors capture UV, visible spectrum light and infrared. Filters must perform across all spectrums or infrared will overwhelm the sensor and destroy the image quality. Blackstone technology is perfectly neutral across all spectrums.
Fire Polished Schott Ultra White Glass
If you’re going to build the best ND filter in the world, use the best glass in the world. Period. Schott’s Ultra White optical glass has a crystal-like appearance and extremely high transmittance across the visible light spectrum. Schott Ultra White glass features an extremely flat, fire polished surface to eliminate any visible distortions caused by surface imperfections.
Perfectly Neutral
For anyone who has used a different brand's 10 "stopper" the following images should be astonishing. Blackstone ND filters are so color neutral and so resolving that - aside from the exposure duration - the images with and without filters are virtually indistinguishable.
Phase One IQ180, 80 megapixel file, 1/20th second at F8 with no filter.
Phase One IQ180, 80 megapixel files, 60 seconds at f8 with the Blackstone ND 10 Stop filter.
Zero Loss of Resolution
The above images are 100% crops taken from an 80 megapixel Phase One IQ180 file. One image was 1/20th of a second with no filter. The other image was 60 seconds exposure with a Blackstone ND 10 Stop filter. Blackstone's NextGen Vapor Deposition Coating is so advanced that there is zero loss of resolution, zero color shift, and zero surface distortions. In fact, the two images are so close in terms of image quality, we're not going to tell you which one is which.
WCC Quality
Our mission is clear. We’re dedicated to providing the most innovative products available for photographers. We don’t skimp on quality and only use the finest materials. Anything less is unacceptable.
Includes Protective Filter Vault
Each Blackstone ND filter includes a protective filter vault for free (a $35 value). Filter vaults protect the filter from fingerprints and damage. When used in the Wine Country Camera filter holder system, they create a light tight enclosure to eliminate reflections behind your filters.
Wine Country Camera’s innovative filter holder system redefined how photographers use filters.
Our holder system focuses usability once the camera is on the tripod, and allows the photographer to fine tune their images using an iterative workflow.
