The filter i never knew i needed - Review of the K and F ND2-32 & CPL MRC 82 mm Filter

As someone shooting extensively with the Sony a7R V, I’ve always been meticulous about maintaining image quality — especially when working on challenging urban and landscape shoots. Whether it’s the dynamic contrasts of London’s streets or the ever-changing skies over Lincoln Cathedral and surrounding countryside, control over light and reflections is crucial. Since adding the Nano-X Pro Series ND2-32 + CPL filter to my kit, it has become one of my most-reached-for pieces of gear.

Build Quality & Feel

Straight out of the box, the filter impresses:

  • Beautifully machined brass frame gives a sense of solidity and premium feel on the lens, with smooth rotation and precise adjustment — ideal when you’re juggling quick exposure changes in unpredictable weather.

  • The multi-coated glass with nano-layers is not just marketing — it feels noticeably resistant to water spots and smudges during long London days or misty river shoots.

  • The 82 mm diameter matches perfectly with my larger lenses (like my 24-70 mm GMii and Tamron 35-150 f2.8), ensuring optimal coverage and minimal vignetting in corners — incredibly important on a 61 MP sensor like the a7R V’s.

Performance in Real Shoots

Urban Street & Cityscapes

In London’s unpredictable lighting — bright highlights bouncing off glass, deep shadows under bridges, and reflective surfaces everywhere — this filter helped on two crucial fronts:

1. Cleaner Highlights & Balanced Exposures
Engaging the variable ND allowed me to pull longer exposures even in midday sun. That meant smoother motion blur in moving crowds, and gorgeous soft streaking in fountains along the South Bank — without resorting to overexposing or pushing ISO.

2. Reflection Control with CPL
The built-in CPL component transformed how I handled shiny surfaces — from the Thames to glazed architectural features. The polarizer worked seamlessly with the ND, stripping distracting glare while keeping colours rich and true.

Landscape & Skies

In Lincoln, with dramatic skies and unpredictable weather, the ND + CPL combo is a dream:

  • Enhanced Sky Contrast: The CPL helped deepen cloud structure and cut through haze over the cathedral and nearby fields.

  • Creative Long Exposures: With the ND section dialed in, I could stretch exposures to smooth out river surfaces and create motion in cloud layers. All while keeping stellar detail in shadows — important on the a7R V’s high-resolution files.

This kind of flexibility meant I could focus on composition rather than constantly swapping filters — a huge advantage on location.

Pros & Highlights

✔️ Dual Functionality – Incredible Versatility

Instead of carrying separate CPL and ND filters, this combo unit gives both in one — saving time, space, and weight in my shoulder bag.

✔️ Excellent Optical Performance

Across all my shots — wide cityscapes, portraits, and landscape work — I saw minimal colour shift, no obvious edge artefacts, and sharpness that held up beautifully on the a7R V’s high-resolution files.

✔️ Build Quality That Matches Premium Gear

This feels like a professional-grade filter — sturdy, precisely machined, and smooth to operate. It inspires confidence when working in busy urban environments or unpredictable outdoor conditions alike.

✔️ Weather-Ready Coatings

The nano-coatings are genuinely useful when the forecast turns grey or misty — raindrops bead off, and cleaning is easy.

Final Thoughts

If you shoot with a Sony a7R V — which demands high optical quality and precise control over light — the K&F Concept Nano-X Pro Series ND2-32 + CPL filter is an outstanding upgrade. It’s one of those accessories that quietly elevates your work without fuss: giving you creative control, reducing gear swap fatigue, and helping you nail clean, professional shots across a wide range of conditions — from London city streets to Lincoln’s pastoral light.

Highly recommended for hybrid shooters, travel photographers, and anyone serious about squeezing the most out of their lens and sensor combination.



***. Save 17% across the entire K and F store using code ‘AndrewScott’. *** - https://www.kentfaith.co.uk



Next
Next

A day in London with the Vanguard VEO lite 25l backpack and 2l Shoulder bag