Kase Buyers Guide – Square vs Circular

Depending on your needs, square or circular filters can be beneficial to you or cumbersome. Let’s first look at the benefits of square filters.

Square filters are best suited to landscape photographers, particularly those who enjoy long exposures. The benefits come with the filter system like the K9 holder, where the user can drop in filters to balance the exposure in camera.

Using graduated filters and fixed f-stop ND filters together can create pleasing and better exposed photographs if controlled accurately.

The weaknesses of square filters are: weight and size in comparison to circular filters and in poor weather the filters and holder are exposed to the elements furthermore investing in a square filter system can be expensive for any newcomer.

Circular filters by comparison are lighter and compact, which makes them great for travel photographers and those looking to be light weight. They are also far quicker to use, especially the Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular Filters.

Graduated filters are available for circular systems, but they are fixed graduated filters, which are less flexible than a square system.

The photographer may find issues with vignetting with circular filters, especially when stacked so it is beneficial to use wider thread filters to overcome this issue. For example, a 72mm thread lens with a 72-77mm step up ring and using 77mm filters.