Haida M10 Holder Review
Recently I became a Haida Ambassador and now its time to start make some evaluatings of the products. I will start from the beginning the M10 Holder, for me the best Holder in the market.
Build Quality
The Haida M10 holder is made from aluminum and as such, is extremely light while remaining quite sturdy. The brushed finish looks and feels premium to boot.
The holders for the 100mm filters also feel sturdy and well attached. On the M10 holder itself, there is a thin ring of felt that should help prevent scratches when inserting and removing filters. Just don’t let it get wet! It creates streaks all down the filters and needs to be dried again before you can continue using the holder
The quick-release clip for the holder feels sturdy and like it will last as long as you need it to. It has a good amount of tension, so you won’t knock the holder off by accident. More on this clip below.
The Haida M10 holder is made from aluminum and as such, is extremely light while remaining quite sturdy. The brushed finish looks and feels premium to boot.
The holders for the 100mm filters also feel sturdy and well attached. On the M10 holder itself, there is a thin ring of felt that should help prevent scratches when inserting and removing filters. Just don’t let it get wet! It creates streaks all down the filters and needs to be dried again before you can continue using the holder
The quick-release clip for the holder feels sturdy and like it will last as long as you need it to. It has a good amount of tension, so you won’t knock the holder off by accident. More on this clip below.
Features
The Haida M10 has a similar feature set to many filter holders on the market, but with some different implementations that help it to stand out and possibly be a better solution for many photographers. Let’s take a look at how the holder operates and how well the features work.
Mounting the Holder
After screwing in an appropriate adapter ring (available in 37-82 mm diameters), the holder can simply be clipped on using the spring-loaded tab on the right-hand side of the holder. This tab clips into a groove on the adapter ring that clamps the holder in place.
Once the ring is attached, it spins freely. This allows you to precisely align graduated filters. One feature I feel would benefit users of graduated filters would be some sort of lock to stop the ring spinning. It can be all too easy to knock the ring while setting focus or sliding other filters in and out.
Once the ring is attached, it spins freely. This allows you to precisely align graduated filters. One feature I feel would benefit users of graduated filters would be some sort of lock to stop the ring spinning. It can be all too easy to knock the ring while setting focus or sliding other filters in and out.
The Drop-in Filter
The M10 uses a dual drop-in system to allow the mounting of round filters as well as square filters. If you purchase the holder kit, you’ll be provided with a circular polarizer and light barrier drop-in. These can be dropped in and released from the side of the filter closest to the lens. If you’re not using the polarizer, you can drop in the light barrier, which is simply an empty filter ring that seals the rear of the holder to light. To switch these filters, you just need to pinch the two red tabs at the top and lift the filter.
Haida offers several filters to fit this section of the holder including ND, Grad ND, CPL, and their Clear-Night filter. Forward i will make to a review of wich filter i had of Haida.
These are much quicker to drop in and release than their 100mm companions, so if you’re looking to quickly and easily make use of an ND or CPL filter, it may be worth investing in these and going for 100mm filters for your graduated options.
These are much quicker to drop in and release than their 100mm companions, so if you’re looking to quickly and easily make use of an ND or CPL filter, it may be worth investing in these and going for 100mm filters for your graduated options.
The Included CPL
If you purchase the basic kit (I recommend starting here), Haida includes their M10 Drop-In CPL. This filter is encased in a light-sealed holder and has a simple dial on top to rotate the CPL without moving the rest of the holder and potentially having to re-align your graduated filters. As someone who has always used less-developed systems, this is a feature I really appreciate.
The 100mm Slots
On the front side of the holder, you’ll find two slots for 100mm filters. Haida also includes a third set of these in case you need to really stack some filters. When I inserted my first filter into the holder, I found that it was a little stiff, and I had to force it somewhat. However, after a few insertions, that became slightly looser, and I can now get the filters in without too much pressure.
Vignetting
I have tested this holder with everything out to my Nikon 16 35 (at 16mm) using the included adapter rings and have not seen any vignetting at all.
Pricing
The M10 is not the cheapest option on the market comparing with cheap brands, but when we start to compare to good brands like LEE, and Nisi for its value proposition. At its base configuration (just the holder, no adapter ring, no CPL filter)
If you want to get the best deal on the M10, I recommend going for the basic kit, which comes with the drop-in CPL and an adapter ring of your choice. From here, you can start adding 100mm filters to the kit. Haida also offers an Enthusiast Kit and a Master Kit if you're looking to go all in and want to save a few extra money.
If you want to get the best deal on the M10, I recommend going for the basic kit, which comes with the drop-in CPL and an adapter ring of your choice. From here, you can start adding 100mm filters to the kit. Haida also offers an Enthusiast Kit and a Master Kit if you're looking to go all in and want to save a few extra money.
In Conclusion
For me, as i sayd below this is best holder in the market, a great kit that sits well and truly at the premium end of the market. The M10 holder itself makes quickly setting up for a shot and then changing filters on the fly an absolute breeze. Haida’s filters (we’ll take a look at some of those in the coming weeks) are also of exceptional quality.
For me, as i sayd below this is best holder in the market, a great kit that sits well and truly at the premium end of the market. The M10 holder itself makes quickly setting up for a shot and then changing filters on the fly an absolute breeze. Haida’s filters (we’ll take a look at some of those in the coming weeks) are also of exceptional quality.
What I Liked
Durable construction
Drop-in circular filters as well as square filters
Ease of use
The drop-in CPL
No vignetting
Durable construction
Drop-in circular filters as well as square filters
Ease of use
The drop-in CPL
No vignetting
What I Feel Could Be Improved
Plastic Cover for the ring, to avoid always taking off the ring
Plastic Cover for the ring, to avoid always taking off the ring
