If you're like me, you can't get enough dark, misty, ethereal and foreboding atmospherics in your photos. Well, that's the look I'm going for when I use this black diffusion mist 1/4 filter from K&F Concept. The Variable ND2-400 filter comes along for the ride but the Black Diffusion Mist filter is clearly...err...'not so clearly'....star of the show.

I already had the K&F Black Mist 1/8 filter, which adds more of a dreamy and slightly otherworldly effect to photos. I shoot a lot of photos at night in cities, and the 1/8 filter is perfect for that scenario. Even at night, cities are bright but if you're shooting without this type of ambient light the 1/4 filter is the club you want to pull out of your bag. In some ways, both filters create an effect that evokes analog cameras. One of my favorite subjects is Southern Nevada and you can get some really cool images with these filters. I've used the 1/8 for shots in Las Vegas (spoiler alert: lots of lights there) but I'm looking forward to using the 1/4 to shoot in the desert or some of the more remote towns between there and Reno.

At one point, photographers would try all sorts of tricks to soften up their images. Rumor has it that 'Penthouse' publisher/photographer Bob Guccione would slather Vaseline on the lens to get the look--'The Gooch' thought he was a much better photographer than he really was but his obsession with soft focus imagery really differentiated his publication from the more lurid competition no matter how he went about getting the effect. Less messy photographers would go with black pantyhose over the lens.

I don't consider myself a serious photographer--I'm primarily a writer that started taking photos and videos to accompany content. I'm trying to learn more about photography and at some point when I have more time I'd like to get more into the artistic side of images. For now, however, I'm pretty content getting interesting photos/videos with my Nikon Z-30. I've started messing with filters to try some different effects.

As for these K&F filters, they're a perfect fit for my 50-250mm telephoto zoom lens. They apparently have little black particles inside the filter to get the black mist effect--in fact, you can see them if you look closely which you will because your first reaction is that it's dirty. I can't give you an expert analysis on the build quality, but the frame is anodized aluminum and that's a pretty burly metal. The glass has 28 layer multilevel coating and it comes with a nice storage case. I have enjoyed using my 1/8 K&F filter and I'm looking forward to putting the 1/4 through its paces. Highly recommended!