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Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit: two-minute review
Filters are an essential element of photography and video because, for the most part, they allow you to control exposure. Whether you’re aiming to manipulate shutter speed or to shoot at wider apertures than should be possible, filters are the way to achieve the desired results.
The Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit is a comprehensive filter kit built around a variable ND/polarizer and an ND32 filter, with a couple of video haze filters thrown in for good measure. This is a stackable kit, allowing you to combine multiple filters as required. Where this kit differs from others is in how the filters clip together and to the adaptor ring, rather than being magnetic.
Freewell rightly says clip attaching is a more secure system than magnetic, and results in less accidental adjustment of the variable ND. The only negatives to the system are that it’s not quite as convenient as magnetic systems, and you have to make sure the filter being attached is secure.
There are two Real Locking VND/CPL kits available: the Mega Kit and the All Day kit. I tested the Mega Kit, shooting both photos and videos to see how the kit as a whole and the individual filters perform. First, you have the base ring, and these are available from 49mm to 82mm with a lens cap that can be used with the ring left in place on the lens if desired. The filters are 82mm, so the adaptor rings step down, allowing you to use them across multiple lenses.
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You can use the Mist filters, ND32 or any of the opposite individually accessible filters individually on the Base Ring. The variable ND is paired up with the polarizing filter, and utilizing the 2 collectively works surprisingly nicely. To modify the polarizing impact, you need to rotate the whole filter by releasing the rubber locking grips and turning it till the specified impact is reached. Then, to regulate the variable ND, you merely transfer the marker to the specified energy, which ranges from three to seven stops.
The equipment additionally comes with an ND32 filter, which includes a five-stop light-reducing density. This can be utilized in isolation or paired with the VND for as much as a 12-stop mild blocking density, so a few stops over a Big Stopper. With the VND at as much as seven stops, there’s no coloration solid seen in pictures, though there’s a tiny trace of purple or magenta when the ND32 can also be hooked up.
When I say minor, I do imply minor – the colour solid is simply simply seen to the color-trained eye, and this may be simply eliminated in enhancing software program. When the ND32 is utilized in isolation, there’s a slight solid that appears slightly purple, minimal once more, like when stacked with the VND.
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The ND filters are great for video, offering the ability to quickly control exposure while maintaining the correct shutter speed for capturing movement – the 180-degree rule. For landscape photography, you can extend exposure times to smooth water and blur clouds, while the filters also make it possible to shoot at larger apertures in bright conditions.
There’s no specific information about the glass construction of the filters, but you can see that they are coated, and image quality when using them is excellent. Color rendition is also excellent, with only the extremely minor aforementioned color cast issue. The two mist filters also work well and do what they’re claimed to do.
The Glow Mist 1/4 Filter blooms highlights slightly, smooths contrast and adds a cinematic haze without losing sharpness. With this filter, the haze spreads into midtones. In the examples below, you’ll see the sun star of the filter-free version remains, but with a bloom in the centre.
The Snow Mist 1/4 filter blooms highlights more than the Glow Mist 1/4 Filter and also smooths contrast, but with less spread into the midtones. This filter has completely bloomed the sun star into a circular highlight. Both of these filters can be used for all types of photography to apply cinematic haze effects, alongside being used for video capture.
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My only minor gripe with the Mega Kit is that when the ND32 and two Mist filters are inserted into the smart leatherette Filters Case with a magnetic clasp, the middle and rear filters are a bit tight when removing them from the case. The case is, however, well-made and stores the entire kit away safely.
The lens caps have NFC built in, which takes you to the freewell website ‘Hub’ for tutorials, user guides and other stuff. It’s a bit of a gimmick and possibly unnecessary, but it’s certainly an innovative and unique feature.
The rear cap, which attaches to the VND/CPL, has a built-in gray card and white balance for color calibration. This, I have to say, is extremely useful, especially for video capture, where you can ensure color consistency when shooting without filters and with filters at different strengths.
Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit: key specs
|
Filter slots |
Stackable |
|
Adaptor rings |
82mm included (49mm to 82mm available separately) |
|
Polarizing filter |
Built into VND |
|
Case included |
Yes |
|
Lens cap |
Yes |
Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit price and availability
There are two Real Locking VND/CPL kits available: the Mega Kit and the All Day kit. These are available now at Amazon and the Freewell web site. The All Day Kit is available for $250 at Amazon US and consists of the VND3-7/CPL Base, an ND32, an 82mm Base Ring, an NFC Front Lens Cap, a White Balance Back Cap, a Filters Case and a Cleaning Cloth for. The identical All Day kit costs £227.43 at Amazon in the UK. Australia value TBC.
The Mega Kit consists of the entire above, plus a Snow Mist 1/4 and a Glow Mist 1/4. This equipment prices $350 and pricing for each is in USD on the Freewell website, which means in the event you reside outdoors the US you will must verify the precise price in your personal foreign money on the time of buy.
The kits aren’t low-cost, however they’re priced equally to magnetic filter kits. Other filters could be bought individually, in addition to further Base Rings, which include corresponding NFC Front Lens Caps.
Should I purchase the Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit?
Buy it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
How I examined the Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit
- Used for picture and video seize
- Filters examined individually and stacked
- Tested in differing mild circumstances
I examined the Freewell Real Locking VND/CPL Mega Kit over a few weeks and used for quite a lot of images and video shoots utilizing completely different lenses with 82mm and 77mm filter threads. I used filters individually and stacked as required to evaluate efficiency in a spread of configurations.
I additionally examined the filters in numerous mild circumstances to verify their effectiveness in regard to the producer’s claims, in addition to how the results of the Mist filters work in numerous conditions.
First reviewed October 2025