MEIKE PL to Canon RF

In April, MEIKE announced new Drop-in Filter PL Adapters. The adapters are available in PL to E-mount, PL to Leica L-mount, and PL to Canon RF-mount.

The MEIKE Drop-in Filter PL Adapters can be purchased without filters or in kits that come with filters, such as VND, UV, CPL, etc.

For this review, I will be looking at the PL to Canon RF-mount version.

Having a PL adapter with the ability to utilize a drop-in VND filter makes a lot of sense if you are running PL lenses on cameras that don’t have built-in ND like a RED Komodo or mirrorless hybrid. The other benefit of using a rear filter adapter is that you only need to use one size of filter regardless of what lens you may be running. This is very handy if you have PL mount lenses with different-sized front diameters and you don’t want to run a matte box.

With a camera like the recently announced KOMODO-X, the MEIKE adapter makes for a lot more affordable option than RED’s own KOMODO RF TO PL w/ND FILTR/ADAP PK which costs $3,500 USD.

Another option would be the Kippertie Revolva RF/PL which retails for £900.00.

This is a variation of their original Revolva which houses a quick-change cartridge system holding four NDs that can be quickly changed by rotating the cartridge.

Even though was designed for the original KOMODO, it will work on any camera with an EOS RF mount.

The MEIKE Drop-in Filter PL Adapters are made out of stainless steel and the weight varies from 212g up to 227g depending on the mount. MEIKE also states that they are corrosion and wear-resistant and that they maintain infinity focus.

The adapter is reasonably well made and it isn’t overly heavy which is nice.

The little wheel that you use to adjust the filters on the mount and the release mechanism are all made out of hard plastic material. I would have preferred to have seen these be made out of a more robust material.

MEIKE also sells a large array of other types of drop-in filters that you can also purchase. These include streak filters, star filters, and BM filters in various strengths. All in all, there are 13 different filters to choose from.

The filters simply slide into the adapter. They are easy to insert and remove.

Above you can see how easy it is to do.

MEIKE does give you a little plastic hard case to store the filter you are not using. You can buy additional cases like this and clip them together.

The filters have a uniform size of 60×63.7×5.2mm, and the Canon filters will work inside their adapter. The V-ND filter strength is 1.5 to 9 stops (ND3 to ND500).

Above you can see a comparison of what it looks like when it is set at its min and max amount of ND. What you clearly need to remember with these types of variable ND filters is that when you are using them there will always be a minimum amount of ND, in this case, 1.5 stops, dialed in.

Now, not all PL lenses will actually work with these adapters. From prior experience using another competitor, I found that quite a few anamorphic lenses wouldn’t work because their rear element would make contact with the drop-in filter. Unfortunately, MEIKE doesn’t give you any tool to check if there are clearance issues. UPDATE: MEIKE told me that the Max. PL flange distance is 15.8mm, however, they are working on a new model where it will be increased to 20.3mm.

This is not the first time a company has come up with a PL adapter with drop-in filters. You may remember that I reviewed the MOFAGE POCO PL to E/RF/L/Z Mount Adapter with Drop-in Filters back in November last year.

The MOFAGE POCO PL to E/RF/L/Z Mount Adapter with Drop-in Filters was on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo for $328 USD, and they have already started shipping according to an update on the website.

The MEIKE PL to Canon RF-Mount Drop-in Filter Adapter is relatively easy to use, however, I did find it to be a lot more basic in design and features than the MOFAGE POCO PL to E/RF/L/Z Mount Adapter with Drop-in Filters.

I prefer the bigger adjustment dial on the MOFAGE POCO as I find it easier to access and make adjustments.

The MEIKE VND filter does tend to jam slightly when you first go to move it from its minimum value.

The biggest advantage the MEIKE PL to Canon RF-Mount Drop-in Filter Adapter has is that it can accept both MEIKE’s wide array of filters as well as Canon’s.

Unlike the MOFAGE POCO PL to E/RF/L/Z Mount Adapter with Drop-in Filters, the MEIKE PL to Canon RF-Mount Drop-in Filter Adapter doesn’t have a geared filter adjustment wheel. This means you can’t adjust it by attaching a focus motor.

The MOFAGE POCO also has markings on the adjustment wheel so you know how much ND is being used. With the MEIKE there are no markings.

I did a test to see if there was any noticeable or large color shift when using the MEIKE VND filter and the Canon VND filter. I first white-balanced the camera using the Clear Filter in the MEIKE adapter, and then I inserted the MEIKE then Canon VND Filters and kept that same white balance. The MEIKE VND filter performance could have been better. It started to push slightly green even at its min setting. The Canon VND was more neutral and accurate.

Now, this comes as no surprise to me at all, considering the Canon Drop-In Filter Mount Adapter EF-EOS R with Variable ND Filter costs $399 USD. If you buy the Canon Drop-In Variable ND Filter A (1.5-9 Stop) by itself it is $359 USD. The MEIKE Drop-in Filter PL Adapter comes with a VND and it retails for $249.99 USD. If you buy the MEIKE VND separately it is $79 USD. You do pay for what you get, especially when it comes to filters.

It was hard to know exactly how much ND was being used because neither filter tells you how much ND is being applied.

Above, just as another reference I have put up the vectorscopes for each of the filters if you want to study these tests a little more closely. You can clearly see that the Canon VND filter is a lot more neutral than the MEIKE VND. The MEIKE leans green even at its minimum setting. It also is doing something strange to the red channel as you can see it is being over-saturated if you look at the vectorscope.

Look, an ND filter leaning green is hardly the end of the world. You could just simply make sure you do a white balance once you are using it and that will solve some of the issues. The trouble with doing this is that you will end up skewing other colors just to make sure white is white. You could also do a CC adjustment on your camera if you have one that is capable of that. By dialing out some green manually you could also improve things, but again you can end up skewing other colors.

Above you can see the MEIKE VND on the left with its min. VND amount being used and the Clear filter on the right.

Above you can see the Canon VND filter on the left ith its min. VND amount being used and the Claer Filter on the right.

Above you can see the Canon VND on the left and the MEIKE VND on the right when their min. VND amount was being used.

Above you can see the Canon VND on the left and the MEIKE VND on the right when a higher amount of VND amount was being used.

I also tested both the Black Mist 1/4 & Black Mist 1/8 filters to see what they looked like. The effect they create is quite subtle, and at least to my eye, the Black Mist seems to be slightly softer than the White Mist. I found both filters did a good job of just taking a little edge off shaper lenses.

The MEIKE Drop-in Filter PL Adapter retails for $249.99 USD and it comes with the VND, a Clear Filter, and a filter case.

Above are the prices for the kits.

Below are the prices for the individual filters:

The MEIKE Drop-in Filter PL Adapter is a cost-effective solution for running PL lenses on mirrorless hybrids or digital cinema cameras that don’t natively feature a PL mount.

The adapter is reasonably well made and it doesn’t wobble or move once it is attached. I really like how you don’t have to use MEIKE’s own filters and that the Canon ones will work in the adapter. This is a smart move by MEIKE.

The MEIKE VND filter does lean green and if it was me I would personally be buying the Canon VND to use with this adapter as I found it to be more neutral and accurate. However, it is important to note that the MEIKE Drop-in Filter PL Adapter comes with the VND, and you would have to spend an additional $359.95 USD for the Canon Drop-In Variable ND Filter A (1.5-9 Stop).

Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with over 30 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world.He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010.Matthew has won 48 ACS Awards, including five prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards.Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.