Best lens filters for landscape photography with a Canon 90D?

Question

I am honestly about to lose my mind with these cheap filters I bought off Amazon last year. Every time I get home from a long day out in the field and pull the RAW files into Lightroom I just want to cry because everything has this gross muddy purple tint to it and it takes forever to fix the white balance and even then it still never looks quite right. I spent all this money on my Canon 90D and some decent glass but these filters are just killing the sharpness and making everything look like it was shot through a greasy window or something.

Im heading out to Zion National Park in about three weeks and I really want to get those silky water shots of the Virgin River and some nice pop in the sky for the red rocks but I just cant trust what I have right now. Its so frustrating when you think you nailed the exposure but the glass is just subpar and ruins the whole trip. I usually swap between my 18-135mm kit lens and my 10-18mm wide angle so I need something that fits those or maybe a system that works for both.

I am really looking for something high quality this time because I am done buying junk that I just end up throwing away. Here is what I am trying to find:

Something with zero or at least very minimal color cast especially when I stack them

Budget is around 250 to 300 dollars total but I might go higher if it actually makes a difference

Need a really solid circular polarizer for reflections and a 6-stop or 10-stop ND for those long exposures

Durable threads because my current ones feel like they are gonna cross-thread every single time I try to put them on

Is it better to stick with screw-on filters like Hoya or maybe Breakthrough or should I just bite the bullet and go for one of those Nisi or Lee square filter setups? They look kinda bulky to carry around on long hikes but if the image quality is that much better then I guess I have to. I just want my landscapes to look crisp and natural without spending five hours in post-processing trying to un-purple the clouds...

Phoenix Rose Warren · Accepted Answer

^ This. Also, if square kits feel too bulky, I saved a ton of cash using the K&F Concept Nano-X Magnetic Filter Kit. I took them to Sedona last month and the colors were so crisp! No purple mess at all. Pro tip: buy the 77mm size and use step-up rings to save money on future lenses. Zion is gonna look amazing!

Landon Michael Peterson · Answer

Unfortunately, I found those screw-ons quite disappointing for stacking. I'd suggest the NiSi V7 100mm Filter System Kit instead; square systems offer much better precision and zero vignetting for your Zion landscapes.

Joshua Aaron White · Answer

> everything has this gross muddy purple tint to it and it takes forever to fix the white balance Man, I totally feel your pain. I went through three sets of cheap ND filters before I finally realized that saving money was actually costing me hours of my life in Lightroom. For a Canon 90D setup, square filters are honestly overkill and a massive pain to hike with in Zion. Id stick with high-end screw-ons. In my experience over the years, the Breakthrough Photography X4 ND 6-Stop is the gold standard for color neutrality. Zero purple shift, even when you're pushing long exposures. Pair that with a Breakthrough Photography X4 CPL for those red rocks and you're golden. Since both your lenses use 67mm threads, you only need one set. It might push your $300 budget a tiny bit but the brass traction frames make them so much easier to get on and off without cross-threading... definitely worth it.