Stretch has been one of my favourite filter styles since it was introduced at Rigu a couple of years ago. It’s great at making your subject the centre of attention and artfully removing distractions from the sides of your composition.
Other people must like it too, because my suppliers keep making new form factors for Stretch. From the screw-in version that was initially available in a 77mm filter thread, then multiple screw-in sizes, a handheld version, and now in a larger handheld with 100mm wide glass.
If you’re a photographer or videographer that’s working with larger lenses that have big front elements, this sizing is going to make working with Stretch a lot more accessible and usable in your projects. The standard sizes were probably a bit too small in some cases, forcing you to use the full blurring sections in all your compositions. A larger filter with a 30mm wide flat section (where the image will appear “normal”) gives considerably more wiggle room to fit your subject/subjects into the frame and use the blurred sections a bit more subtly. Or pull it away from the lens a bit to get more blurring into the frame and use the filter more aggressively.
This works both ways too, if you’re working with smaller lenses, then this might not be the right solution for you. When I was playing around with this 100mm wide filter and with a small lens on my DSLR I found in some cases I couldn’t see the blurring effect at all depending on my focal length. It’s no problem though, since the smaller version exists, so now Rigu has a range that’s suitable for a wider range of lenses and uses.