diff --git a/src/style-spec/feature_filter/index.js b/src/style-spec/feature_filter/index.js
index 749fee45493..fc921858e50 100644
--- a/src/style-spec/feature_filter/index.js
+++ b/src/style-spec/feature_filter/index.js
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
+// @flow
 
-module.exports = createFilter;
+const compileExpression = require('../function/compile');
+const {BooleanType} = require('../function/types');
+
+import type {Feature} from '../function';
 
-const types = ['Unknown', 'Point', 'LineString', 'Polygon'];
+module.exports = createFilter;
 
 /**
  * Given a filter expressed as nested arrays, return a new function
@@ -12,21 +16,42 @@ const types = ['Unknown', 'Point', 'LineString', 'Polygon'];
  * @param {Array} filter mapbox gl filter
  * @returns {Function} filter-evaluating function
  */
-function createFilter(filter) {
-    return new Function('f', `var p = (f && f.properties || {}); return ${compile(filter)}`);
+function createFilter(filter: any) {
+    if (!filter) {
+        return (_: VectorTileFeature) => true;
+    }
+
+    let expression = Array.isArray(filter) ? convertFilter(filter) : filter.expression;
+    if (Array.isArray(expression) && expression[0] !== 'coalesce') {
+        expression = ['coalesce', expression, false];
+    }
+    const compiled = compileExpression(expression, BooleanType);
+
+    if (compiled.result === 'success') {
+        return (feature: VectorTileFeature) => {
+            const expressionFeature: Feature = {
+                properties: feature.properties || {},
+                type: feature.type,
+                id: typeof feature.id !== 'undefined' ? feature.id : null
+            };
+            return compiled.function({}, expressionFeature);
+        };
+    } else {
+        throw new Error(compiled.errors.map(err => `${err.key}: ${err.message}`).join(', '));
+    }
 }
 
-function compile(filter) {
-    if (!filter) return 'true';
+function convertFilter(filter: ?Array<any>): mixed {
+    if (!filter) return true;
     const op = filter[0];
-    if (filter.length <= 1) return op === 'any' ? 'false' : 'true';
-    const str =
-        op === '==' ? compileComparisonOp(filter[1], filter[2], '===', false) :
-        op === '!=' ? compileComparisonOp(filter[1], filter[2], '!==', false) :
+    if (filter.length <= 1) return (op !== 'any');
+    const converted =
+        op === '==' ? compileComparisonOp(filter[1], filter[2], '==') :
+        op === '!=' ? compileComparisonOp(filter[1], filter[2], '!=') :
         op === '<' ||
         op === '>' ||
         op === '<=' ||
-        op === '>=' ? compileComparisonOp(filter[1], filter[2], op, true) :
+        op === '>=' ? compileComparisonOp(filter[1], filter[2], op) :
         op === 'any' ? compileLogicalOp(filter.slice(1), '||') :
         op === 'all' ? compileLogicalOp(filter.slice(1), '&&') :
         op === 'none' ? compileNegation(compileLogicalOp(filter.slice(1), '||')) :
@@ -34,52 +59,50 @@ function compile(filter) {
         op === '!in' ? compileNegation(compileInOp(filter[1], filter.slice(2))) :
         op === 'has' ? compileHasOp(filter[1]) :
         op === '!has' ? compileNegation(compileHasOp(filter[1])) :
-        'true';
-    return `(${str})`;
+        true;
+    return converted;
 }
 
-function compilePropertyReference(property) {
-    const ref =
-        property === '$type' ? 'f.type' :
-        property === '$id' ? 'f.id' : `p[${JSON.stringify(property)}]`;
-    return ref;
+function compilePropertyReference(property: string, type?: ?string) {
+    if (property === '$type') return ['geometry-type'];
+    const ref = property === '$id' ? ['id'] : ['get', property];
+    return type ? [type, ref] : ref;
 }
 
-function compileComparisonOp(property, value, op, checkType) {
-    const left = compilePropertyReference(property);
-    const right = property === '$type' ? types.indexOf(value) : JSON.stringify(value);
-    return (checkType ? `typeof ${left}=== typeof ${right}&&` : '') + left + op + right;
+function compileComparisonOp(property: string, value: any, op: string) {
+    const fallback = op === '!=';
+    if (value === null) {
+        return [
+            'coalesce',
+            [op, ['typeof', compilePropertyReference(property)], 'Null'],
+            fallback
+        ];
+    }
+    const ref = compilePropertyReference(property, typeof value);
+    return ['coalesce', [op, ref, value], fallback];
 }
 
-function compileLogicalOp(expressions, op) {
-    return expressions.map(compile).join(op);
+function compileLogicalOp(expressions: Array<Array<any>>, op: string) {
+    return [op].concat(expressions.map(convertFilter));
 }
 
-function compileInOp(property, values) {
-    if (property === '$type') values = values.map((value) => {
-        return types.indexOf(value);
-    });
-    const left = JSON.stringify(values.sort(compare));
-    const right = compilePropertyReference(property);
-
-    if (values.length <= 200) return `${left}.indexOf(${right}) !== -1`;
+function compileInOp(property: string, values: Array<any>) {
+    if (values.length === 0) {
+        return false;
+    }
 
-    return `${'function(v, a, i, j) {' +
-        'while (i <= j) { var m = (i + j) >> 1;' +
-        '    if (a[m] === v) return true; if (a[m] > v) j = m - 1; else i = m + 1;' +
-        '}' +
-    'return false; }('}${right}, ${left},0,${values.length - 1})`;
+    const input = compilePropertyReference(property);
+    return ["coalesce", ["contains", input, ["array", ["literal", values]]], false];
 }
 
-function compileHasOp(property) {
-    return property === '$id' ? '"id" in f' : `${JSON.stringify(property)} in p`;
+function compileHasOp(property: string) {
+    const has = property === '$id' ?
+        ['!=', ['typeof', ['id']], 'Null'] :
+        ['has', property];
+    return has;
 }
 
-function compileNegation(expression) {
-    return `!(${expression})`;
+function compileNegation(filter: boolean | Array<any>) {
+    return ['!', filter];
 }
 
-// Comparison function to sort numbers and strings
-function compare(a, b) {
-    return a < b ? -1 : a > b ? 1 : 0;
-}
diff --git a/src/style-spec/function/evaluation_context.js b/src/style-spec/function/evaluation_context.js
index 4bfa43e8782..eb6613bbd1b 100644
--- a/src/style-spec/function/evaluation_context.js
+++ b/src/style-spec/function/evaluation_context.js
@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ module.exports = () => ({
 
     has: function (obj: {[string]: Value}, key: string, name?: string) {
         ensure(obj, `Cannot get property ${key} from null object${name ? ` ${name}` : ''}.`);
-        return this.as(obj, ObjectType, name).hasOwnProperty(key);
+        ensure(typeof obj === 'object', `Expected ${name || 'value'} to be of type Object, but found ${toString(typeOf(obj))} instead.`);
+        return obj.hasOwnProperty(key);
     },
 
     contains: function (value: Value, array: Array<Value>) {
diff --git a/src/style-spec/validate/validate_expression.js b/src/style-spec/validate/validate_expression.js
index 9dafe7f79f0..410500e634e 100644
--- a/src/style-spec/validate/validate_expression.js
+++ b/src/style-spec/validate/validate_expression.js
@@ -12,7 +12,15 @@ module.exports = function validateExpression(options) {
     const key = `${options.key}.expression`;
 
     if (compiled.result === 'success') {
-        if (!options.disallowNestedZoom || compiled.isZoomConstant) {
+        if (compiled.isZoomConstant) {
+            return [];
+        }
+
+        if (options.allowZoom === 'never') {
+            return [new ValidationError(`${key}`, options.value, '"zoom" expressions not available.')];
+        }
+
+        if (options.allowZoom !== 'top-level-curve') {
             return [];
         }
 
diff --git a/src/style-spec/validate/validate_filter.js b/src/style-spec/validate/validate_filter.js
index b87ab3eb829..78c4a354cde 100644
--- a/src/style-spec/validate/validate_filter.js
+++ b/src/style-spec/validate/validate_filter.js
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 
 const ValidationError = require('../error/validation_error');
+const validateExpression = require('./validate_expression');
 const validateEnum = require('./validate_enum');
 const getType = require('../util/get_type');
 const unbundle = require('../util/unbundle_jsonlint');
+const extend = require('../util/extend');
 
 module.exports = function validateFilter(options) {
     const value = options.value;
@@ -12,8 +14,16 @@ module.exports = function validateFilter(options) {
 
     let errors = [];
 
-    if (getType(value) !== 'array') {
-        return [new ValidationError(key, value, 'array expected, %s found', getType(value))];
+    type = getType(value);
+    if (type !== 'array' && type !== 'object') {
+        return [new ValidationError(key, value, 'array or object expected, %s found', getType(value))];
+    }
+
+    if (type === 'object') {
+        return validateExpression(extend({}, options, {
+            allowZoom: 'never',
+            valueSpec: { value: 'boolean' }
+        }));
     }
 
     if (value.length < 1) {
diff --git a/src/style-spec/validate/validate_function.js b/src/style-spec/validate/validate_function.js
index 8d8ea9bbdef..6e1f21c3dbd 100644
--- a/src/style-spec/validate/validate_function.js
+++ b/src/style-spec/validate/validate_function.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const extend = require('../util/extend');
 module.exports = function validateFunction(options) {
     if (options.value.expression) {
         return validateExpression(extend({}, options, {
-            disallowNestedZoom: true
+            allowZoom: 'top-level-curve'
         }));
     }
 
diff --git a/test/integration/expression-tests/coalesce/null/test.json b/test/integration/expression-tests/coalesce/null/test.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0a8a7198115
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/expression-tests/coalesce/null/test.json
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+{
+  "expectExpressionType": null,
+  "expression": [
+    "coalesce",
+    ["get", "z"],
+    0
+  ],
+  "inputs": [
+    [{}, {"properties": {"z": 1}}],
+    [{}, {"properties": {"z": null}}]
+  ],
+  "expected": {
+    "compiled": {
+      "result": "success",
+      "isFeatureConstant": false,
+      "isZoomConstant": true,
+      "type": "Value"
+    },
+    "outputs": [1, 0]
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/unit/style-spec/feature_filter.test.js b/test/unit/style-spec/feature_filter.test.js
index 3077bf90c8f..b82d27311f8 100644
--- a/test/unit/style-spec/feature_filter.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/style-spec/feature_filter.test.js
@@ -3,6 +3,41 @@
 const test = require('mapbox-gl-js-test').test;
 const filter = require('../../../src/style-spec').featureFilter;
 
+test('expression, compare two properties', (t) => {
+    const f = filter({
+        expression: ['==', ['string', ['get', 'x']], ['string', ['get', 'y']]]
+    });
+    t.equal(f({properties: {x: 1, y: 1}}), false);
+    t.equal(f({properties: {x: '1', y: '1'}}), true);
+    t.equal(f({properties: {x: 'same', y: 'same'}}), true);
+    t.equal(f({properties: {x: null}}), false);
+    t.equal(f({properties: {x: undefined}}), false);
+    t.end();
+});
+
+test('expression, type error', (t) => {
+    t.throws(() => {
+        filter({
+            expression: ['==', ['number', ['get', 'x']], ['string', ['get', 'y']]]
+        });
+    });
+
+    t.throws(() => {
+        filter({
+            expression: ['number', ['get', 'x']]
+        });
+    });
+
+    t.doesNotThrow(() => {
+        filter({
+            expression: ['boolean', ['get', 'x']]
+        });
+    });
+
+    t.end();
+});
+
+
 test('degenerate', (t) => {
     t.equal(filter()(), true);
     t.equal(filter(undefined)(), true);