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Anonymous
Anyone here owns an overpriced B+W filter? What justifies the price?
>> Anonymous
Nothing, get Hoya or Marumi
>> Anonymous
Are the Marumi DHGs really good?
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
If you are going to get a Hoya, get the Hoya blue line filters. Optical glass and their multi coating will be about as good as you can get unless you want to pay a lot more for the next steps up for B+W top end or Heliopan and so on.

If you have a very wide lens then you might have to consider the Hoya Pro filters that are thinner to stop vignetting, but lose the screw thread on the outside.

I've heard from folk who've tried a few of these high end filters and they seemed rather dubious as to whether there was any noticeable difference between them and the good Hoya ones.

Don't buy the official Canon ones though as they are rebranded filters you can buy cheaper. The official Nikon ones might be the same crappy con, but I don't know for certain. It wouldn't surprise me though.

Hoya, Tokina and Kenro are all linked too. I was told a while ago that they were supposed to even be made in the same room in the Japanese factory. Not hard to believe really.
>> Anonymous
>>93949

I was told B+W do not scratch easily and are easily cleaned. I had some Hoya HMCs in the past and they were terrible at being cleaned.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
Schneider Kreuznach manufactures BW, so you know it's damn good quality optically.

I've got 1000x ND and 640x ND filters, which are probably the best bar none, except i haven't tried the tiffens.

Had a CPL which was great too but i traded it for the Nikon CPL II as its only 3mm thick as opposed to 5mm.

B+W is catered towards the professional market or people with tip top quality but with money to burn. Their Kasesemann CPL is on par with say, the Hoya Pro D1 CPL.

But unlike Hoya and Marumi, B+W doesnt really aim for the market who will baulk at the though of paying over 100 dollars for a filter.

Just don't get their UVs... infact don't get any UVs... absolutely pointless and overpriced regardless of manfacturer.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>93953

ahhh roight... well i think the Hoya HMC UV(N) are good for that (also relatively inexpensive). I'm not home right now so i don't know what i had (i don't use UVs anymore, only CPLs and NDs with the odd GND) but i'm pretty sure the HOyas didn't cast a crappy colour or anything.

I definitely agree with having a filter for protection, as long as it didn't detriment the glass. That's what my CPLs double as.
>> Anonymous
>>93954

You have your CPL on your lens permanently?
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>93952

It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case, I know they are all part of THK www.thkphoto.com. I'm thinking of the filters I've had in the past, so that move didn't come to mind. I know that Canon are just rebadged Tiffen and I can get Tiffen dirt cheap without the Canon name. What a rip-off. Who makes the Nikon ones then?

The UV lenses are only really chosen for protection of the lens. I know some love them and some hate them but I don't see the point in buying an expensive filter if you want it purely for sacrificial purposes. It only needs to be good enough not to interfere too much if that is what you want.

For polarising filters I can see that you might be more concerned about build quality due to the nature of them, but of course for the price of one B+W filter you could buy replacement Hoya ones if they ever did come apart. $500 is a lot to pay for a filter if you're buying top end filters for the larger threads and wide angles.

Lee/Heliopan and so on are another notch up from B+W but also very expensive. Not that most folk would ever have a reason for needing their products. I think many would balk at the idea of paying half the price or more of their lens for a compatible filter.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>93953

They are good for protecting a vulnerable front element in a crowd, I'd imagine. Lens hoods help there too if you don't want to use a filter. I've heard of a front element getting marks on it from a collision. Perhaps a stray metal zipper or something on the other person, who knows.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>93953

Make sure you get a filter with optical glass then. Some use crappy green glass that can be more noticeable. Beware of some brands and ranges. A decent optical glass filter with modern multi-coatings on it will stop that kind of thing happening. I've got a Hoya Pro one that I keep to put on it if I'm going on rough ground or forests and so on. Keeps dirt and pollen off the lens and also means any branches or trips and slips on my part might not ruin the lens. If the worst happens I'm not out of pocket by too much. The Hoya glass in that filter is almost invisible unless you get the light at the right angle. An improvement from the cheaper ones I've got kicking around.

The thing to watch with all filters is that the price increases significantly as you get ones to suit the larger threads and wider angles.
>> Anonymous
I have a 72mm B+W Polarizer

It cost a lot, but god damn - the movement of the ring and the quality of the glass is amazing. I had a tiffen polarizer and it was shit - some parts of the ring orientation were stiffer than others when spinning it, the threads were crappy (threads on the B+W fit together with the lens smooooothly)

I recommend B+W for polarizers, ND glass. Hoya HMC UV filters are my personal favorite, but I use many brands for UV glass on my lenses (hoya, tiffen, black's, kenko)
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>93979

Be glad you didn't pay ten times what that Tiffen was worth by getting a Canon labelled one. I almost made that mistake before someone pointed out who was making them for Canon.
>> Anonymous !MjcMqTX/iM
So guessing from this Heliopan and B+W are good manufacturers? Since how long? I've acquired a boz with +- 50 filters, and most are Heliopan, some B+W, and others brands I've never heard of. However, they're in very old packaging. So I'm guessing from around '87 or so.
>> Anonymous
>>94019

I know B+W has been going since the forties. They typically use expensive glass and have more solid brass ring mounts. Also I think B+W and the other high end manufacturers mount the glass quite loosely in the frame so as not to distort it and its optical qualities. No doubt some other gubbins with their variations in coatings too. Designs change a lot over the years, but they've had a reputation for quality for a long time. The mergers and acquisitions that have gone on have helped that too.

If you can pick up decent old cheap filters, that's always a bonus. They'll lack the modern coatings though, sadly. I've got a couple of old ones that picked up cheaply and I keep as a standby. Better than nothing if I need them. It's especially worth while if they are harder or more expensive to obtain sizes and so on.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>93957
>>For polarising filters I can see that you might be more concerned about build quality due to the nature of them, but of course for the price of one B+W filter you could buy replacement Hoya ones if they ever did come apart. $500 is a lot to pay for a filter if you're buying top end filters for the larger threads and wide angles.

500? where did you get that figure from? haha the Hoya pro D-1 is actually more expensive than both the BW MRC CPL and Kaesemann, as well as the Nikon.

Oh i'm fairly certain Nikon filters are also manifactured by Nikon.

In closing BW are great, but i prefer my Nikon CPL II because it's thinner and actually wider too, so alot less likely to casue vignetting on the ultra end on APS-C (10mm)... have had to fortune to try it on FX.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>94026

The price was from B+W's own site.

How do you know that Nikon makes their own? If one brand does it, it's not impossible the others are doing it too.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>94031

The smaller and simpler filters are cheaper, but if you want the good ones with MRC and so on, then you're paying three figures for them.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>94031

hmmm what the heck eh? i dont know what currency that's meant to be..

judging by the thread size (105mm) i don't even know what lens you'd put them on... so it makes sense they're that expensive since it's a massive thread size and we all know price increases with size... also non of those filters would apply to anyone here.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/10889-REG/B_W_65045620_77_mm_Kaeseman_Circular.html

That's the one i had.

And Nikon makes their own filters, i'm presuming that because the filter have Patented Nikon Integrated Coating... not 100% positive but pretty damn sure, haven't seen anything to prove otherwise yet.
>> Anonymous
>>94065
and most of the filters in the huge sizes are at least $400 anyway
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>94065

Well i'm in Aus, the cheapest i could find that filter for was equiv to about 220 US dollars.

since i was ordering a bunch of other stuff too, the postage from B&H spread out to equal decent savings.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>94067

Did you get away with the import tax or duty on that? I know that here the government seem to be wising up to the international shopping that has been going on.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>94068

Well there is only tax if you have stuff over 1000 Aus dollars... but to avoid that go with FedEx, mainly because they have a huge volume so it's usually harder for customs to sort through everything.

Wish i knew that advice before i ordered my 17-55mm with UPS... apparently UPS just sucks balls and coerce with customs... or something...

so apparently if i had paid an extra US 20 to go with FedEX i would have saved about 180 US on tax.

Damn.
>> des
hay guys
Don't forget KEH sells filters. I think most people don't notice, the prices are usually pretty good.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>94069

Aaah. That Fed Ex tip is a good one and might explain some of the randomness with charges. Cheers.

Unless something is exempt then they start charging for tax or duty when it is over £18 or so. The rates for it are bizarre and there's no real system to it. You have to look it up for each type of product. Still camera bodies are exempt, but video cameras are taxed.

I wanted to order a lens and flash from Hong Kong, but now they all warn that it's possible I could have to stump up for the government's missing cut when the delivery man is at the door. Not what I want to hear. I don't want to have to stumble around looking for a cheque book to pay up for the tax all of a sudden. It used to be you could get away with it.

The customs between the UK and USA are often pretty awful too, I find. Packages get held for ages (I've regularly had stuff from China much faster than the US) for some reason and often arrive in shoddy condition (box looks like it's been used in a rugby match). Never mind the hassle of Canon and their zoning for valid warranties and rebates.

I found a Hong Kong dealer that promises to refund any import costs if you get caught out. They hold up to the promise too. Pretty good deal.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>94072

oh and Adorama, def check all three, but just go with FedEx... man i wish i went with FedEx...haha

>>I found a Hong Kong dealer that promises to refund any import costs if you get caught out. They hold up to the promise too. Pretty good deal.

that's pretty good. Who is it? :D
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>94086

Here's the web address of that place: http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/index.php

I got a flash from them. It only took five days from ordering to arrive. I know someone else who got a lens from them in four or five days. They seem aimed at exporting to the UK market, but I don't know who else they serve. I've heard testimonials that they'll deal with any VAT surprises as soon as you send them a copy of the form/bill, which is nice.
>> Anonymous
Man, I still can't decide if I should get myself the B+W MRC UV filters. It's either that or the Marumi DHGs.
>> Anonymous
>>94108

It's not going to make a lot of difference whichever one of them you go for.
>> thefamilyman !!rTVzm2BgTOa
i have a B+W 67mm UV 010 filter on my 18-70mm lens, i got the filter wile i was in Spain. Its really heavy due to the brass ring.
Otherwise all my filters are Marumi, one vivitar and one nikon, all of them aren't multicoated, too expensive and i see no problems with my non-multicoated (or even single coated) filters.
>> Anonymous
Well, I decided not to get a B+W and settle with the Nikon NC filters. I see them in the local stores for reasonable price plus the quality is pretty good and not made from THKPhoto.