210 of 211 people found the following review helpful:
As good as it gets
I felt I had to write these comments after reading all of the other reviews on this company's filters. Having been a working photographer for more years than I care to remember, my main reason for settling on B+W filters was/is their optical correction capabilities, as well as the "obvious to the touch" construction quality.
The brass rings never bind (often a...
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
B+W UV Haze Filter #10
Good quality filter, however, it does impart a slight loss in the quality of the pictures, ie. a slight loss of saturation and less contrast. Also, if you use this with zoom lens and taking pictures with distant scenes with haze, dont expect miracles since I did not see any differences in haze reduction! I'm thinking that may be I dont have to more $$$ than I did on...
This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
I felt I had to write these comments after reading all of the other reviews on this company's filters. Having been a working photographer for more years than I care to remember, my main reason for settling on B+W filters was/is their optical correction capabilities, as well as the "obvious to the touch" construction quality.
The brass rings never bind (often a problem with aluminium rings), so you'll never find yourself struggling & cursing while trying to remove it! Smooth as silk.
The primary function of any UV filter is to counteract the presence of haze, something mostly noticeable over long distance. Therefore, the only true benefit comes when shooting scenic panoramas with wide lenses, or the exact opposite; long telephoto work. In fact, telephoto/long zoom lenses are the ones that seem to benefit the most, be it with either film or digital. Don't get suckered into this "Designed for Digital" sales-pitch either. Some of my filters are years old, and function perfectly well on newer digital cameras. Even B+W themselves are guilty of this by having the nerve to place the very same type of filter in a silver ( brushed aluminium?) ring in lieu of the usual black one, stick the word DIGITAL on it, AND charge extra for it! Cheeky!
Many people I've met over the years have made the mistake of buying cheap, almost useless filters for high quality lenses, and for all the good they do, they might as well be shooting through a window pane! If you're going to buy a high quality optic, then do your research on filters, too. They are an absolutely essential part of the optical train. Among photographers, it's always been a bone of contention!
I personally haven't come across any other filters (apart from Heliopan: they use "Schott" glass; some of the finest in the world) that can cut through murky haze quite as effectively as B+W's. I'm no optical engineer, so I have no idea how the company has gone about it, I only know that it works extremely well. Crisp, well-defined images in situations where lesser lights may likely have failed.
In what is now going to seem like a contradiction, not all B+W filters are capable of this high level of correction. You'll notice that they often come in two, and sometimes three different labelings at vastly different prices, (something that some unscrupulous dealers have been known to take advantage of!) so watch what you're buying.
If it's going to be just a protection filter (no real advantage in B+W here), or used primarily for Macro work, then the plain or Single-coated ones will suffice. However, if your intention is to do landscapes, or a lot of Tele work, then the Multi-coated version is essential. Just look for the "#010 UV-Haze MRC (2C)" on the inner front of the ring.
You may have also noticed that B+W manufacture slim-mount filters (more costly) especially for wide-angle lenses. A point worth noting is that this particular type of filter has a wider-than-usual front, so comes supplied with its own slip-on Schneider lens cap (in this case, 95mm, on a 77mm filter), meaning that you cannot use the original one supplied with the lens. The only real drawback is the rather fiddly fitting of the filter if you're using a lens hood (advisable) as it must be attached AFTER fitting the hood. Not easy, I can tell you!
The standard models do very slightly vignette at the 16mm setting on my full frame digital body, so the wide-angle version (not the above-mentioned model) are the way to go if that is your set-up.
The Heliopan versions do have a slimmer ring admittedly, but for some strange reason, although their rings are also brass, they often tend to bind. Odd?
One note here for anyone with a large aperture, drop-in filter type lens.... B+W MRC filters in both 48mm & 52mm will slip in perfectly, unlike some others. The difference to the eye may be purely a figment of my imagination, but I still feel it is noticeable!
If you're also in the market for a Circular Polarizer, and you don't mind spending twice the usual price, then look no further than B+W's Kaesemann MRC model. It knocks the socks off anything out there by a mile!
(See my review on the 77mm version)
B+W (and Heliopan) are untouchable, and their graduated ND filters are also truly something else!
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
If you have quality glass, like the Canon L series, then you need quality filters. the B+W are made from ground optical glass, not a piece of plain glass like as you see in the tiffen and hoyas filters (even the expensive ones are still cheap grade glass). Only B+W and Heliopan put the time and $$ into making filters that are designed to be used with your quality lenses and not distort and reduce the optical quality of them. I have a Heliopan as well, and I prefer the B+W a little bit more as its a brass ring and not aluminum and thus does not bind up as easy, and thats important when you want to change filters quickly! If you use a cheap filter on a pro grade lens, you are wasting your money, on the lens and the filter as the filter just hurt your image quality, and thus you lowered the quality of your lens! In filters, like lenses, you get what you pay for!!!
I shoot in all kinda of weather conditions, from sunny and warm, to windy and cold or snowy, and I have never had any major issues with any of my B+W filters acting up! I prefer the MRC, but even their entry level one is ground glass, so you still get a great quality filter at that price point.
You need a UV filter on all your lenses, as it helps to protect your front element, as I have seen many lenses saved when bumped or dropped by the UV filter. If you are outdoors shooting or around kids or food at all, you have to have a UV filter no matter what! The B+W does not degrade your optical quality from a quality pro-series lens, like a Canon L Series, where a lower grade window glass filter would, like all the Tiffen, Hoys, etc. Even the Canon filters are not ground glass, and thus why I dont use them! Just be aware if you are using good filters, you can't blame a bad image or blurry shot on the glass or filter then, you will have to own up to actually taking a bad picture every once and a while... :)
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
I have always used Hoya filters because I thought they were a good value--which they are! However, I have always found Hoya filters difficult to clean. I just purchased my first B+W filters and now I plan to replace all my other filters with B+W filters. Yes, they are more expensive, and I thought the reviews were over-inflated and perhaps a little snobish. I am now a beliver! The quality of the filter construction is unmatched and they can be thoroughly cleaned without any smudges in under a minute. The photo quality is excellent as well! I love this product and it is certainly worth the extra money in the long run.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
If you are using a $1200 lense, you want a filter that won't distort. B&W makes highly superior filters. You'll pay a little more for this filter but you'll never have to worry about the quality. I purchased mine to protect the lense from wind blown sand and possible bumps. I've been more than please with my photos with this filter.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
I'm lucky enough to own some of the best lenses made, and when it comes to protecting them, B&W is my first choice. In addition to UV filters, I also use B&W for their polarizers and ND filters.
The filter is obviously high quality, threading easily and securely onto my lenses with no binding or looseness whatsoever...this tends to be my number one complaint with other brands - they either don't go on smoothly, don't stay on securely, or are difficult to remove (especially in cold weather). Not so with the B&W.
From an optical perspective, although I don't have any exacting way to measure it, I certainly don't see any degradation in image quality from use of this filter on my lenses. Colors and contrast seem identical with and without. One thing I do with filters is to inspect them by looking at reflections at a steep angle. If you look at the reflection of a bright object with lots of straight lines off the filter, some brands reveal a bit of rippling or color difference, and sometimes it's different with the filter mounted on a lens. I've never seen this with any B&W product.
For ultra-wide angle lenses, B&W makes a line of thinner filters that won't cause vignetting, however I only use them when absolutely necessary as I find it difficult to attach lens caps or hoods to the thinner mounts.
If you have thousands of dollars invested in your lenses, the cost of a high quality filter seems like a no-brainer.
Highly recommended.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
This is a 77mm filter. Obviously you paid good money for your lens, so why get a $20 lens with cheap window glass that will just degrade your pictures? Sure, any filter will protect your lens from dust and scratches, but why not get one that actually reduces haze and helps your images?
I would say that this particular filter is great, but it should be the cheapest you should go when buying a UV filter for a nice lens (and most 77mm lenses are pretty nice). Some people would say that this one is not good enough, but I have 2 of them for different 77mm lenses, and they work great.
I learned the hard way though. I bought a canon 50mm prime lens and figured the best thing to get would be a canon UV haze filter. Bad idea. I got so many strange light reflections at night and if anything, it just made my pictures less clear. I ended up removing that piece of junk and my picture quality suddenly improved. Since then, I will only buy quality filters from names like B&W and Hoya. Bottom line with optical products - you get what you pay for. So why put a $30 filter on a $800-$2000 lens? You might as well not use a filter at all - and get better results.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
These filters are well made. I have a few of them on a variety of lenses and they function perfectly. I notice no degradation of image. They are expensive but worth it for good photos and lens protection.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
The best UV/Protection filter I have ever used. High quality brass ring, excellent optical glass, and spectacular coatings. Looking straight through the filter, you cannot even see the glass. It is easy to clean and comes with a nice storage case, though I typically leave the filters on my lenses all the time.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
It was worth it going for the MRC glass. You can compare it to other filters and see the difference. Holding them up to the light side by side and seeing the reflections you can see how the non coated lenses look like mirrors compared to this. You will not be disapointed getting this filter.
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This review is from: B+W 77mm UVA (Ultra Violet) Haze MRC Filter #010 (Electronics)
I'm no professional photographer, and I was very hesitant in spending the extra money on this filter just to protect my L series lens. However, shortly after receiving in the mail, I gotta say it felt very "real" versus its tiffen counterpart. To top things off, the glass itself is top-notch and you can surely see the difference between the two in a side-by-side comparison of your shots. Very crisp and very clean!
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