B+W filter quality

[Fabian Joya]

What are your thoughts on B+W filter quality?

I ordered a "master" 82mm UV filter from B&H and it is already falling apart, despite virtually no use.

The filter has come loose inside the filter ring and rattles back and forth.

I never had any problems before, and thought B+W was regarded as a top brand.

Not sure I trust this brand any more. What are other good options for UV filters?

 

[Manzur Fahim]

What are your thoughts on B+W filter quality?

I ordered a "master" 82mm UV filter from B&H and it is already falling apart, despite virtually no use.

The filter has come loose inside the filter ring and rattles back and forth.

I never had any problems before, and thought B+W was regarded as a top brand.

Not sure I trust this brand any more. What are other good options for UV filters?

B+W is one of the best filter brands, if not the best. I use them on all my lenses, been using B+W since 2012. Never had a single problem. No image quality issues, dust falls right off, super easy to clean.

I think you just had a defective one, but they are usually the benchmark when it comes to filter quality.

I recently did try a K&F Nano-X Pro filter, which is also very good. They make many different filters, covering all price range. This one sits at the top. Price is probably the same or higher than the B+W. You can try it out.

 

[scrane]

Is the glass element secured with a threaded ring? Perhaps it can be re tightened?

 

[Abbott Schindler]

I used to use B+W exclusively until I ran into problems with one of their [expensive] Kaesemann Circular Polarizers (filter froze and wouldn't rotate). I sent it in for service and their service center (Schneider Optics in Van Nuys, CA) gave me a huge runaround and refused to honor the warranty. Then I tried B+W fixed-stop ND filters and saw quite a bit of color variation among my #102, #103 and #106 filters. I stopped using B+W at that point.

For me, a draw for B+W was decades ago when lens filter mounts were made of brass, and it made functional sense to go for filters mounted in brass rings (reason: thermal expansion; most filters are mounted in aluminum rings). But that was long ago; now lens filter threads tend to be structural plastic and I find absolutely no benefit to [heavier] brass rings over aluminum.

FWIW, I've been using Hoya, Tiffen (VND only) and Breakthrough filters for years and haven't seen any issues.

 

[CameraCarl]

B+W has -- at least -- a one year warranty. Contact them for a remedy.

 

[Abbott Schindler]

B+W has -- at least -- a one year warranty. Contact them for a remedy.

As I said, been there, done that. Their "Factory Service Center" was absolutely zero help. The rep worked hard to find reasons for not repairing/replacing the defective filter: it was a CPL whose rotating ring had simply frozen. I measured it with a very good machinist's setup before sending it just to verify that both sections were perfectly round and aligned apparently properly. Their rep said the outer ring was obviously damaged (it had no marks or deformation). I gave up. Maybe they stand behind their warranty sometimes, but in addition to not honoring it in my case, I subsequently read of several similar cases with the same kind of filter.

Breakthrough offers a longer warranty. Most of my Hoya filters have 1-5 year warranties.

 

[BillyBobSenna]

I have recently purchased Breakthrough UV and CPL’s for my lenses. Outstanding design and quality.

 

[CameraCarl]

B+W has -- at least -- a one year warranty. Contact them for a remedy.

As I said, been there, done that. Their "Factory Service Center" was absolutely zero help. The rep worked hard to find reasons for not repairing/replacing the defective filter: it was a CPL whose rotating ring had simply frozen. I measured it with a very good machinist's setup before sending it just to verify that both sections were perfectly round and aligned apparently properly. Their rep said the outer ring was obviously damaged (it had no marks or deformation). I gave up. Maybe they stand behind their warranty sometimes, but in addition to not honoring it in my case, I subsequently read of several similar cases with the same kind of filter.

Breakthrough offers a longer warranty. Most of my Hoya filters have 1-5 year warranties.

My experience was just the opposite. I had a sticky CPL. Even though it was long after the one year warranty period, B+W asked me to send in the filter and they fixed it. I guess it all depends on who you get when you contact them.

 

[Abbott Schindler]

B+W has -- at least -- a one year warranty. Contact them for a remedy.

As I said, been there, done that. Their "Factory Service Center" was absolutely zero help. The rep worked hard to find reasons for not repairing/replacing the defective filter: it was a CPL whose rotating ring had simply frozen. I measured it with a very good machinist's setup before sending it just to verify that both sections were perfectly round and aligned apparently properly. Their rep said the outer ring was obviously damaged (it had no marks or deformation). I gave up. Maybe they stand behind their warranty sometimes, but in addition to not honoring it in my case, I subsequently read of several similar cases with the same kind of filter.

Breakthrough offers a longer warranty. Most of my Hoya filters have 1-5 year warranties.

My experience was just the opposite. I had a sticky CPL. Even though it was long after the one year warranty period, B+W asked me to send in the filter and they fixed it. I guess it all depends on who you get when you contact them.

Glad you had a better warranty experience than I did. Sadly, for me, a warranty doesn't mean much if it's so dependent on who you talk to (and maybe how they felt at the time), which center you're dealing with, etc. I haven't sent many things in for warranty service over several decades; B+W is the only company that disappointed me.