Anyone have experience w/"Citiwide" chinese filters?
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I'd be willing to bet they're not B+W filters disguised as Chinese. They might still be just fine. I had people tell me to buy Zeiss Hasselblad filters, Zeiss filters, Leitz filter and B+W. I bought Hoya and they never caused me any concerns at all. So, try 'em if you got 'em!
I don't know about Hoya being the best, but they certainly seem to work well for me. They must work well for other folks too since they're not as cheap as they used to be. Oh, and who knows where they are made now? Could be China for all I know.
Hoya filters are made by Tokina in Japan. Kenko also travels under the Tokina banner. B+W are made by Schneider optic. All three are well known, respected and reliable brands. I do not buy or use unknown branded Chinese products. Fakes trading on the enviable reputation of the German manufacturers are getting better in their presentation, but not their quality. That fancy B+W packaging is the Holy Grail to the Chinese, a veritable pit of money to be reeped from the unsuspecting, unquestioning consumer.
B+W filters don't scratch easily. The Chinese fakes scratch VERY easily, have soft inconsistent rings and are most unlikely to be coated.
My first filter way back in 1978, joining my first camera -- an Olympus OM10, cost $15. It was a 55mm Hoya UV. I had it all the way up to 1998 before it was summarily turfed out as a quaint, historical relic. Over the decades since I have watched the quality and durability of filters improve over several orders of magnitude, with a corresponding rise in pricing (there's also inflation of course!). All filters will break but watching a $449 B+W KSM circular polariser plummet into a rocky New Zealand ravine is enough to warrant a nappy change. Always insure everything against everything!
B+W filters don't scratch easily. The Chinese fakes scratch VERY easily, have soft inconsistent rings and are most unlikely to be coated.
My first filter way back in 1978, joining my first camera -- an Olympus OM10, cost $15. It was a 55mm Hoya UV. I had it all the way up to 1998 before it was summarily turfed out as a quaint, historical relic. Over the decades since I have watched the quality and durability of filters improve over several orders of magnitude, with a corresponding rise in pricing (there's also inflation of course!). All filters will break but watching a $449 B+W KSM circular polariser plummet into a rocky New Zealand ravine is enough to warrant a nappy change. Always insure everything against everything!
That's what people have to find out for themselves or with the help of folks like you. You won't know until or someone you know tires it. I have scoffed at many cheap things as not being as good, but have found that not to be true in every case. These forums do help many of us in our purchasing decisions and save us our hard earned cash. Well, most of us except the first few suckers that tried the product.I bought Citiwide ND grad some times ago. It was definitely not neutral. The skies got a purple cast
Now I have a B&W Schneider Kreuznach ND grad - it's perfect. You get what you pay for ...
my mother always said:'we cannot afford the cheap stuff',because it forces you to buy twice.
I have several Citiwide UV filters in sizes up to 82mm. They serve as lens protectors for "rough" wilderness photography. All of them test as optically perfect in terms of resolution and contrast. BUT they don't look like they are multicoated and I shade them from direct sunlight to avoid flare anxiety. At a few dollars each I rather replace them than fuss over scratches or "cleaning marks" in the coating.
Hoya is a glassworks, as Schott manufacturing filter glass.
B+W 30 years ago was acquired by Schneider Kreuznach. Whether that included transferal or even dismantling of the B+W plant is not clear, but it seems no longer to exist at its address.
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All of my Hoya and Kenko filters (30.5mm to 77mm) carry the Made by Tokina Co. Ltd. Japan on packaging.
And then there's the B+Ws: two B+W XS Pro Käesemann circular polariser filters I own are packaged as being made by Schott AG (Agx — what is 'AG'?) the last (82mm, $469) purchased in April 2015 — after I dropped it into a ravine in New Zealand. Others have the benign Schneider imprint. In the past few days favourable commentary has been exchanged of Tiffen filters; these are not readily available here in Australia at bricks and mortar stores (but on fleabay, yes); I do need a 52mm C-POL for my proofing digi (no, I didn't lose it; I simply have never fitted one to the digi!); no harm in taking a rare diversion from Hoya, Kenko and B+W and see how the (apparently) USA-made silver-ringed wildcard goes.
Yes Ralph, mother always knows right!
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Tiffen filters are first rate. They shoot hundred million dollar movies through them- they are one of the standards in the movie industry. And I don't believe they are coated. I read a long article some time ago by one of their engineers as to why they felt coating their filters had no benefit.
The movie industry uses them because they come in lots of colors that standard filters don't. They are gels placed between 2 panes of "window glass" and for that reason can't be coated (why, I don't know). They are also rumored to fade. I avoid them, but sometimes there's no other choice.
I have found a 52mm C-POL by Tiffen offered locally, but not committed to it at this stage.
Meanwhile, some reading:
[ from http://www.tiffen.com/tiffen_filters_faqs.html ]
A: The Tiffen Circular Polarizer is not multicoated at all. We used to carry TMC (Tiffen multicoated) filters but found no significant difference in their light transmission and also that the coating could be easily damaged, resulting in poorer performance. In any case, multicoating is a proprietary process, and we seriously doubt that any lens or filter manufacturer will tell you the exact nature and composition of their coating layers.
I don't know either... In case there should be a tricky situation one still could coat the glass panes before laminating.
AgX did reply with a technically correct answer, but for an Australian, this may be a better explanation, AG which stands for Aktiengesellschaft, is essentially, a Pty Ltd company.
Mick.
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