Hoya vs B+W, Heliopan

[lionel_rafferty]

<p>I've been a big fan of B+W and Heliopan filters for a long time because of their quality. But they're so darned expensive. How does the Hoya Pro 1 series stack up against these?</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Optically fine. You can/could also get a Pro 1 polariser with front threads, which is occasionally useful.<br>

But- and this is a big but for me- Hoya Pro 1 seem difficult to keep clean and very hard to clean. Whats more all of my Pro 1 polarising filters get marks on the glass on the screw-in side that make it look to me like I may be taking some coating off when i clean them. Doesn't affect the images I don't think but enough for me to decide that I don't need to buy the Pro1 range any more. I understand that there is another range from Hoya that claims more resistant coatings after the fashion onf the B+W MRC filters. </p>

<p>For what its worth I'm not a Heliopan fan either. The glass is great but I find their manufacturing standards low in that rings sometimes separates from the glass, and rings seem to bind too easily- even when attached to Heliopan step up etc rings. I don't get any problems like these with B+W, and I'm still using their filters that I found used in the bag when I bought my used Bronica in 1997. I just can't see my Pro 1 filters lasting that long, and I reckon that if you assess cost per year of use, B+W win easily. </p>

[lionel_rafferty]

<p>You're not the first to mention that they're hard to clean. I've been reading the reviews at B&H and it seems to be a common complaint. Thanks for the info.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I have some B+W filters and they are very fine. I also have more Hoya filters and the overall "finish" of the fancier models seems nearly as good, but even their more (not most) bargain ones seem to be optically OK. For walking about in the carnival [cries of "OMG, he's going to tell that iced milk story again!] I do keep a 'protection' filter, but for most serious shooting in normal environments, I take off all filters as a rule.</p>

<p>I've personally had no particular trouble in cleaning Hoya or any other filters. Even the iced milk...</p>

<p>In Polarizers, I feel more comfortable when I have a B+W or 'Pro' filter in that size, but I actually still shoot on occasion with my old linear polarizer-based Spiratone Colorflow™ and have found the results to be just fine. Of course, using a linear polarizer on modern cameras involves considerable checking to make sure it's not throwing exposure or focus off. So long as you're careful...</p>

[michael_linn]

<p>As a rule I feel that if one is spending 25% of the cost of the lens on a filter for the lens one is very much overpriced or one is very much underpriced. You decide.</p>

[jim_mcdermott1]

<p>Lonnie, look on www.lenstip.com: they did a series of incredibly detailed, comparative tests on a range of UV and polarizing filters a while back.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>In Jim's reference, the articles on filter tests (UV and Polarizers) are at http://www.lenstip.com/articles.html .<br /> Costs of the filters are given in Polish Zlotys (PLN), so you may want to compare at American or other national vendors for prices.</p>

<p>In the articles, as I read them, quality is about what has already been said. The best (not all) B+W filters are tops. Some Hoya filters do well. I was surprised that Heliopan did not do so well.</p>

[dhbebb]

<p>B+W and Heliopan come in brass mounts which are far less likely to stick - Hoya polarizers were designed by Homer Simpson - the front part (which is easy to grasp anyhow) has milling, the rear part is plain - impossible to remove without a rubber band or similar. B+W get it right! With Heliopan, if you need a front thread, don't buy slimline filters.</p>

[lionel_rafferty]

<p>Thanks everyone for the info. Thanks Jim and JDM for the link to the articles---interesting reading. I have several filters in need of replacement. Now I think I have enough ammo to make an informed decision.</p>