I think I figured out why some Hoya filters seem to fall apart. I almost broke my IR filter cleaning it. A loop on the microfiber clothe caught the spring steel lock ring holding the glass in place. It doesn't take much, and it can come loose without being noticeable until it pops completely loose.
There is a kink in the ring, and if this kink comes out of the machined groove, it will keep almost half the ring from going into the groove. This can be all but unnoticeable until it is too late. This is what happened to me. Luckily, I noticed something amiss.
It also appears some filters use heavier snap rings than others.
A threaded keeper would probably work better, but at what cost? Rest assured, the bean counters have weighed in on the design.
Snap rings are simple little things and almost never fail unless acted on by an outside force. I have several other Hoya filters and all work properly.
senna4ever wrote:
Yes, this same problem caused my CPL to fall apart. Never going to buy Hoya again.
Yeah, I have several Hoya polarising filters and they all do the same thing, they fall apart. I've stopped buying Hoya polarising filters. NEVER again. B+W are great, never had a problem with them.
runamuck wrote:
A threaded keeper would probably work better, but at what cost? Rest assured, the bean counters have weighed in on the design.
Snap rings are simple little things and almost never fail unless acted on by an outside force. I have several other Hoya filters and all work properly.
I wouldn't classify myself as a "bean counter", but there are many reasons why higher-end filters such as B+W are priced as they are...and this one of them. Better materials and a better design = longer life and less problems. Its true with anything in life...not just photography filters.
I have B+W, Singh-Ray, Hoya, and Tiffen filters. Knock on wood, I've never had a problem with any of them. I typically carry at least 2 B+W 77mm CP's with me at all times (assuming I have more than one lens) and they've served me well. The Hoya Pro1 also sees lots of use (only 58mm) on TSE lenses, fits my Pro1 camera too; no problems in the last 4 years. I actually prefer the Hoya "slim" implementation because you can still use a lens cap.
My tiffen filters are over 10 years old and work as well today as when I got them in a hurry one day when I had no other option. I love top end gear, but would absolutely buy tiffen again without concern. I've never noticed inferior polarization, reflections, flare, or any detrimental aspect from using them. I'm not knocking B+W because I have at least 5 or 6 of their filters, but they're not the only game in town, and the slim filter push on caps suck.
Filter comes off the lense when not in use and is put back in the provided case with it's useless lense cap firmly secured by the plastic carrying case.
One thing to keep in mind is that there are eight different lines of Hoya filters (some now discontinued, but still available) and they have wildly different quality and pricing.
Green Packaging = uncoated, manufactured in Philippines
Blue/Purple Packaging = monocoated, made in Japan
HMC=Multicoat
UMC=Ultra thin (discontinued)
Super HMC
Super HMC Pro 1 (discontinued)
Pro 1 (discontinued)
Pro 1 Digital
runamuck wrote:
Snap rings are simple little things and almost never fail unless acted on by an outside force. I have several other Hoya filters and all work properly.
I never had problems with smaller sizes, but the 77mm filters flex and pop out the snap rings. No biggie, I use a filter about twice a year anymore anyway so I'm just a little more careful.
