This is a review of the Hoya Super Pro1MRC polarizer vs the B+W Slim Kaeseman MRC polarizer. Both of these polarizers were of the 77mm size.
I cracked my Hoya recently and therefore had to replace it. I bought a B+W instead although not for any particular reason.
Optical quality:
No difference. Although I have not tested the B+W extensively I have tested it enough to be more than confident that it is as good as the Hoya and certainly I had absolutely no issues whatsoever in any lighting conditions with the Hoya. There may be some infinitesimal difference but not that you would ever see in use and I believe both to be of top class optical quality, an assertion which is born out on many internet reviews.
Feel:
The B+W is the winner here. It feels smoother in rotation, the Hoya feeling just slightly grittier in comparison (not due to grit I might add!). This factor is slight but it is nice if yu spend so much money on a polarizer to have it feeling silky smooth.
Features:
The Hoya wins hands down here. The Hoya is very fractionally thicker than the B+W, perhaps half a mm extra extension from the front of the lens yet it manages to incorporate a front lens thread. This is a minor feature since the usefulness of this front thread is highly debatable (it can rotate with the glass). The extra rim in front of the glass will give it a slight advantage in terms of protection. Most importantly standard lens caps can be used on the Hoya with no issues. On the B+W the lack of a front thread means this is not possible and you must use B+W cap that comes with the filter. Unfortunately this front cap is rubbish, it does not feel secure, it looks cheap and it is one more thing to have in your kit bag.
The Hoya has a dot on the rim which when pointing upwards gives the maximum degree of polarization on a horizontal surface such as water and most vegetation. I find this to be very useful, allowing me to very quickly set the polariser to where it should be. The B+W requires a more trial and error approach, obviously it would be easy to put a dot on myself, but I shouldn't have to.
The filter bind problem.
The Hoya does occasionally bind to the lens and can be forced to do so particularly due to temperature changes. The B+W filter does not bind at all and is always easy to smoothly remove from the lens. I do not view this as a major issue with the Hoya, there is a knack to removing the bound filter which takes little time. All I do is rotate in a normal fashion allowing the filter to slip beneath my fingers, after a few seconds it frees up. I think this issue is overblown by some users at least from my personal experience.
Scratch resistance (only Hoya tested!)
Since the Hoya was already broken I put it through a few scratch tests. The first test was to put it in a small bag with some coins and shake it around for a few minutes. This has no visible effect (which I was very surprised to see). I then took a key to the filter and dragged it over the surface lightly. Again, this produced no visible effect. Finally I pressed hard, allowing the full weight of my forearms through the key and onto the filter and dragged. This did have an effect. A thin film of coating seemed to come off the filter. I wont guess at how this might effect the performance filter, but it could only be seen if the filter as tilted to reflect the light. I was extremely impressed at how scratch resistant the filter was.
Fit and Finish.
As mentioned previously in the review the B+W does not appear to experience the binding problem of the Hoya and also seems very slightly smoother however both are similarly easy to remove from the lens. It is apparent that the components of both filters are manufactures to an extremely high standard. The finish of both is excellent and you really could not chose between them.
Cost.
Currently at B+H $192 for the B+W and $195 for the Hoya. In the UK the B+W is a bit more expensive than the Hoya, and a lot more expensive than in the States!
Cleaning:
Both filters aren't particularly easy to clean, but the B+W is worse. With the Hoya you can get any finger marks off after a while with a lens cleaning cloth. With the B+W it takes even longer and really helps to use lens cleaner. This really appears to be more to do with the filter appearing dirty rather than it actually being dirtier than the hoya. The front coating of the B+W has a kind of purple iridescent kind of shine to it (similar to some sunglasses) and marks show more easily.
Temperature and Humidity test (kind of) (only Hoya tested!)
I boiled the hoya for 5 minutes on the stove. It was completely unaffected. I put the filter in the oven for 10 minutes at 100 degrees, it was again unaffected. Finally I put the filter at the bottom of the freezer for 10 minutes, again no change. This leads me to believe that the filter would be good in extreme environments, but obviously my tests were completely unscientific and I did not actually do a proper optical test afterward.
Which to choose.
I am going to controversially choose the Hoya. Being able to use the lens cap being the major decision as well as that little dot! You may regard both these reasons as relatively petty and frankly they are. That is really a reflection of the fact that there is nothing I have found in normal use to choose between the two. If buying new in the UK I think the advantage very clearly goes to the Hoya as it is some £20-£30 cheaper.
Edited by Alex Nail on Aug 05, 2008 at 02:49 PM GMT
what about cleaning issues? I've heard multiple stories that the Hoya filters tend to be next to impossible to clean w/o swirls, etc (not arguing whether that makes real world performance differences)
Aug 05, 2008 at 08:08 AM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Thanks for the thorough review. I am in the market for a polarizer by next Spring , so this is helpful. I too found the B & W front cap to be a PITA. In the end, I just went without a cap and was careful. Not an ideal situation, but not so bad either. I am glad you are putting the polarizer to good use.
howardm4 wrote:
what about cleaning issues? I've heard multiple stories that the Hoya filters tend to be next to impossible to clean w/o swirls, etc (not arguing whether that makes real world performance differences)
I actually find that the B+W is worse for sure when cleaning off a greasy fingerprint for example.
on cleaning filters. about 20 years ago herb keppler of pop photo gave an outstanding review of a Microdear brand microfiber cleaning cloth marketed by Etsumi photo in Japan. i was doing a lot of travel over there back then and purchased a "few" of them. to this date i have nover found a better cleaning cloth out there. it easily cleans any of these filters totally w/o any residue. i have washed them (by hand) with no ill effects. they are currently (in the US) available at Adorama. these are the best and i have tried many. feels like good quality suede. http://www.adorama.com/CPCMS.html?searchinfo=microdear&item_no=2 http://www.adorama.com/CPCML.html?searchinfo=microdear&item_no=1
Some nice comments. I was wondering what are your opinions of the fit and finish to the two filter brands. There have been comments made regarding the poorer quality of the Hoya.
My pick is the Kaeseman non-slim w/ front threads or Singh Ray. Been using them for years, the Hoya came apart within
3 mo of light use. It's your money.
jhom wrote:
I was wondering what are your opinions of the fit and finish to the two filter brands. There have been comments made regarding the poorer quality of the Hoya.
Added, thanks
trenchmonkey wrote:
My pick is the Kaeseman non-slim w/ front threads or Singh Ray. Been using them for years, the Hoya came apart within
3 mo of light use. It's your money.
Whereas my Hoya has lasted nearly 2 years of normal use before I stood on it!
doesn't matter anymore. i have one Hoya filter left that gets any use and it hasn't gotten anything on it that needs cleaning. if it does and it smears again, i'm tossing the filter.
, so this is helpful. I too found the B & W front cap to be a PITA. In the end, I just went without a cap and was careful. Not an ideal situation, but not so bad either. I am glad you are putting the polarizer to good use.