X1 UV Filter for Camera Lenses - Weather-Sealed UV Filter with Protection Against Dust and Water - MRC4, Ultra-Slim, 25 Year Support, by Breakthrough Photography, 77mm

Let me preface this by saying that I'm an experienced, but not professional photographer. I don't have a huge budget, but I know what counts, and I try to make sure that my money is placed in the right portions on the right equipment. Filters are an absolute must for me, because I often am in dusty, windy, salty, awful environmental conditions that would shorten my lens lifespans considerably. I shoot both digital and film, and my collection of old gear is extensive. I quickly realized though that unlike my old prime lenses, modern zoom lenses really absolutely require a low profile filter. So I figured, lets give Breakthrough a try. I purchased these a while back, and I never really feel comfortable posting a review until I get to REALLY try a product out. It's been several months of hard use now, and I feel comfortable making some serious statements about the products. These are absolutely the best bang for your buck filters out there. I shoot a WIDE range of conditions, from astrophotography to ultra bright desert scenes. I don't do human portraits much but I do a range of wildlife photography, livestock and pet portraits, landscape photography, and a dabble in long exposure. I haven't noticed nearly the ghosting or flaring with these filters as I had with Tiffen and Hoya, and I really like the hardiness of the product better than the B+W filters, which I generally destroyed every few months. Paired with the Breakthrough lens caps, and I am absolutely a believer in this company. If you're a budget photographer or a serious enthusiast, you can't buy a better filter for the price, end of story. If you tend to beat your lens caps to crap, or keep them in your back pocket a lot, you can't go wrong picking up a few Breakthrough lens caps as well. I like them better than the Nikon stock ones, they're easier to handle with arthritis or in cold weather, and they last longer in your back pocket. The company seems to be very active in reaching out to customers as well, which is refreshing, if a little startling at first. I hope these guys stick around for the long haul, because they're serving a desperately needed portion of the market here with style, quality, and integrity.

This arrived the other day, and attached it to my lens for a bit of protection. A couple of first impressions... The packaging is top notch. Seriously... The packaging is amazing, it feels like opening a product from Apple. In fact, it's just like that... Next... The fit is perfect, and for a slim line filter, I really appreciate the ribbed outer ring. It allows for a firm grip on screwing in and out... This is a well designed filter... Performance... Well. It is outstanding... This filter sits in front of a Leica Summicron 50mm lens. I've shot it on several rolls of film in my M6 and M7, both in high contrast, flaring conditions - and this does not ghost flare onto the main element, in contradiction to a previous review. I have no idea what they were talking about - as I can't replicate it from any of my 39mm lenses on either film nor digital cameras... Made in the USA, a small company - and did I mention their packaging? A well done product that I can endorse for function, performance and price.

I've had a lot of different kinds of filters (UV, Polarizers, ND) in various sizes for various lenses. When I came across this one, I decided that, though a bit pricey, I wanted to give this U.S. company a try. I'm happy I did. This filter seems very well made frame wise, the filter itself is crystal clear and cleans easily and the fit it perfect (and the packaging is the nicest I've seen on a filter). I live in the high desert area of New Mexico and, though I don't think you always need a filter on for protection, I do it here. When shooting outside, without notice, you can find yourself hiking through some pretty good wind with sand and dust. So I do it for protection mainly but, with this filter, I really don't think there is any negative effect on image quality. I'll use this one with confidence and, when I need anymore for future lenses or applications, I look at what Breakthrough has first.

The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is because I havent had a lot of time to shoot with it due to bad weather and work. The little time (and few clicks) I have/did with it, I did notice a difference. I paired it with a Fuji X100T, and it is a wonderful combo...the color is brilliant and the haze is non existent. What also impressed me was the sharpness that remained while using it (even in poor light, indoors). Other than that, the build quality and thin form factor is brilliant...yes, I can mount another filter on top of this one (in this case an adjusting ND filter fit perfectly fine on top). Absolutely no cons found thus far.

At first I was less than pleased with this filter and was on the verge of sending it back. After removing it from the box, I noticed it was somewhat dirty and needed to be cleaned. I don't think it was used, but instead may have sat around in some less favorable conditions before it was sealed up in the plastic case. It was made worse by the fact that I ordered a B+W polarizer at the same time and it came out of its case in pristine condition with no cleaning required. While cleaning for the better part of 15 minutes I thought I had some aberrations in the glass that weren't surface contaminants. It likely wouldn't be enough to show in images based on their size, but it would surely be the nail in the coffin for purchasing another item from this company again. As luck would have it, what I thought were issues with the glass started to come off on what was going to be my last attempt at removing them. Everything looked good after all the time I wasn't expecting to put into a brand new filter. Shooting with this filter since then has been great. It cleans easily, screws on smoothly and doesn't create any noticeable distortion in pictures. Dust blows off quickly and water spotting comes off with minimal effort. On my Canon 17-55mm lens, the photos don't have any noticeable chromatic aberrations or purple fringing when shooting wide focal lengths beyond what the lens produces on its own. In all my with/without tests, I haven't found any where it's evident there's even a filter present which isn't something I can say for others I've had in the past. The field testing speaks for itself though and it's done well in several months of use. Even at 17mm which is the wide end of the lens I'm primarily using this on, the color fringing at the edges is no worse than the standalone lens without a filter. At the end of the day I'd purchase this filter again and recommend it to others, but the first impression could use a bit of work. This is my first product from Breakthrough Photography and I'll certainly look at their lineup for future purchases. PROS - Easy to clean - No noticeable distortion compared to a standalone lens without filters - Great price compared to more expensive competitors - Works with center pinch-type lens caps CONS - Aluminum threads may not be as robust as brass if you plan to take it on and off frequently. This is more for awareness than anything though and is a trade off for the price point. - Arrived dirty

This is the first filter I have purchased from Breakthrough, I got a step up ring before and was impressed with the quality. These filters are really well made and you can see it in the product once you open the lovely little box it comes in. The metal is well made, machined precisely and the glass is perfect. Some professionals claim filters cause optical problems but after 35 years as a pro I have never found this to be the case with well made filters and they do give good protection to your expensive lenses. Some reviews here complained of loose glass within the filter, mine was tight and the red lens cloth does not leave red lint for me as one reviewer claimed. The serial number and 25 year warranty is pretty fantastic and says a lot about the company's commitment. I will be buying more from them in the future.

I initially bought the X2 Breakthrough Photography CPL then I noticed the great quality and ease of use. I had to try out their UV filter. I bought the 49mm first and enjoyed the super slim design and ease of use to remove it with the ridges. I had to get another for my 82mm lens. The filter so far has been protecting my lenses from dust and water. No issues with water getting between it and the lens. The water and dust are easy to swipe off with the microfiber cloth provided. I also do use it to protect my lenses from random bumps and potential scratches. So far it has withstood all those. I do not see any degradation with IQ using this filter. As a person who jumps around different brands (high and low end) to test around I think I may have found the best one to stick with for a while.

I used to think UV filters were all about the same. Buying better quality ones has changed my mind. I don't see any temp/color change, but the image quality is a tad sharper with this filter than some lower cost filters. Just because YOU can't see the difference in the glass, your camera can and it does impact your image quality. I don't know as my eyesight will be good enough to warrant spending 80-300 on a filter, so Breakthrough is a great balance of quality and cost for me. Have happily bought 3 Breakthrough filters (2 UV and 1 Cpl) to start replacing/upgrading my kit.