B+W Filter. [Archive] - Canon Digital Photography Forums

Neo_gen3sis

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 20:53

My Buddy and I just order B+W filter from Maxsaver.com. The pricing was unbelievable. Got it home yestersday and there was some difference between the other B+W I have. So I went to my buddy house who has the same filter and compared them. B+W logo on the Maxsaver filter is bolder. The place where it names the type of filter is on a different place. The one from B&H is on the inner rim and the one from Maxsaver is on the outer rim.

You guys think this Fake or a newer version?

This one is from B&H. 77mm MRC
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/neo_gen3sis/IMG_0486-Edit.jpg

This one is from Maxsaver, 77mm MRC (On outer rim of filter)
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/neo_gen3sis/IMG_0487-Edit.jpg

nicksan

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 20:59

Does the one from Maxsaver say "F PRO"?

I've bought several from them...but you know what? There isn't really a way to check them is there?

That said, it looks like the filters don't degrade IQ in any appreciable way...

Baddrummerboyy

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 21:25

weird

speedracersong

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 21:58

i bought 3 filters from maxsaver and all of them have b+w logos on the inner rim

Baddrummerboyy

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 22:22

So is it fake then?

donlavange

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 22:27

Try contacting B & W with the questions and photos. If they are fakes, they will br glad to know. If not, they may explain the difference. I doubt that they are fakes because a counterfeiter would copy the real thing to the last detail!

drparker

20th of March 2007 (Tue), 23:58

The one I bought from B&H last November also looks like your top shot.

Baddrummerboyy

21st of March 2007 (Wed), 12:28

I am the buddy.

I emailed maxsaver and B+W. Maxsaver replied and I'm waiting for B+W to reply back.

This is what maxsaver said
"
Hello Tong,
Thanks very much for your enquiring.
I'd like to tell you that the one in first picture is in Brass mount. the second one we sent is in Alloy mount. there is mark difference on the 2 filters. The one we sent marked "77 010 uv Haze MRC 1x B+W MADE IN GERMANY" on the outside of the mount. :D

They are both genuine, original B+W filter from Germany. and the quality is the same. :D

You can also contact Schneider to verify. :)

Please feel free to update if you may have any questions!
Thank you!

Best Regards,"

EOS_uk

21st of March 2007 (Wed), 12:42

If you want to compare to a fake copy, just order one from a Chinese website :) . Good chance it will be such a good copy that you will think the original is the fake lol

FJ LOVE

21st of March 2007 (Wed), 13:12

just checked all of mine ,even the polarizer and they're all on the inside ,

but the info that brass ones have it on the inside makes good sense since i buy brass filters ,apparently they stick less

Baddrummerboyy

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 12:03

This is what B+W is saying

"Dear Mr. Dang,

your mail has been forwarded by our subsidiary in the USA.
We thank you for your interest in our product.
Because of varied assignation and requirement all around the world there is also different product range from B+W.
The items mentioned are designed for the asisan market.
Nowadays business is changing dramatically,. With the internet and it's possibilities we are getting more and more in the direction of a global.
But the optical quality of the B+W filter is worldwide the same. We cannot give you any guarranty that the filter you bought is a genuine or not. If a customer is not sure whether a filter is genuine or faked he has the choice to decide where he is going to buy. Therefore we recommend to buy at an authorized dealer with a higher price.

Best regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen"

slavik13

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 12:09

mine is from MaxSaver (through eBay) and the B+W logo is on the innter rim just like in the first pic.

DenZ

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 14:01

I bought one from B&H last December and mine is on the inner rim, with "B+W ............ MADE IN GERMANY" on the outside rim

donlavange

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 16:10

nicksan

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 16:18

It's sad that there are punks out there selling fakes. But I don't think it reflects poorly on the company. What can they do, really?

It's like Rolex cracking down on all those fake Rolexes sold in China Town in NYC. I don't think they do...

What's sad is that no matter what you buy, you have to wonder if it is real, fake, grey market...stuff like CF cards, even CPU chips.

Buying from an Authorized dealer is a smart idea however you can only be certain if and only if that dealer is honest and only gets their stuff from known geniune sources.

I bought from MaxSaver twice. They seem honest. But really...who the heck knows if our filters are for real?

WOW! In essence they are saying " We give up. We can't control illegal copies of our famous high quality product, so you better buy from a reputable source known to YOU"!

Kind of sad.

donlavange

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 16:52

It's sad that there are punks out there selling fakes. But I don't think it reflects poorly on the company. What can they do, really?

It's like Rolex cracking down on all those fake Rolexes sold in China Town in NYC. I don't think they do...

What's sad is that no matter what you buy, you have to wonder if it is real, fake, grey market...stuff like CF cards, even CPU chips.

Buying from an Authorized dealer is a smart idea however you can only be certain if and only if that dealer is honest and only gets their stuff from known geniune sources.

I bought from MaxSaver twice. They seem honest. But really...who the heck knows if our filters are for real?
I agree, but I really don't think anyone buying a "Rolex" from a guy with a "suitcase" table really thinks that they are getting a Rolex. But,I guess that we are going to have to question everything as the global marketplace expands.

I had a business friend visiting from the UK and he wanted to pick up a fake Rolex for his Son. He got one from a guy on 44th North of Grand Central. That night he was winding it and the stem fell out. He wanted to go back and get another (of course, he was long gone).

wimg

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 19:32

It is relatively easy to see the difference beteen a B&W MRC filter and a filter of lesser quality.

Put a B&W filter you know for sure is a genuine one, next to the other filter on a piece of black cardboard, cloth, mouse mat, whatever, as long as it reflects very little light.

In a dark(ened) room, switch on some light, and position the black material and filters in such a way on a flat surface, that the angle of the incoming light onto the filters is approximately 30 to 40 degrees to the vertical (just guess). Take a picture of both those filters next to each other, underexposed by 2 EV.

The MRC filter will be totally transparant in the picture, a lesser filter won't be. IOW, the black underneath the MRC filter will show as the same black as the cloth itself, the lesser filter will show the black as a dark grey or worse.

BTW, the picture makes it only more clear compared to looking at it with the naked eye. But you can see it with the naked eye very easily too.

Of course, if you don't see any difference, and the black looks like the proper black underneath both filters, they both are MRCs.

HTH, kind regards, Wim

Baddrummerboyy

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 23:26

Another email from Schneider

"Tony,

Maxsaver.com is not an authorized Schneider dealer, therefore, I can not comment on their products.
I can only suggest purchasing from an authorized Schneider dealer to be assured of receiving genuine B+W product and a U.S. warranty through Schneider Optics, Inc..
http://www.schneideroptics.com/dealers/dealers.htm (http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/)

FYI: B&H Photo does not purchase B+W filters from us. As a result, there is no warranty through SOI.

BR, Kevin."

remixity

22nd of March 2007 (Thu), 23:36

Interesting remark about Schneider not warranteeing B+W filters sold through B&H. Then again, when was the last time you had to send in a filter for recalibration?

accord

13th of April 2007 (Fri), 08:58

I brought two B+W 77mm UV MRC filters sequentially from the same local shop in HK. One brought yesterday and the other two weeks ago. The two filters are exactly the two versions indicated here. Apart from that the coatings look different in light color reflected. The amount of light reflection looks similiar to my eyes.

I tried the newer one with markings on the inner rim with my EFS 10-22 at 10 mm, no obvious degradation is observed.

The old one is used on my EFS 17-55 IS lens. No obvious degradation of image quality is observed either.

I'll ask the local shop when I have time.

johan.sie

9th of October 2008 (Thu), 16:08

hi guys,

I've been following and done lots of research on this issue, I've checked several US-based stores, also in comparison to MaxSaver and their sister company, HvStar both sprawled eBay and other online sites.

Here's what it boiled down for me on the B+W:
- brass: those that has the wording all in the inner rim
- allow (the asian market version): those that has the wording on outer ring, and nothing in the inner ring

Basically is that, I have purchased a few from them, and also from other reputable stores online. Just for a quick tips, when purchasing from MaxSaver or HVStar, on B+W that has no 'BRASS' on the item listing, those are Alloy and won't have the wording in the inner ring and vice versa.

Hope this helps.

Indecent Exposure

9th of October 2008 (Thu), 18:44

B+W needs to update their product catalogue as it specifically states that ALL B+W filters are brass ringed.

The cheaper alloy products, be they from B+W or any other company, are known to often bind when seated. Brass ringed filters do not - or do not do so as easily as the alloy product.

bb4srv

31st of May 2009 (Sun), 22:27

I recently purchased the BW filter on Ebay and it was sold by the participants listed in this thread.

Upon receiving the filter, it could have been a counterfeit as:

1) No engraving in the inside of the ring.

2) Multi-coating is non-existent. I cannot spot any type of coating with my naked eye whereas I can definitely spot the coating on my L lense.

3) SERIOUS workmanship flaw as there are "hairs and dirt" between the glass and the ring frame!!!!

As I am one of those people who may actually realised and accept that I may have bought something that could be a counterfeit. My best advice is NOT TO BUY BW FILTERS FROM MAXSAVER AND HV on Ebay and anywhere else.

Should have bought mine from BH and save myself the misery.

Burnaby

31st of May 2009 (Sun), 23:55

I bought these from Adorama two years ago...

This is what the box should look like:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/LS460/IMG_1883.jpg

The outer rim F-Pro:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/LS460/IMG_1880.jpg

The outer rim logo:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/LS460/IMG_1881.jpg

The inner rim - 77mm UV-Haze:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/LS460/IMG_1882.jpg

The inner rim - 77mm C-POL KSM:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/LS460/IMG_1879.jpg

The inner rim - 58mm UV-Haze:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/LS460/IMG_1884.jpg

Cyclop

1st of June 2009 (Mon), 08:24

Interesting read from all the posts regarding authenticity of B+W brand filters. I have B+W filters on my respective lenses. All by the way, purchased through B&H. I have the B+W UV/Haze (MRC) F-Pro filter on each lens with the exception of a B+W Kaesemann CPL filter that is used interchangeably. All of the B+W filters have the "wording" imprinted on the inner-rim of the filter and are of brass-construction. I was somewhat surprised to read that B&H does not purchase from Schneider. I consider B&H an excellent/reputable company and have conducted quite a bit of business with them over the past years. However, I wonder who their source is for B+W filters? Especially, with their fluctuating prices that they sell the B+W filters for. I am very skeptical and careful buying from other companies that sell these filters at considerable cheaper prices, only to find out that you may not receive the "real" thing. We all know there is an ever growing market for counterfeit items in this world of ours...

Double Negative

1st of June 2009 (Mon), 08:52

This is why I buy Heliopan. :D

Cyclop

1st of June 2009 (Mon), 09:22

Yes, the Heliopan brand is another excellent brass-ring German filter like the B+W.

Mil

1st of June 2009 (Mon), 10:17

I bought 2 my filters in Germany, definetelly both are original and
on my slim MRC version 77 mm all names and logo are on the outer rim, whereas on circular F-pro filer B+W 77 circular-pol is on the innter part and Made in Germany, B+W and F pro is on the outer side.

Maybe thickness is decisive?

tvphotog

1st of June 2009 (Mon), 10:30

I don't think Maxsavers/hvstar products are fakes, just different versions made for different parts of the world. That's what I gleaned from my research when I went to buy filters. There is an authorized vendor for China listed on B + W's site, but it's not hvstar.

If you really want to get funky, know that B&H is not an authorized B + W dealer; Adorama is. What difference does this make? I have no idea, but to spend that amount of money on a filter, I bought it mine at Adorama to have their reputation and B + W's behind the product.

rix2357

1st of June 2009 (Mon), 12:33

Doesn't anyone think Schneider's reply that they can't help you tell if you are buying a fake or not and to buy it for a higher price from an authorized dealer kind of snobbish?

There is nothing stopping those "authorized" dealers from selling some fakes here and there to pad their bottom line and worse yet you are paying the full price for those filters.

However, I do agree that it will be difficult to construct a cheap test to tell fakes from originals.

HelenOster

2nd of June 2009 (Tue), 08:40

I bought it mine at Adorama to have their reputation and B + W's behind the product.

Thank you; we appreciate your trust in us.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com

Burnaby

2nd of June 2009 (Tue), 11:30

Doesn't anyone think Schneider's reply that they can't help you tell if you are buying a fake or not and to buy it for a higher price from an authorized dealer kind of snobbish?
Germans sometimes put things in a way that comes off as intolerant, rude or snobbish, especially on the technical side of things. Their engineers can be curt & abrupt if they interpret your inquiry as one coming from a neophyte. That's just the way they are. They don't really mean to offend, and are for the most part quite affable chaps.

fi20100

2nd of June 2009 (Tue), 11:43

Germans sometimes put things in a way that comes off intolerant, rude or snobbish, especially on the technical side of things. Their engineers can be curt & abrupt if they interpret your inquiry as one coming from a neophyte. That's just the way they are. They don't really mean to offend, and are the most part quite affable chaps.

Also, looking too close at the wording from someone that isn't a native English speaker might get you the wrong idea of her or his meaning. That the ending was both in English and German suggests to me that the person very well could be German speaking.

Burnaby

2nd of June 2009 (Tue), 14:04

That's right. If I read a sentence like this, "Therefore we recommend to buy at an authorized dealer with a higher price.", knowing he was German, I would "interpret" this to mean, "Buy it from an authorized reputable vendor, whose prices may be higher, but at least there is no doubt that it is a genuine B+W filter made by Schneider". The German version is more pragmatic and direct to the point, not mincing words at the expense of time...

Double Negative

2nd of June 2009 (Tue), 20:25

If anyone has the German version of the reply, feel free to send it my way and I'll take a look.

liupublic

11th of July 2009 (Sat), 14:04

Just received the B+W 77mm UV filter from MaxSaver. I purchased the alloy version. The brass version is a little bit more expensive ($8 more) and maybe thicker so I did not get it.

The quality appears to be quite good based on the test shots at 100% crop vs. no filter vs. another Quantary filter to compare. Quantary significantly degrade the picture at while b+w is basically the same w/o filter. (Test shots done on a 40D/24-70L )

From more net searches, looks like B+W put out different ring materials in order to service different price range, but kept the same filter coating on the glass. Anyway, I am just a amateur that does not change filter that much and I don't think I will need the brass type.