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Breakthrough Photography Filters

Paul2660

Well-known member
Not rain on the parade, as I agree they make great filters. However they are very unclear on "backorders".

I have been waiting on the 150 x 150 CL-PL now since November 2017. Note, they took the payment in November. I have called multiple times and always have been told the same thing, it's in production, will be shipping soon.

Something in Production in February, should be done IMO by late May.

The night sky filter seems to be having the same issues as although it's a great filter idea, I have never seen it in stock.

They are also a bit hard to contact IMO as you call, reach a call center, and then they call you back maybe in a day or so.

I also realize they are a small startup, so problems can be present, however 6 months on backorder seems a bit excessive to me.

Paul Caldwell
 

PedroL

Member
Not rain on the parade, as I agree they make great filters. However they are very unclear on "backorders".

I have been waiting on the 150 x 150 CL-PL now since November 2017. Note, they took the payment in November. I have called multiple times and always have been told the same thing, it's in production, will be shipping soon.

Something in Production in February, should be done IMO by late May.

The night sky filter seems to be having the same issues as although it's a great filter idea, I have never seen it in stock.

They are also a bit hard to contact IMO as you call, reach a call center, and then they call you back maybe in a day or so.

I also realize they are a small startup, so problems can be present, however 6 months on backorder seems a bit excessive to me.

Paul Caldwell
Did you try to contact them via "chat"? Logan should be there to answer your questions, I had no problem getting the answers.
Peter
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
Been chatting with them since December, and I have been told over and over "its in production".

In production in December?, or January, or whatever, it should be shipping by now? 5 months later. In a week 6 months

I am going to go ahead and cancel it tomorrow.

Great filters, not so great production of back orders, especially when money taken up front.

Paul Caldwell
 

Smoothjazz

Active member
I have three Phase lenses with a 72mm filter thread, so I ordered the 72mm six stop ND filter. The quality seems very impressive, and the ring exudes high quality. I realized that I can actually put my lens hood on over the filter, it is so thin and streamlined (not true for other filters). This is a big plus; I am so impressed, I ordered their polarizer as well.
I am thinking that having the lens hood on may be particularly important when taking long exposures.
 

beano_z

Active member
We had a 3 stop dark polarizer on workshop, and it was very useful for waterfalls. I am not sure whether it works only with live view, as I was using it little, but always with viewfinder. I am shooting mostly panoramas, so for me polarizing part was not that important, but I think that 6 stop regular ND is a better choice.
And the brass step up rings are magnificent, ease to use and beautifully made.

You can not go wrong. Go for it. Peter

1 - I've been using their dark polarizer since last fall and like it - so much thinner than having to stack so less potential for vignetting. I don't use live view much, but do have to look carefully through the viewfinder to see the polarization (Pentax 645z).

2 - I've also been using one of their step-up rings - got it stuck to one of their polarizers first time I put them together and can't get them apart. So now I have a 77-82 polarizer, ha, ha. The step-up is heavier and thicker than what I normally use, and while I like their filters, I probably won't buy any more of their step-up rings.

(And from another post in this thread - I've been using Xume magnets for years and had mixed success with many of them coming apart, so it will be great if these new ones from Breakthrough are better - terrific concept that makes life so much easier!)

tim ernst in Arkansas

Thanks for the great info guys! Good to know that brass rings will still get stuck......don't know why but I though brass would be better :facesmack:
 

Tim Ernst

New member
Thanks for the great info guys! Good to know that brass rings will still get stuck......don't know why but I though brass would be better :facesmack:
UPDATE - I finally got mine unstuck from their polarizer yesterday (freezer and string). Their step-up rings are heavy and thick and priced well, but I prefer thinner and light (like their filters) so probably will stick with brand X for the rings.
 

cerett

Member
UPDATE - I finally got mine unstuck from their polarizer yesterday (freezer and string). Their step-up rings are heavy and thick and priced well, but I prefer thinner and light (like their filters) so probably will stick with brand X for the rings.
Hi Tim, glad to hear it. Could you expand on the "freezer and string" technique. Thanks.
 

Tim Ernst

New member
Hi Tim, glad to hear it. Could you expand on the "freezer and string" technique. Thanks.
With the polarizer I had stuck to the step-up ring, there was a very narrow recessed portion in between the ring and the rotating part of the polarizer - just using a rubber band or gloves didn't provide any grip to the narrow portion that needed to be turned. I tied a thin string around the recessed portion and wound it up tight, then rotated the knot and the small tight string gripped the recessed part and it came right off. Putting stuck filters in the freezer works if the two are made of different materials - one of them contracts in the cold more than the other sometimes.

Magnetic adapters eliminate all of this, but they also add weight and thickness to the lens/filter so there's more chance of vignetting. Breakthrough says their new ones are 6.9mm thick with no threads, but having not seen them I don't know how they attach to the filters, or how thick the setup might be - I'm a big fan of magnetic adapters when they work.
 

beano_z

Active member
With the polarizer I had stuck to the step-up ring, there was a very narrow recessed portion in between the ring and the rotating part of the polarizer - just using a rubber band or gloves didn't provide any grip to the narrow portion that needed to be turned. I tied a thin string around the recessed portion and wound it up tight, then rotated the knot and the small tight string gripped the recessed part and it came right off. Putting stuck filters in the freezer works if the two are made of different materials - one of them contracts in the cold more than the other sometimes.

Magnetic adapters eliminate all of this, but they also add weight and thickness to the lens/filter so there's more chance of vignetting. Breakthrough says their new ones are 6.9mm thick with no threads, but having not seen them I don't know how they attach to the filters, or how thick the setup might be - I'm a big fan of magnetic adapters when they work.
Glad to hear you got it unstuck!

Looks like it makes more sense to wait a little longer till there’s more clarity on the magnetic system, I guess if that could work, it will not only prevent filters from getting stuck, but also makes changing between lenses much quicker and easier.

It seems that the older I get the clumsier I become, so dropping a filter while trying to unscrew fiddly adapter rings is a real issue now :banghead:
 

sog1927

Member
Hello from Iceland. Cold, windy, rainy, snowy, anything but South Florida. Perfect way to test Breakthrough filter system. H6D, H5D, X1d, GFX, X H1 - we had here and the magnetic system from Breakthrough Photography is totally priceless. In Icelandic conditions, fact that the filters are from tempered glass - we had them dropped a few times, not a scratch.
Is this true for the screw-in filters as well? I dropped two (CPL and UV) Breakthrough screw-in filters last week and they both shattered on impact. Obviously my fault, but disappointing nevertheless.

Great filters, though - the 10x NDs are absolutely color neutral.
 

PedroL

Member
Is this true for the screw-in filters as well? I dropped two (CPL and UV) Breakthrough screw-in filters last week and they both shattered on impact. Obviously my fault, but disappointing nevertheless.

Great filters, though - the 10x NDs are absolutely color neutral.
I don't know about shatterproof status of screw in filters, as I was using ND square and magnetic 2x ND which eliminates all problem with my clumsiness.

Courtenay was using mainly CPL screw in, and she is more careful than myself, never dropped one.
 

Tim Ernst

New member
magnetic application is unbelievably easy and fast so I was not using other brands.
Hey Peter, now that their magnetic filter system is shipping I wanted to ask you about not being able to use any sort of lens cap on either their magnetic filters or the magnetic adapters? It looks like a great system, but they told me today there was no way to use any sort of lens cap - said I should be removing the lens and wrapping in a lens wrap instead of using a lens cap (huh?). "Never take the magnetic filters off, put your camera/lens into this (OP/TECH USA Soft Wraps)."

My shopping cart was full of their new magnetic filters and adapters until they told me about not being able to use lens caps - could you see any way to do this without having to wrap each lens? Thanks for any input...

tim
 

Boinger

Active member
Hey Peter, now that their magnetic filter system is shipping I wanted to ask you about not being able to use any sort of lens cap on either their magnetic filters or the magnetic adapters? It looks like a great system, but they told me today there was no way to use any sort of lens cap - said I should be removing the lens and wrapping in a lens wrap instead of using a lens cap (huh?). "Never take the magnetic filters off, put your camera/lens into this (OP/TECH USA Soft Wraps)."

My shopping cart was full of their new magnetic filters and adapters until they told me about not being able to use lens caps - could you see any way to do this without having to wrap each lens? Thanks for any input...

tim
You could always just stick some magnets into a approiately sized lens cap and let it stick.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
You can use a slip on lens cap---or you can simply attach a magnetic adapter ring on to a lens cap and snap it on as if it were a filter. (At least I can do this with the Xume system). Or leave a filter attached and snap a lens cap on it.

ken
 

PedroL

Member
Hey Peter, now that their magnetic filter system is shipping I wanted to ask you about not being able to use any sort of lens cap on either their magnetic filters or the magnetic adapters? It looks like a great system, but they told me today there was no way to use any sort of lens cap - said I should be removing the lens and wrapping in a lens wrap instead of using a lens cap (huh?). "Never take the magnetic filters off, put your camera/lens into this (OP/TECH USA Soft Wraps)."

My shopping cart was full of their new magnetic filters and adapters until they told me about not being able to use lens caps - could you see any way to do this without having to wrap each lens? Thanks for any input...

tim
Everybodys workflow is different. I take my pictures and when done, take the holder/filter of the lens, put the lens cap on an done. Next location, filter in my west pocket. Those filters are very scratch resistant, but I usually have a piece of soft cloth to wrap it around filter/holder and bundle goes to my photo west pocket.
I try not to worry to much about filters, caps and so on while I am shooting - without abusing that gear. Take my photographs and than take care and clean up the gear.
In Iceland I have rain drenching the camera, lens, filters and myself but I got the images I was after. Clean up came later.
 

Tim Ernst

New member
You can use a slip on lens cap---or you can simply attach a magnetic adapter ring on to a lens cap and snap it on as if it were a filter. (At least I can do this with the Xume system). Or leave a filter attached and snap a lens cap on it.

ken
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Here is the end of a chat I had with the company asking about being able to use a lens cap - I don't think they wanted me to buy their filters:

"Never take the magnetic filters off put your camera/lens into the wrap. The wrap is a great solution for every photographer, and works great for magnetic filters
Don’t buy magnetic system, I don’t think it will work for you if you feel so stronlgy about lens caps
Please don’t buy the magnetic filter system"
 

stevenfr

Active member
Tim

I have these Schneider lens caps from my Schneider lens for my Horseman camera, which might work for you. You could try to find oneto try.

Steven

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Here is the end of a chat I had with the company asking about being able to use a lens cap - I don't think they wanted me to buy their filters:

"Never take the magnetic filters off put your camera/lens into the wrap. The wrap is a great solution for every photographer, and works great for magnetic filters
Don’t buy magnetic system, I don’t think it will work for you if you feel so stronlgy about lens caps
Please don’t buy the magnetic filter system"
 

Tim Ernst

New member
Thanks Steven! There's something off about this deal, guess I will take their own advice and put my money elsewhere...
 
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