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Breakthrough X3 ND
Super-Duper ND Filters
Breakthrough Photography MRC16 X3 ND filter (comes in various sizes and densities) enlarge. I'd get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
September 2015 Nikon Canon LEICA Fuji Sony Zeiss All Reviews
Sample Images top
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No filter. bigger. |
With 3-stop X3 ND. bigger. |
Not perfect, but still very neutral.
These are shot on my Canon 5DS R with a fixed white balance and colors set to +4 saturation. In normal use, Auto WB will eliminate most small variations, and most people don't shoot with saturation cranked as far as I have it here.
Analysis
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This Breakthrough Photography X3 ND filter is a much higher quality than usual ND filter.
First, it's neutral, which many ND filters aren't really. I learned this back in the 1990s shooting Velvia, whose wildly saturated colors exagerated just how unneutral were many of my grad ND filters.
Second, it's made with the best filter glass on Earth, from Schott in Germany.
Next, it has 16-layer multicoatings (MRC16).
It has "nanotec" water and oil-resistant coatings that really do repel schmutz. I put my finger on these, and there's no fingerprint!
They have thin frames, in case you have vignetting problems with wide lenses.
I usually use Tiffen when I need neutral ND filters, and they cost a lot less since they're made of plain glass and they are made in USA, but:
The real reason I love these X3 filters is that they have have a "Traction Frame," which means that the filter ring has big nubs that let me get it on and off easily. I don't need a bottle opener or oil filter wrench if it gets stuck; I can get a great grip on it.
The X3 filter rings are CNCd in China, and the glass comes from Germany.
THey come in various sizes and densities, and I will presume more options are added all the time. I have a 3-stop in 77mm.
That's it; these are great filters. I put mine on my optical bench, and I can't detect any error from flatness.
This free website's biggest source of support is when you get yours at these links to them at Adorama, at Amazon and at B&H, or any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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