Product Description

Hoya DMC PRO1 Digital Filters are specifically designed and engineered for Digital SLR Cameras. Digital Multi Coated (DMC) construction greatly reduces lens flare and ghosting. The Black Almite Frame (BAF) is a black matte finish aluminum frame that reduces reflections to enhance contrast. In addition, the Black Rimmed Glass (BRG) reduces light reflection around the filter edge. Low Profile Frame (LPF) is an Ultra thin frame which helps avoid vignetting on wide-angle lenses. The Knurled Edge Frame (KEF) aids easy attachment and removal. UV filter absorbs invisible ultraviolet rays which make outoor photographs hazy and indistinct and serves as a permanent lens protector.

Product Details

• Brand: Hoya
• Model: YDPOLCP077
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Features

• Designed and engineered for Digital SLR Cameras and Lenses to serve as a lens protector and to reduce the adverse effects of ultraviolet light
• Digital Multi Coated (DMC) -- Greatly reduces lens flare and ghosting
• Black Almite Frame (BAF) -- Black matte finish aluminum frame reduces reflections
• Black Rimmed Glass (BRG) -- Reduces light reflection around the filter edge to enhance contrast
• Low Profile Frame (LPF) -- Ultra thin frame helps avoid vignetting on wide angle lenses and Knurled Edge Frame (KEF) aids easy attachment and removal

Customer Reviews

BEST FOR THE MONEY
Clearly this is not an inexpensive filter but for its professional results it is an excellent value. There are other filters out there (such as the Canon line of filters) which are less expensive, but their quality on a good lens will be disappointing. Compared to other professional quality filters, Hoya's line of Pro filters represents to me the best balance between cost and quality.

Works as expected, but will upgrade next time
In the world of CP filters, you get what you pay for (isn't that so with everything, really?). At $120, this is not the cheapest by far, but also not the most expensive. What I really wanted was a kaesemann CP (B&W or Heliopan) as I've had great experiences with borrowed ones before, but it was out of my price range. Wish I had sucked it up and bought the more expensive filter!! The Hoya PRO1 worked fine, but the DMC coating just can't seem to match the coatings that B&W or Heliopan use on their higher-end CPs (and nothing will resist all scratches - but try using a lenspen brush before a cleaning cloth to get rid of any possible grit that will scratch). Comparing identical shots taken on a tripod with and without the Hoya, there was some loss of image crispness (of course, what you gain with a CP can be a worthwhile tradeoff) that I never noticed before with the kaesemanns I've tried.

That said, for the price, I think this is a good filter. Mine was for a wide-angle lens (the Tokina 12-24), so a slim filter was necessary to prevent vignetting. The consequence of having a slim mount is ... it's SLIM! Other reviewers mentioned that it's hard to grip and thread. I don't have the most nimble of fingers, but I really didn't have a hard time. Just be aware that when you rotate the front lens, you need to take care not to rotate the WHOLE thing and unthread it. Other slim-mount CPs have the same issue - I'd rather have to take a leeeettle extra care than have to deal with fixing vignetting in photoshop. Don't use force to make it thread into the lens or a step-up ring - do it slowly and treat it as if you spent a hundred and twenty bucks on it. =)

Also, haven't seen anyone mention this, but be aware that if you are using a CP on a wide-angle lens, you will likely have an unevenly polarized sky (deeper blues in the middle or on one side but not the other). Nature of the beast.

If you can afford it, go for a kaesemann. Also, B&W and Heliopan use brass rings instead of aluminum (like the Hoya) and are less prone to thread stripping or binding, so those are good choices, too. And B&W CPs come with a push-on lens cap (don't know about Heliopan), which takes care of the my-lens-cap-no-longer-fits issue. But this filter is a good place to start, especially for a first CP!

Good with some limitations!
Overall it functions the way it should however, I find it hard to remove it from the adapter ring because the threaded part is so thin it is difficult to grab it and unscrew from either the lens or the adaptor ring. I wish Hoya would find a solution to this.