hoya circular polarizer question (is hoya the same as kenko?? need help)

Matt L

Matt L

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Matt
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Filter on ebay

bin looking through the net for filters and this is alot cheaper than anywhere else, my question is does it look like a genuine hoya filter (never bought hoya filter so not even sure the box is right :LOL:

EDIT: I ordered it from him and its here today buts its a Kenko filter or well a kenko box, now does that mean he is miss advertising them or are they the same company?
 
It looks right for one of the cheaper Hoya range.

Bob
 
Looks fine - also, the seller has a very high feedback rating. I bought a Hoya Pro Circular Polariser off eBay once that cost me £30 instead of the £96 that Jessops wanted for it at the time. It was brand new, sealed, and absolutely legitimate - have had great results from it. I'd bid with confidence on the item.
 
Has anybody heard of any fake photo equipment? I haven't.

There is a lot of stuff that is based on original designs, even pretty exact copies, but it is always clearly marketed as a copy, and does not pretend to be the real thing.

Be interesting know if there are any 'genuine fakes' about.
 
Kenko and Hoya are both owned by THK with their filters made on the same production line. I have a few of each and the filters are identically marked, right down to the style of text used on the rim.

Bob
 
HoppyUK said:
Has anybody heard of any fake photo equipment? I haven't.

There is a lot of stuff that is based on original designs, even pretty exact copies, but it is always clearly marketed as a copy, and does not pretend to be the real thing.

Be interesting know if there are any 'genuine fakes' about.
Click to expand...

I`ve only heard of fake memory cards and batteries.
 
chilliz said:
I`ve only heard of fake memory cards and batteries.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, I'd forgotten them. You don't want to get caught out with a duff memory card :eek:

Now that the OP has reworded the question, I think Bob's answer is as close as we'll ever get to the truth - if a Kenko filter is marked the same as a Hoya, then they are idenitical; that would be a reasonable conclusion.

The only doubt is that Hoya have always made filters for third party brands, including every Japanese camera manufacturer I think, and they make them to that manufacturer's specification. But this is a caveat more than a real doubt.

It seems unlikely that Kenko would want a different spec to Hoya, and they are both premium brands. I also think it is unlikely that Hoya would want Pro1 written on Kenko filters if they were not the same as their own Pro1 as it would degrade their name. If they were both the same price, I don't think we'd be having this doubt. The extra cost is the added value of the label.
 
HoppyUK said:
Has anybody heard of any fake photo equipment? I haven't.

There is a lot of stuff that is based on original designs, even pretty exact copies, but it is always clearly marketed as a copy, and does not pretend to be the real thing.

Be interesting know if there are any 'genuine fakes' about.
Click to expand...

Working in the industry, I can sadly say that there are fakes out there. Lowepro bags, Domke bags, B+W filters and have even seen a fake Manfrotto tripod - all genuine fakes, not copies! The B+W filter you would not know unless you had handled one previously.

Beware, if a price seems too good to be true, there may be a good reason why.
 
sottoig said:
Working in the industry, I can sadly say that there are fakes out there. Lowepro bags, Domke bags, B+W filters and have even seen a fake Manfrotto tripod - all genuine fakes, not copies! The B+W filter you would not know unless you had handled one previously.

Beware, if a price seems too good to be true, there may be a good reason why.
Click to expand...

Weclome Sottoig :)

That's interesting, thanks. I think I trust myself to know a decent bag or tripod when I see it, but fake B+W filters - well, very hard to tell until it's too late. Cheers for that warning.

BTW, what part of the industry do you work in? What is the best way to avoid a fake do you suggest? I can only think of buying form a reputable retailer that gets stock through official channels :shrug:
 
Thanks HoppyUK

To be honest reputable retailers in the hight street and online is the best way to avoid fakes.
The B+W filter was identified by the weight - it had an aluminium mount and not brass, the glass was poor but you would not even think about that.
The Manfrotto tripod was almost perfect, again unless you handled them regularly you would be hard pushed to tell the difference.
Unfortunately there is always someone out there trying to make a dishonest buck or two.
 
I lived in the Middle East and had lots of middle and far eastern friends. That combination made me see as many fakes as you ever could in your life! Bag's phones, jewellery, software, car parts, awful or incrediably close copies.
 
There is a slight kenko/hoya difference in their pro-1d UV and CPLs. The Kenko use "wideband" glass which I think in theory is actually slightly better than the optical glass used in the hoya.
 
It has been repeatedly suggested here that Kenko and Hoya polarisers are identical, but the comparison test posted yesterday by Puddleduck shows that they give slightly different results!

(Sorry, I can't work out how to post a link here. The thread is called "filter advice" and was last added to yesterday at 11.10. The link is in the thread.)

There seems to be such a lot of agonising about which is the best polariser, whereas, in fact, your technique with any polariser will make more difference than which one you own!

It's probably best to avoid the cheapest makes, but spending a fortune on one is probably unnecessary unless you REALLY need the very best results.
 
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