Kenko UV Filter Causes Glare - Fake?

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sitalchauhan

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Hello,
I bought a Kenko 58mm UV filter on ebay for £4. (Item number: 350137087719)

Kenko and Hoya filters are supposed to be identical apart from the name (They are both made in the same factory and even share the same website - Link).

However, it is causing glare in some of photos when directed at bright light sources. I read that filters can cause glare, but thought Kenko/Hoya are one of the better brands and so would cause very minimal glare.

I basically want to know if you think I may have been sold a fake Kenko UV fiilter?

Here is what the filter looks like and the packaging it came in:
58mmuv.jpg


The thing that caused the suspicion is the text on the filter ring says "Kenko 58mm UV Japan", which is different to most the other Kenko filters which come up in google which say "Kenko Digital Filter UV" and they come in a blue plastic packaging:
P12410222.jpg


Here is a photo taken without the UV filter:


And here is the exact same photo taken with the UV filter. Compared to the previous picture, you can see glare below and to the right of the glass window of the door:



Is this an acceptable amount of glare for a Kenko/Hoya filter?

Thanks! :)
 
Although I'm struggling to see anything really different with the pics (am I going blind?), looks more to do with exposure/WB.

edit, scratch that, I can see what you mean when I zoom in. TBH I would expect that from a mega cheap filter, fake or otherwise...
 
Oh great :( Over 500 of those filters sold in that auction alone and nobody else has complained they are fake!


Does anybody have any recommendations where the best price for a geniune Hoya filter is?
 
I could be wrong, I'm no expert on these things BUT I've seen it said many times that most filters sold on ebay are fake and that packaging really doesn't inspire confidence...

That said, I wouldn't expect much more from a genuine cheapy - if you must use a filter, get a half decent one.

Alternatively, don't use a filter at all and just use the lens hood for protection.
 
There is an Ebay store called Crooked Imaging who I have used a good few times and they are pretty good for Hoya. They have a website too.

Alternatively, some PC World branches are clearing their B+W filters - the 52mm UV's were about £8 so the 58mm's shouldn't be much more if you can find some
 
The Kenko filter you bought for £4 will probably be a genuine plain glass filter such as the one thrown in when I bought my gf1 with a 20mm lens. Plain glass is highly reflective and will very easily cause flair. Plain glass protective filters are a total waste of time on good multicoated optics.

Buy a basic multi coated uv filter from www.7dayshop.com for less than a tenner and you'll see 80% less flair. I agree a B&W or a Hoya pro 1 are the best but the good old 7day shop filters work well on all our training lenses.

For ultimate results remove your filter when shooting towards strong light source.

John www.phototuition.net
 
Filters cause flare, and the less money you spend, the more flare you'll get! A lot of the time it can be avoided, but pointing it at a bright light source is asking for trouble.

If a £4 filter worked flawlessly, people wouldn't be paying £60 for them!

It looks like it might be fake from the packaging, but I wouldn't expect much better from any cheap filter. It's up to you what to do, personally I'd compain, get my money back, and put it towards a lens hood, but that's just me (and it debated far too often on here to go into the details now!).
 
sitalchauhan said:
Seems like the "Hoya HMC UV(0)" is the one to go for.
Click to expand...

yes - without a doubt ! ... check out Bristol Cameras..£14 Hoya HMC UV (c) which replaces UV (o)

i have recently bought a lens which came with a Kenko UV

and I dont think yours is a fake - just a cheapie

exactly like yours in that it was labeled.... " Kenko UV 72mm JAPAN"

I'll take some shots and see what the flare is like

having said that - and I have no complaint with the seller - but intend to buy a Hoya HMC UV asap for lens protection if nothing else
 
Remember that one of the times a filter isn't so good is shooting in dark conditions with point light sources.
Looks like a classic case: the light appears to be reflecting off the front lens element and being returned (off-centre due to the curvature of the front element) by the inner surface of the filter...
 
These arn't fake.

These are budget Kenko - same as the (rubbish) Hoya Green Series.

I've seen this packaging in Japan.

These are too cheap and nasty to fake, the fake stuff is usually Hoya and B&W.
 
Yes - the main caveat when using filters is to buy good ones: £30 and up depending on size...
 
I use a Genuine Kenko Pro1 d UV(w) 77mm on my canon 17-55 f2.8 lens. I have used it on many similar occasions to yours with out any sign of flair. Though not as expensive as the Hoya equivalent filter, it was nowhere near £4... More like £40.
On the few tests I have made I can not notice any difference with or with out the filter.
However I always use a lens hood.
 
Nawty said:
Even though it says "UV Filter" on it?
Click to expand...


it probably still filters UV light which could be a problem with film but UV light does not affect digital sensors. filters are used for lens protection not to block UV light on digital cameras
 
I have used UV filters as lens protection since 1952 and never had a problem.
As my glass has improved so has the quality of the filters.

I still Use UV ones in preference to plain protection ones Partly through habit and partly because all UV filters over lap slightly into the visible blue region, this is more likely to be help rather than a hindrance.

My first ones were called Blue Cuts from harrow photo centre,(he had the glasses made especially in Germany) which I used on my Rollieflexes. it was only later that the 1a's came out.
 
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