URTH Magnetic Filter Kits 

INTRODUCTION

When we began our careers in the photographic industry back in the 80’s you could only ever buy filters individually. These were generally sold in bulky plastic containers that tended to always crack and break eventually. Depending on how many filters you carried, they always seemed to take up a good portion of valuable territory in your camera bag. In those days, step-up rings were not a common accessory, at least they were never on our radar, so we would carry multiple filters for different size lens threads.

Attaching filters in the field as a Travel Photographer has always been time-consuming and a real pain in the ass. There’s never really been an easy way around this and we don’t think there ever will be a way to change filters quickly.

Till now…… well sort of, maybe we should have said  ‘quicker’ rather than ‘quickly’

Magnetic lens filters have been around for a while, but only a handful of companies have started offering them. Strangely, photographers have not yet embraced magnetic filters for some unknown reason. We can only assume it is because not every type of filter is released as a magnetic filter and the cost to release a comprehensive range of magnetic filters would be prohibitive. So, for the time being, magnetic filters will possibly only be attractive to the minimalist or beginner photographer who only needs the most common filters, such as the UV, CPL, and ND filters. In reality, these filters should generally cover the needs of most photographers.

With this in mind, Urth has launched a small magnetic filter range of the most commonly used filters. They have released the UV, CPL, and ND1000 as individual filters and 3 Filter Kits, however, they also have an ND8 filter that can only be purchased in a kit. Update: Urth has been progressively adding numerous magnetic filters to its range, including the Magnetic Landscape Filter Kit Plus and Magnetic Stellar Filter Kit Plus. 

If you’ve never heard of Urth, you may be more familiar with the old brand name –  Gobe. The company re-branded in late 2020. We’ve been using Gobe/Urth Filters for quite a while now and love their quality, price, and contribution to the environment through tree planting in some of the most deforested regions of the world.

Urth kindly sent us the 77mm Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit Plus and 72mm Magnetic Duet Filter Kit Plus, for this review. Please read our disclaimer at the bottom of this post.

WHAT ARE MAGNETIC FILTERS?

Magnetic filters, in reality, are no different to the screw-in type filters you’re probably currently using. The only difference is how they attach to the front of the lens. Rather than being secured using a thread, they are magnetized and connected to an appropriate-size adapter ring which is attached to the front of the lens. The only exception is the UV filter which also has a thread.

DO I NEED MAGNETIC FILTERS?

As mentioned in our other post, the results achieved in your image will not change whether you have a screw-in or magnetic filter. Using the magnetic filters, however, will be much quicker to attach. So if you want a filter system that is much quicker and easier to use then, yes, you should consider magnetic filters.

WHICH FILTER KIT SHOULD I BUY?

If you are starting out, we suggest you purchase the Magnetic Base Filter Kit Plus. Most photographers don’t need ND filters when starting out. Once you understand what ND filters are for and how they would be used in your photography, if at all, you can purchase the ND filters individually.

If you are a more advanced photographer who uses ND filters and just bought a new lens with a different lens thread size than your existing lenses, we would suggest you try the Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit Plus+ or the Magnetic ND Selects Filter Kit Plus+.

We always suggest purchasing a filter based on the size of your largest lens thread. We consistently buy 77mm filters because our 24-105 f/4 lens has the largest thread size. Instead of purchasing filters for all our other lenses, we utilise step-up rings. Urth now sells Magnetic Step-Up rings. So, if you also shoot with a 72mm thread lens, you can use the 77mm filter with a 72-77 step-up ring. Just keep in mind that the adapter ring supplied with the filter will only fit the lens thread size you have purchased. To use the filter on other lenses with a different lens thread you must also purchase the appropriate step-up ring.

Left: In 2025, Urth launched its range of step-up rings for both Magnetic and Standard filters. These are ideal for those that have several lenses with varying lens threads.

HOW TO USE URTH MAGNETIC FILTERS

All Urth Magnetic Filters are provided with a magnetised adapter ring. Remove any existing filters from the front of your lens and screw in the provided adapter ring. For the UV filter, you also have the option to screw this in instead of the adapter ring. Sort of defeats the whole purpose of using a magnetic filter system so not 100% certain why the UV has the thread.

Make sure you purchase the correct filter thread size for the lens. If you do not want to purchase multiple filters for different lens threads we suggest that you buy a filter for the largest thread size you have and then purchase a step-up ring for smaller lens thread sizes. Keep in mind that this may cause some vignetting.

In our photography, we prefer using the adapter ring and removing the UV filter before attaching another filter as the UV filter, for us, is only there to protect the lens element.

Note: If you remove the UV Filter from the lens you MUST attach the adapter ring for any other magnetic filters to connect.

Important: The Urth Magnetic CPL Filter Plus operates differently from a typical CPL filter featuring a rotating ring. Instead, this filter functions similarly to a Square Filter Holder’s CPL filter, rotating entirely to attain polarisation. This design eliminates the need for a rotating ring, resulting in a slimmer filter that reduces excessive vignetting. However, while the polarisation is effective, the rotation might not be as smooth as a conventional CPL filter.

If you’re new to photography, we recommend you invest in two essential filters: a UV filter and a CPL filter. However, the UV filter is a bit controversial. Some photographers swear by it as it protects their lenses from scratches and dust, while others claim it affects the image quality. Ultimately, it is your decision whether to use it. We use them on all our lenses except our fisheye and 10mm lenses (as they do not accept filters). As for the CPL filter, it’s a must-have for outdoor photography. This filter does wonders in reducing reflections, enhancing colours in the sky and foliage, and more; however, it may not work well with ultra-wide-angle lenses (<24mm) and can polarise unevenly depending on the scene. Use it at a 90-degree angle from the main light source for best results.

We strongly recommend this kit for those buying their first filters or those who have just purchased a new lens.

THE FILTER KITS

For this review, we were sent the 77mm Urth Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit Plus and the 72mm Urth Magnetic Duet Filter Kit Plus. Although the 2 filters in the Base Filter Kit are replicated in the Essentials Filter Kit, we wanted the different lens thread sizes so that we could test without having to use a step-up ring (our 24-105 lens is 77mm and our 16-35 lens is 72mm). For those wanting just ND filters, we recommend the Urth Magnetic ND Selects Filter Kit Plus. This kit includes all the essential ND filters you will need – ND8 ( 3-stops), ND64 (6-stops), and ND1000 (10-stops).

We have already covered the packaging in a generic post about the Urth Magnetic Filters, so we will not repeat ourselves here. We suggest you read our post if you’re interested in the finer details.

The Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit is an extended version of the Magnetic Duet Filter Kit. It has both the UV Filter and the CPL Filter. The only reason to purchase this kit is if you are interested in the ND8 which will reduce 3 stops of light from reaching the sensor or the ND1000 which will reduce 10 stops of light. These filters are more specialised and are used by photographers who want to achieve a slower shutter speed when shooting in daylight hours.

When you purchase the filter kit the adapter ring will be included in the stack. The stack also includes a magnetic front and back Magnetic Lens Filter Cap. Keep in mind that if you are using the front magnetic cap as a lens cap on the camera you will no longer have a front cap to protect your other filters. Alternatively, you can either use your existing lens cap, albeit we found it not very secure, or purchase an Annoyingly, when the UV filter is used with the adapter ring and the magnetic lens filter cap, we found that the UV filter was also removed when we took the magnetic lens cap off.  If using the UV as a screw-in (without the adapter) we found no problem. The other 3 filters in the kit remain on the lens when removing the magnetic lens cap. Lastly, with the lens hood attached, it can be difficult to remove the magnetic lens filter cap, but you may want to check this for yourself as all lenses have different lens hoods.

*Magnalium is an aluminium alloy with 5% magnesium and 95% aluminium. Alloys with small amounts of magnesium (about 5%) exhibit greater strength, greater corrosion resistance, and lower density than pure aluminium – Wikipedia

The optical glass is manufactured with premium German Schott B270. As mentioned above, the filters have 20 layers (or 30 layers) of nano-coating which give them better protection against water, oil and scratches. The nano-coating also provides a higher maximum light transmission and a more consistent transmission curve resulting in sharper images, finer colours and greater depth.

All of Urth’s products have a Lifetime Warranty.

THE MAGNETIC FILTER KIT RANGE

Every purchase funds tree planting in areas affected by severe deforestation — revitalising ecosystems and empowering local communities.

The new ON1 Photo RAW 2027 is here - Elevate your photo editing with ON1 Photo RAW 2027—now available for pre-order! Packed with game-changing upgrades, this next-generation release features a brand-new RAW engine, state-of-the-art NoNoise AI, a smart AI Culling Assistant, redesigned masking tools, and the all-new Perfect Eraser.

Click the banner above and enter code WideScenes20 at checkout to instantly save 40%!

THE FINAL WORD

The Urth Magnetic Filter Kits are a great addition to any photographer’s bag. Although there are not a lot of filters in the range yet, the filters that are provided in the kits will cover the majority of the shots that most photographers take.

In our testing, we have found them to be invaluable in the field when you need to change filters quickly and seamlessly so if you are a photographer that works quickly then the magnetic filters should be a no-brainer for you. Our only issue with the filters is the vignetting at wider angles. This consistently happens at 24mm on our 24-105 mm f/4 lens. If the adapter ring was modified slightly we’re sure that this could be fixed but only time will tell.

The kits are also an economical way to purchase the filters as purchasing them individually will cost you considerably more and as a bonus, the kits include the metal magnetic lens caps. Also, if you want to purchase the ND8 filters you will have no choice but to purchase the Essentials Kit as this is not sold individually.

If you are new to photography and looking to purchase your first filters then we would definitely recommend purchasing a magnetic filter kit.

RATED: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

If you are interested in reading our other reviews on the Gobe/URTH Filters, click on any of the posts below. Alternatively, we have a dedicated URTH Filters page on our website that you can check out here. For any of our other product reviews, click here.

Disclaimer:  This review is totally unbiased. As Professional Photographers we would never recommend the use of any product unless we have used the product ourselves. We always strive to give you our honest opinion in order to help you make the best choice. We did receive the product with compliments of URTH but were not paid for this review. We may also receive commissions on other links in this post.