URTH Magnetic Lens Filters 

INTRODUCTION

Every photographer likes equipment that makes it as easy as possible in the field. There are a myriad of things to do when trying to create your masterpiece and any help is always appreciated.

Circular screw-in filters have been the staple of most photographers’ diets for many decades, certainly for our entire careers which started in the early 80s. There has always been an enormous variety of different circular filters to cater for photographers’ needs, however, there has never been an easy or quick way to attach these types of filters. Occasionally, they can be frustratingly difficult to remove and they are always easy to drop. For those that shoot in sub-zero temperatures, they can be even more annoying to attach. We’re sure every photographer has had those ‘hold your breath’ moments when trying to attach a screw-in filter followed by a sigh of relief when the threads match up and you know that you are not going to drop the filter – this time. Even removing circular filters from a lens raises our blood pressure

In recent years magnetic filters have been growing in popularity. So it was only a matter of time before Urth launched a small range of magnetic filters. As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, Urth usually releases the most commonly used filters needed by photographers rather than a huge range and this time is no exception (since this post was written, they have added many more filters to the range, making it one of the most comprehensive magnetic filter collections available)

If you’ve never heard of Urth, you may be more familiar with the brand Gobe. 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 thread of the Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit Plus, the 72mm thread of the Duet Filter Kit Plus, a 77mm threaded  Magnetic Adapter Ring, and a 77mm Magnetic Lens Cap 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 connect to an appropriate-size adapter ring which is first attached to the front of the lens. 

DO I NEED MAGNETIC FILTERS?

Yes and No. 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 do need magnetic filters. Balls in your court!

HOW TO USE URTH MAGNETIC FILTERS

Firstly, we always suggest purchasing a filter based on the thread size of your largest lens. 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 use 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. For use on other lenses with a different lens thread, you must also purchase the appropriate step-up ring.

All Urth Magnetic Filters are provided with a magnetised adapter ring. Just remove any existing filters from the front of your lens and screw in the provided adapter ring. If you are purchasing the UV filter, you have the option to screw this in instead of the adapter ring.

As mentioned, the magnetic UV filter is the only filter that is magnetised and threaded, so you don’t need the adapter ring to attach this filter. We could not determine why this was the only filter to have a thread, considering that when using other filters, such as a CPL, ND, etc., you always remove the UV Filter, in which case you would need the adapter ring to attach these filters. We concluded that photographers who shoot film may want to keep the benefits of the UV filter while at the same time being able to stack another filter without the need for the adapter ring. As digital shooters, 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 works differently from a conventional CPL filter, which usually has a rotating ring. The Urth filter works similarly to a CPL  used in a Square Filter Holder, whereas the whole CPL filter rotates to achieve polarisation. A CPL without the rotating ring makes the filter slimmer, reducing excessive vignetting. Although the polarisation works effectively, the rotation is not as smooth as a conventional CPL filter.

THE FILTERS

For this review, we requested the Urth Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit Plus, as this contains 3 of the filters that you can also buy individually. It also includes the Magnetic ND8 Filter Plus, but you cannot purchase this as an individual filter. So, it made more sense to review the kit.

Comparable to Urth’s non-magnetic filter kits, the Magnetic Essentials Filter Kit Plus arrives in identical packaging. The only difference is the colour of the packaging, which is charcoal-coloured for all the magnetic filter products. The only other difference is the omission of the xGOBE text on the packaging, so it looks like this is the first packaging with no reference to their old brand name. As per usual, inside you will also find a microfibre cleaning cloth.

The filters feature an ultra-slim magnalium rim design, consistent with all Urth circular filters. The UV filter is single-threaded and magnetised, whereas all the remaining filters are only magnetised. The inner rim markings denote the URTH brand, the thread size, and the number of layers of nano-coating on the filter (in this instance, it is 20L or 20 layers for the ND8, CPL, & ND1000 filter and 30 layers for the UV), and a small lightning bolt, which denotes it is magnetic. The outer edge of the rim is inscribed with the type of filter, eg, ND1000.

When you purchase the filter kit, an 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’s not very secure, or purchase an additional Magnetic Lens Filter Cap (we found this rather irritating as you will need to spend another AUD$55.00 (72mm) for another set of magnetic lens caps). Please be aware that when using the UV filter with the adapter ring and the magnetic lens filter cap, the UV filter was inadvertently removed along with the magnetic lens cap.  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.

VIGNETTING?

All testing for vignetting was performed with our full-frame Sony A7Riii mirrorless camera with the 24-105 f/4 and 16-35mm f/4 lenses. No editing has been performed in the ‘before and after’ images below other than lens correction in Lightroom.

Attaching the magnetic adapter ring and the UV filter has already introduced minor vignetting at 24mm on our Full Frame sensor camera using a 24-105 f/4 lens. This can be fixed by zooming to about 26mm (see image below). Stacking two magnetic slim-rim filters has even more vignetting, but this has disappeared by about 30-32mm. With the camera in APS-C mode at these focal lengths, naturally, there is no vignetting due to the crop factor. If you are shooting on an ultra-wide-angle lens on an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds sensor camera we would suggest you test for vignetting.

Please Note – vignetting will vary from lens to lens and will depend on the focal length. Ultra-wide-angle and wide-angle lenses will always be more challenging when using Circular filters.

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Since writing this post, Urth has expanded it’s magnetic range of circular filters compared to the ones mentioned in this post. Other magnetic filters in their range include – 

• Magnetic Ethereal ¹⁄₁ Black Mist Filter Plus
• Magnetic Infrared 720 Filter Plus
• Magnetic Night Filter Plus
• Magnetic Soft Graduated ND8 Filter Plus
• Magnetic ND8 Filter Plus
• Magnetic ND64 Filter Plus

THE FINAL WORD

There’s not a lot of difference between Urth’s regular non-magnetic circular screw-in Plus+ filters and the range of Magnetic filters. The packaging is a different colour; however, the quality of the materials used is identical, and the number of layers of nano-coating is the same. The only real difference is the ease and speed of attachment. Other than relieving you of that nervous tension when trying to attach a screw-on filter, there’s no winning lottery ticket here! Our only concern is the slight vignetting we encountered using the magnetic adapter ring and filters on our main 24-105mm lens. However, this may not be an issue depending on the lens/camera system.

If you are new to photography and looking to purchase your first filters, we would definitely recommend purchasing magnetic filters.

For existing photographers who already own filters, unless you are looking to save time in the field changing filters, we suggest you keep using your current screw-in filters rather than replace them. For any new filters, we suggest you try the magnetic filters, although keep in mind that stacking non-magnetic filters with magnetic filters will not work.

As the current range does not include all the filters that you may want to use, you may still need to purchase the regular screw-in filters. Regardless, we think that the magnetic filters that Urth is offering will cover the majority of shots that many photographers take, 

RATED: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

If you are interested in reading any of our other reviews of the Gobe/URTH Filters click on any of the posts below. Alternatively, we have a dedicated URTH Filters page on our website which 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.