B + W 49mm UV Protection Filter (010) for Camera Lens – Standard Mount (F-PRO), MRC, 16 Layers Multi-Resistant Coating, Photography Filter, 49 mm, Clear Protector

I’m a well known professional photographer and I “thought” an extremely savvy consumer, too. Lo and behold, through lots of research I have learned that most of the B+W and Hoya top of the line filters I have bought over the past 15 years are fake. Here’s what I’ve recently found to ensure getting legit ones here at Amazon:HOW TO SPOT A FAKE:Some fakes are easy to spot. The inner ring typography will be white instead of the gold color used by B+W in recent years. Now, the counterfeiters are beginning to make the inner type gold just like B+W. However: SEE PHOTO ABOVE. Note that the font of the fake at right is slightly thinner and just barely italic. Read on for more detail detective work tips below.AVOID THIRD PARTY SELLERSI truly believe in supporting small businesses but many of the B+W and Hoya filters out there from other resellers are indeed fakes. I trust in “Shipped and Sold by Amazon.com” yet some other third party reseller dealers are not genuine.BUY B+W ONLY WITH NEW AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM:In 2019, B+W fully switched to a new type of Hologram and authentication system. So if you are currently buying a new filter here, look for the red “Target” hologram logo on the side. Each box has a unique six digit number that you can check on the B+W website. After you enter the info, the website verifies if legit. Also, take a cellphone picture of the QR code on the box. If you are not automatically linked to the company website, it’s a fake.Earlier, I was fooled by counterfeits that simply had a scannable and seemingly legit 3D QR code. Did I bother to check. Nope! That was a mistake as when I just recently checked for the first time the link is to a non-existent website with the URL for sale!CHECK FOR REFLECTIONS ON THE FILTER ITSELF:Using the black-colored back of the B+W box, place the filter face down on it. Hover above. You should see almost no reflection of yourself, just very faint shadows. Cheap fakes are mostly like window glass with lots of reflections that weaken quality lenses bigtime. The glass for genuine filter will seem almost invisible.CHECK FILTER MARKINGS CAREFULLY:B+W and Hoya do change these over time so if you are seeing different typography styles and colors this does not mean they are fakes. For example, the current B+W logo on the side of the filter is sans serif type while older filters had the classic serif, bolder logo style.XS-PRO Nano MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the XS-PRO Nano series, all type will also be a rich gold color. All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS except for lowercase “nano.”XS-PRO Nano CLEAR MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the XS-PRO Nano CLEAR series, all type will be a rich gold color. All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS except for lowercase “nano.” Thus, the markings are in the same style as the UV version.F-PRO MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the F-PRO series, all type will also be a rich gold color . All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS except for lowercase “Haze” for UV filters. The “x” in “1x” will also be in lowercase.F-PRO CLEAR MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the F-PRO series, all type will be a rich gold color . All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS including the word NEUTRAL.WEIGHT:All of the series above are brass filters with impeccable machining. Brass filters weight more. Simply get a gram scale and weigh a filter “Shipped and Sold by Amazon” in comparison to a filter you suspect as fake. This, plus carefully checking reflections carefully helped me determine how to discern a real filter from a counterfeit.SPELLING MISTAKES:I found Hoya and B+W fakes long after I’d bought them by carefully examining the box. For example, beyond fake QR codes, I found boxes with the word “licensed” mistakenly spelled as “licensed.”Hope this long review has been of some small help. I still can’t believe I was so thoroughly hoodwinked, literally for years. I also love some of the better Hoya filters but, unlike B+W, they do not seem to have a sophisticated counterfeit checking system yet in place.Keep shootin’ strong!

I’m a well known professional photographer and I “thought” an extremely savvy consumer, too. Lo and behold, through lots of research I have learned that most of the B+W and Hoya top of the line filters I have bought over the past 15 years are fake. Here’s what I’ve recently found to ensure getting legit ones here at Amazon:HOW TO SPOT A FAKE:Some fakes are easy to spot. The inner ring typography will be white instead of the gold color used by B+W in recent years. Now, the counterfeiters are beginning to make the inner type gold just like B+W. However: SEE PHOTO ABOVE. Note that the font of the fake at right is slightly thinner and just barely italic. Read on for more detail detective work tips below.AVOID THIRD PARTY SELLERSI truly believe in supporting small businesses but most of the B+W and Hoya filters out there from other resellers are indeed fakes. I trust in “Shipped and Sold by Amazon.com” yet some other third party reseller dealers are not genuine.BUY B+W ONLY WITH NEW AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM:In 2019, B+W fully switched to a new type of Hologram and authentication system. So if you are currently buying a new filter here, look for the red “Target” hologram logo on the side. Each box has a unique six digit number that you can check on the B+W website. After you enter the info, the website verifies if legit. Also, take a cellphone picture of the QR code on the box. If you are not automatically linked to the company website, it’s a fake.Earlier, I was fooled by counterfeits that simply had a scannable and seemingly legit 3D QR code. Did I bother to check. Nope! That was a mistake as when I just recently checked for the first time the link is to a non-existent website with the URL for sale!CHECK FOR REFLECTIONS ON THE FILTER ITSELF:Using the black-colored back of the B+W box, place the filter face down on it. Hover above. You should see almost no reflection of yourself, just very faint shadows. Cheap fakes are mostly like window glass with lots of reflections that weaken quality lenses bigtime. The glass for genuine filter will seem almost invisible.CHECK FILTER MARKINGS CAREFULLY:B+W and Hoya do change these over time so if you are seeing different typography styles and colors this does not mean they are fakes. For example, the current B+W logo on the side of the filter is sans serif type while older filters had the classic serif, bolder logo style.F-PRO MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the F-PRO series, all type will also be a rich gold color . All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS except for lowercase “Haze” for UV filters. The “x” in “1x” will also be in lowercase.XS-PRO Nano CLEAR MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the XS-PRO Nano CLEAR series, all type will be a rich gold color. All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS except for lowercase “nano.” Thus, the markings are in the same style as the UV version.XS-PRO Nano MARKINGS:As of 2021, for the XS-PRO Nano series, all type will be a rich gold color. All gold type on the inside ring will be in CAPS except for lowercase “nano.”WEIGHT:All of the series above are brass filters with impeccable machining. Brass filters weight more. Simply get a gram scale and weigh a filter “Shipped and Sold by Amazon” in comparison to a filter you suspect as fake. This, plus carefully checking reflections carefully helped me determine how to discern a real filter from a counterfeit.SPELLING MISTAKES:I found B+W fakes long after I’d bought them by carefully examining the box. Beyond fake QR codes, I found boxes with the word “licensed” mistakenly spelled as “licensed.”Hope this long review has been of some small help. I still can’t believe I was so thoroughly hoodwinked, literally for years. I also love some of the better Hoya filters but, unlike B+W, they do not seem to have a sophisticated counterfeit checking system yet in place.Keep shootin’ strong!

Ce filtre est meilleur qu’un Leica.Très bon rapport qualité prix.

Utilisé pour protection lentille frontale objectif et réduction UV.Excellent matériel et prix justifié!

Received a fake. Lettering not spaced even. Yellow color tint when it should be virtually clear. No seal on package or inner container

Good value and quality filter.The slim filter does not disturb the lens optics when zoomed at 14mm.

Only the Master series by B+W outdoes this filter