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Original Leica IR-Filter


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Schneider's MRC coating seems to offer anti-scratch protection as well as being an antireflective coating. B&W (made by Schneider) don't actually say MRC in their literature or on their 486 filters, but they mention this as a feature of their UV filters, so i don't know that it is absent. I would ask Foto-Huppert, who seems to know the most about these. You can call them or email them and see what they know.

 

scott

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Schneider's MRC coating seems to offer anti-scratch protection as well as being an antireflective coating. B&W (made by Schneider) don't actually say MRC in their literature or on their 486 filters, but they mention this as a feature of their UV filters, so i don't know that it is absent. I would ask Foto-Huppert, who seems to know the most about these. You can call them or email them and see what they know.

 

scott

 

Scott:

 

You have to go to the PDF Sean linked in this thread a few pages back to get the description of the coatings. This is a PDF for the B+W 486 filters. The pertinent sentence is "More than 30 interference coatings are vapor-deposited on one side, while the opposite side is MRC-coated."

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Guest magyarman

B+W 486 is have MRC one side face to lens. This way stop flare oba easy scrach IR front. Is possibly take away glass and put in other way. Than better not scrach outside oba get some flare inside. Put another one UV front of 486 you got now 4 surfaced and 2 pice glass take away contrast. This is not solve it except Leica change inside filter to strong and make it firmware tell get rid of some problems which is cause.

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I just wanted to warn people to buy too many 486-filters now. :o

 

The best quality will be achieved with the Leica-Filters so better wait if you don´t want to burn your money.

 

I think I believe you. If Leica would have been convinced in the critical situation of M8's market introduction that B&W filters would match its high standard requirements Leica would have helped the customers by recommending the B&W filter instead of telling them to wait a few more months until Leica's filter are available.

Haven't been Leica filters always premium and second to none?

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Today I interviewed one of the Schneider engineers who originally developed the 486 filters for today's addition to the "M8 Updates" article on my site. I won't recount the whole section from that interview (and would ask that noone else do that either) but a couple points relevant to the scratching issue...

 

From a practical standpoint, the best orientation of the 486 is to have the IR coating on the side of the filter that faces the lens and the MRC (anti-reflective) coating on the "external" side. In normal use, its the external side that will get cleaned regularly so I wouldn't worry too much about scratching the other side. The Leica filters I'm testing are all oriented in this way. It is seeming increasingly likely to me that the filters Leica will be sending out next month will be identical to the 486s currently available. That's not a fact, just my strong suspicion based on information I've gathered, my experience with the various filters and a dose of common sense about the inadvisability of trying to re-invent the wheel with a product that was in short supply.

 

My guess is that Leica does not need to sprinkle a dusting of Elfin magic over the filters <G>; they're already of very high quality.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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Err.... actually Leica filters have been just as good as the company they choose to manufactor them. Have you ever heard of subcontracting?

 

Rex

 

Sure I have heard of subcontractors. But I understand what you mean. ;)

We are talking about subcontractors which sell their own products to consumers as well as they are beeing subcontracted by camera manufacturers.

In the first case they make their own decisions regarding price, product features and quality to sell the most in their own name.

In the second case they are paid by the camera manufacturer and have to meet the manufacturer's requirements for the product.

So here is the (theoretical) chance that Leica's requirements are different from those that are made by the subcontractor for it's own products for the consumer market.

Reason for this could be: M8's problems are new in this market or adressed at first or Leica's standards are higher in general (as well as the price is higher).

 

What can we do to get to know? Wait and see how good or bad the filters are in practical use.

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like_no_other

 

Yah, sorry for being flippant. I realized that you knew that filters manufactered under contract are basically the same as there regular product. And your right that Leica could specify a product with better properties. I hope they do...like AR coating both sides and anti-scratch protecting both sides like the Heliopans.

 

Rex

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