MeFOTO Wild Blue Yonder Circular Polarizing Filter (in comparison to a Marumi Super DHG and an old Kenko HQ - 2017.06)
I have played with a variety of cheaper CPLs in the past and reviewed them HERE. Since that review, I upgraded and got a highly regarded Marumi Super DHG for my DA 18-135. It is an excellent CPL with which I have been very satisfied. Having recently acquired a DA 16-85, I needed a 72mm CPL, and the old Kenko, non-coated one that I had was simply okay at best. I was thinking initially of getting a 77mm CPL and a 72-77 step up ring since 77mm can more likely be used on other lenses (e.g., the Sigma 10-20), but it appears that it would be difficult getting the lens hood on/off with the step up ring attached.
So, looking around for a decent quality 72mm in the $50 or so range. Lenstip had reviewed quite a few CPLs back in 2009 (here and here), and they expanded their test in 2015. From that list a number of reasonably priced CPLs made my list in view of some things I especially wanted and valued, namely:
Here's a list of CPLs I considered in the $45-75 range for the 72mm size.
Prices are indeed quite variable. There are some amazing deals on ebay, but there have been reports of fake ones. Buyer beware on ebay...
I also came across a MeFOTO Wild Blue Yonder CPL at the major stores in my price range. MeFOTO is known for quality tripods, but I could find very little info about these CPLs. It's only 4.5mm thick which is very good though it is an aluminum alloy (but not brass) frame. It has 5 layers of coating on each side of the lens. They use "Japanese Asahi Water White Glass" which supposedly lets more light through. It is listed as having a 2.8 to 4x Filter Factor or +1.5 to 2 Stops.
What is somewhat unique about these is that they come in black, blue, green, red, or titanium, and, oddly, the prices seem to differ though they are the same. For the 72mm size, the price is usually around $63 (Amazon, B&H, Adorama), but for some reason (perhaps because I have now discovered that these CPLs are being discontinued, so it could be stock clearance), the red ones seem to be cheaper ($51 at Amazon; $57 at B&H) and all of $25.50 at Newegg. For that price, it was worth giving it a try. The red one would also match the red ring on my Pentax DA 16-85, so bonus!
The lens comes in a compact, sturdy case that is easy to open. It come on / off the lens easily. It does not easily pick up smudges, and it does clean up easily if there is anything.
All good so far! How about performance? I can't conduct tests like Lenstip, but I can compare it to an old Kenko uncoated High Quality CPL that is also 72mm and make some comparisons with the Marumi Super DHG that I do like very much.
It is quite thin, even thinner than the Marumi and significantly so compared to the Kenko.
Lining them up against a white screen of my computer monitor with maximum yellow tint, it is clear that the MeFOTO is somewhat warmer. (Note: this image is off a bit, but the color is consistent across the whole lens of each, except for the perimeter of the Kenko.
Turning 90 degrees will show the blue tint. Again, the blue is actually consistent in each lens, but it is somewhat clearer here that the perimeter of the Kenko does not have the same properties as the rest of the lens.
Finally, when the lenses are reversed, you should get nearly complete blackout. The Kenko can get a bit darker than shown here, but it's lower quality is evident, both from the lack of darkening and also the streakiness and perimeter brightness.
So far the MeFOTO is very good (thought the extreme yellowing might have an effect) and on par with the Marumi. Now, for some real world tests... (Note: I am not able to include the Marumi Super DHG in the comparisons, since I can't use the same lens.)
Flare
In this comparison, it's easy to see that the MeFOTO displays less flare than the Kenko. The MeFOTO does have more flare than no filter at all, but these pics were all taken without the lens hood which certainly would have reduced the amount of flare.
MeFOTO - Kenko - No filter
Polarizing
I'm trying to illustrate maximum polarizing effect in this comparison. The polarizing effect is quite noticeable with the MeFOTO. It's perceptible with the Kenko as you notice the brightness of the tree leaves on the right, but the sky is less blue than even what is seen in the one with no filter. I also display the EXIF info here to show that both the MeFOTO and Kenko add 2 stops to the exposure speed. (Apeture and ISO are fixed for all three. No filter at 1/2000 and with filters at 1/500) In practice, I've found somewhere between 1 and 1/3 to 2 stops.
MeFOTO - Kenko - No filter
Sharpness
I took 4 shots of the chimney in the previous scene (rotating the filter 1/4 each time), and then chose the sharpest of the four examples to display here at 200%. (< Note the high magnification. Also note the different shutter speeds as the amount of polarization changes.) At normal viewing sizes and even at 100% there is not much visible difference. At 200%, there is not much difference between the shot with the MeFOTO and the no filter shot, but the Kenko one is slightly softer. In practice, the MeFOTO does add some softness, but it is often offset by better contrast.
MeFOTO - Kenko - No filter
In practice, I would also add that the Kenko is less reliable for getting consistent sharpness. Here is a comparison of a different scene (and note the different order) at 100% of part of a wood fence. While the centers of each shot were nearly identical in sharpness, closer to the edge the Kenko clearly is much softer. As indicated above, the Kenko appeared to have a less consistent polarizing factor, especially near the edges, and that shows up here.
No filter - Kenko - MeFOTO
Vignetting
I did not see any significant vignetting with either of the filters when shooting at 16mm, but the thinness of the MeFOTO certainly makes it more likely to not be a problem on other lenses.
SUMMARY
I am unable to compare the MeFOTO and Kenko CPLs with the high end ones from B&W or others that cost in the $100 or more range for the 72mm size, but I was able to compare the two CPLs to each other in relation to not using any filter.
The old Kenko High Quality CPL Digital Filter is acceptable for what it does as a $20 filter in 72mm size. There are inconsistencies with it, but it is decently sharp in the center.
The MeFOTO Wild Blue Yonder CPL is clearly a superior CPL which I would say functions similarly to the highly regarded Marumi Super DHG (which sells for ~$85 in the 72mm size). Though it may add some flare in some situations, it has good polarizing qualities, does not noticeably degrade an image's sharpness, comes on/off a lens easily, and has good multicoating. It is an excellent value CPL at the ~$50-60 price. If it is still available for $26, it's an outstanding bargain, and the red ring goes well with the Pentax DA 16-85 red ring!