B+W has taken the following steps to counter the flood of Replica or Fake filters on the market place. I am now posting a modified version of the original guide.
New harder to copy ( and more expensive) packaging.
From January 2011 all B+W filters are packaged in the following boxes. So if you are buying filters in these boxes you can be pretty sure they are the real deal. Beware that there will still be distributors and retailers with the old boxes in stock. This is a good step.
Introduction of a New Premium range called the Nano.
This range has an even harder coating than the MRC and is more dirt resistant.
B+W has also now been actively working to shut down factories producing these copies.
Other handy tips:
No laser printing
Filter weight
Gloss paint finish.
Still as always buyer beware and vigilant.
Big bonus!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buy any B+W FILTER on our website and enter the code 2012 to get 30% discount. Valid until 30th of June 2012.
Hello Scot, how long did you known that they made fake B+W filter. Not just the B+W filter but every thing in this word , You name it and you will have it . The problem is , no country dare to do some thing about it ,not just say it but do it
Hi Dinh,
B+W are aware of the fakes and have a legal team working in China right now tracking the factories which produces fake filters under both Hoya brand and B+W brand.
Hello Scott,
in the comment above you’ve mentioned fake Hoya filters.
Do you know how to tell if the Hoya filter I’m buying is fake or not?
You have said about differences for B+W, but nothing about Hoya.
Thanks in advance,
Dave
Hi David,
As we are not involved with selling Hoya filters I am not sure what the differences are. Quite simply to avoid fakes buy from a trusted retailer and while you might pay more you will be assured that you are getting the real deal.
Cheers Scott
Thanks for the great article . I recently purchased two B+W filters, a 58mm and a 72mm UV Haze MRC, from two different HongKong suppliers on EBay. They both looked genuine to my uneducated eye, but I found your article on line and used the information to check the authenticity. As it turns out my 58mm filter is genuine and the 72mm filter is a fake. I contacted the merchant who sold the fake for a return and re fund. They told me they sell the aluminum version not the brass sold in the US market and asked why I thought theirs was a fake. I was able to respond with the info you provided. The 58mm was a genuine B+W filter from a HongKong merchant on Ebay, so it’s at least possible to get the real thing out of a HongKong Ebay seller. Also your article did not mention it, but the genuine B+W filter packaging had a small hologram “B+W filter”/”genuine product” sticker on the back of the box. This may be something new that B+W is using to thwart the counterfeiters. Thanks again.
William,
Can you advise which ebay seller from whom you bought a genuine B+W 58mm filter? I appreciate.
Jingtao
What I am curious about is why there is no mention of fakes on the Schneider Optics web site. There are some forums that talk about aluminum being used for the Asian market which would explain the weight difference but without any comment from the manufacturer all the public have to rely on is the tit-for-tat comments from local and international sellers. Obviously neither are impartial and potential purchasers are none the wiser.
Terry,
Sorry but fakes do exist and we have them here sitting on display in our offices. We are an authorized distributor for B+W and winner of agency of the year why would we make up lies? Only recently has the volume of fakes become so large that manufacturers are starting to take action. Rolex watches have been copied for years but everyone knew they were fakes. Not so now with mail order and ebay. Companies such as San disk do not mention fakes on their website yet it is estimated that over 80% of San disk cards so on ebay from Hong Kong are fakes.
“B+W never have produced a cheap line in Alloy with the B+W logo only the Practika line which was a cheap Japanese made range” Quote pers com from Mr Dieter Nicolai Head of Photo division Schneider Germany.
Sorry Scott, I didn’t mean to offend or suggest that fakes do not exist. My point is that my decision to purchase from a dealer was only made after considerable research and consideration. The lack of acknowledgement of fakes on the Schneider site only makes that decision harder.
Obviously Ebay B+W filters at a fraction of dealer prices must be fake. I also suspect that purchasers of these filters are as likely to purchase a real B+W as the purchaser of a $50 Rolex would ever purchase the real thing. Where serious buyers find it difficult is where the fakes are better and the asking price is closer to the dealer price. We (purchasers) know they must be at least 10% cheaper as they don’t levy GST, we also assume they have greater volumes and therefore a better buy price and where the seller claims these are “an alloy version for the Asian market” suddenly we’re left with some doubt that 30-40% off really is “too good to be true”. And let’s face it human nature wants to believe it.
If Dieter Nicolai’s quote, regarding “Alloy” were available on Schneider’s web site then I am sure much of the forum debate on the authenticity of Ebay and HK B+W filters would cease and my decision would have been so much easier. This would be to the benefit of consumers, Schneider Optics and dealers. Perhaps you could suggest it to them.
My common sense tells me that as Schneider makes such a strong case for the use of brass they could not possibly produce an alloy version and there is no mention of alloy anywhere on their website.
Incidentally, the “Filter bargains” at Mainline are indeed that. I’ve snapped up a B+W 77mm for $45 including GST and I have no doubt it will be brass!
Thanks for your article.
um, please note that brass is also an alloy (a combination of 2 or more metals)
Thanks Davo I have fixed the error I meant aluminium not alloy!
[...] months have revealed that some of Ebays biggest Hong Kong Filter sellers are selling counterfeit B+W branded filters. In fact the marketplace has been swamped with fake filters out of Hong Kong and China. Time for it [...]
[...] un vistazo a esta Web: http://mainlinephoto.wordpress.com/2009/04…ake-bw-filters/ Yo desde que me timaron con unas memorias RAM de ordenador (falsas claro) no compro a los chinos. [...]
The fakes I have, do not have a gasket infront of the glass facing out. The glass can fall out or moves in the holder.
I have had two.
Yep, bought a 62mm B+W circular polariser on e-bay for £20. Everything sounded good, until the package arrived from a Mr Kwon! I’ve done several checks and believe the weight of the boxed filter to be 82g. Well my kitchen scales weighed it at 81g but they are not the greatest scales in the world.
So, are the chinese fakes now using brass or do I have the genuine article?
Also, anyone know how much a genuine B+W F-Pro Circ Pol filter should weigh unboxed, in the flesh?
Thks, K
Hi Kevin,
A 62mm filter should weigh around 70 odd grams.
I recently purchased a 77mm Kaesemann MRC slim circular polarizer from B&H in NY. According to Schneider’s website, B&H is an authorized dealer, and they have an excellent reputation overall. There was no crazy discount like on eBay – the filter was ~$175 USD.
Compared to my older B+W filters, the finish looks roughly the same (maybe it looks a bit shinier just because it’s brand new and not 6 years old). There is no lettering on the front. Also, the lettering on the side is white, not gold, although in the small photo of the filter on Schneider’s website, it looks like the lettering is white as well (but the photo is too small for me to be sure). And it says “Germany,” not “Made in Germany” like my other filters. I can’t really speak of the weight – I haven’t weighed it, and I don’t know how much it’s supposed to weigh anyway. The box had the green hologram sticker.
What do you think – real or fake?
Hi JC
your polariser is a genuine one the white printing is used on the Slim Polarisers and they are only marked Germany. The mount is much thinner with no front ring to engrave on these filters.
Huge thanks Scott, just took delivery of my first two B+W filters, MRC XSP UV in 77mm and 67mm, they feel a world of difference compared to the Hoya Pro 1D and the Marumi DHG/Super DHG that I currently use.
Funny how some products have that ability to ooze quality. Can’t wait to get those smaller ones as well.
Hello, I am curious why your article on authenticating B+W filters can no longer be found? I would love to make sure all of my filters are B+W quality. Any help would be great.
Thanks!
Legal reasons
Well…. learned the hard way . Just bought a couple 77 UV from an eBay vendor. Even had fake holograms. They did seem lightweight. On my scale, they were 30g vs 47gm for the genuine thing I’d bought locally. Will see if I can get a refund.
Hi!
Can this article be sent to me via e-mail?
I have 3 of B+W filters and all of them are on the expensive side so I would like to know if they are genuine of fakes since I bought them on e-bay.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Walt
I’d like to read that article too. Please . fnpony@yahoo.com
I really want to read the article please if you can send it to my email?
I bought 2 x B+W 77MM UV (#30331) filter from a shop in Hong Kong, called Wing Shing in May’10. Only recently, I came across some articles that teaches how to identify between a genuine and fake B+W filter.
1. Fake B+W filters do not have the laser engraving on the front inside of the filter. They have it printed on the side of the ring.
2. Fake filters might have just GERMANY on the side not MADE IN GERMANY which all the genuine ones do.
It so happen that the filters I bought from Wing Shing only have print on the side of the ring and do not have laser engraving on the front inside of the filter. And it just GERMANY on the side not MADE IN GERMANY.
However, the B+W filter packaging had a small hologram “B+W filter”/”genuine product” sticker on the back of the box.
So I am confused now whether the 2 pcs of filter I bought are genuine or fake. Please advise/comment.
Ken: the stuff that Wing-Shing sells is either FAKE/not genuine or it’s just an OEM product!
Regards,
Al
Could you send me this article by e-mail? Thanks.
Dear All,
After few weeks of research, I would like to confirm that GENUINE B+W filters have the following characteristics:
1) Genuine B+W filters have their wording on the front mount.
2) Genuine B+W filters says “MADE IN GERMANY”.
3) Genuine B+W filters are made of BRASS instead of normal alloy (which means BRASS alot HEAVIER)! ONLY Genuine SLIM-LINE MOUNT version of B+W are made of alloy!!!!!!!!!
Fake or not genuine B+W filters have the following characteristics:
1a) FAKE or not genuine B+W filters have their word PRINTED on the side of the mount
2a) FAKE or not genuine B+W filters says “GERMANY”
3a) FAKE or not genuine B+W filters are made of some sort of alloy and weighs alot lighter than BRASS!
I know all this stuff because I’ve previously bought some fake / not genuine ones. Only few days ago, I’ve bought a genuine one after doing hell alot of research!
Hope this helps!
Regards to all,
Al
Someting fishy going on here, why has the article been removed?
Ken, Wing Shing is a respected long established retailer in HK; I very much doubt they would be selling fakes.
If people care to google they’d find loads of posts about the different types of B+W filters.
[...] [...]
I spoke with Schneider Optics in the USA, and they reluctenly confirmed that they DO manufacture filters specifically for the Asian market, and the rings used on those filters are aluminum not brass. However, they said the optical elements are identical to those used in the brass version. They went on to say that any warranty issues that might arise with those filters, would only be honored by going through an authorized Schneider Asian dealer.
By the way, ALL B+W slim mount filters, and stepping rings are aluminum, not brass.
Hey Mike,
this is very interesting as we have asked the same question many, many times and not really got a straight answer! Do you have the emails that you can send us? That would clear the mystery up… but on another point the new Nano filters ( the new xsp slim are brass). Thank you for your input! I will follow this up with our sales rep.
I spoke with Schneider over the phone, so I don’ have any written corroboration I can supply. Yeah, I should have qualified my statement by saying I inquired about the standard MRC and single coated filters, not their ultra premium filter models above these models.