No one really collects filters, but if someone did start this as a quirky hobby, they would have a lot of choices. This makes you wonder why someone would come up with another filter brand for photographers. Don’t we already have enough options with the established brands? Yet every year, a new one seems to pop up, trying to solve what they claim is an issue with the filters already on the market. Not trying to reinvent the wheel are the Maven Filters. They’ve just been launched on Kickstarter by camera instructor Micheal Andrew (Micheal The Maven on Youtube). His eponymous line of filters has one unique feature: each filter is a unique color (not the glass itself), so you instantly know which one to grab out of your bag.
Key Features Of Maven Filters:
- Made with Japanese AGC Optical Glass
- Each filter type is encased in uniquely colored metal for easy and quick identification.
- Magnetic so you can easily attach it to your lens (once the base ring has been screwed onto it)
- 16 Multi-Resistant Hydrophobic Nano Technology Coatings on the glass
- Color neutral ND
- Available in 52, 55, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77 &, 82mm sizes
- Lifetime Manufacturers Warranty
- Magnetic lens cap and adapter rings available as add-ons
Who Should Buy The Maven Filters?
Magnetic filters aren’t new; some brands have released filter lines with this option over the last few years. But none that I know of has each filter uniquely colored, so you can easily choose from them in your filter case or camera bag. Pretty much all of them are black, while some have gold or red lining to distinguish their brand from others. Maven Filters are the only ones I’ve seen that encase each type of filter in a separately colored ring. When you’re a landscape or cityscape photographer with a handful of filters in your case, it can be confusing to select the right one from your collection. Aside from the minuscule labeling on each filter, there’s no quick way to find out which one is which unless you’re keeping each filter in an individually marked case.
It’s not just the colors that help you swiftly take the photograph you want. Being magnetic in nature saves time screwing and unscrewing filters from your lens. All you need is the base magnetic ring attached to your lens, and it’s easy to snap a Maven filter on and off.
Key Issues That Maven Filters Are Trying To Solve
There are primarily three problems Micheal is trying to fix with this product. First, the dreaded stuck filter problem. This has happened at least a couple of times to me, and I had to discard at least one filter after painfully removing it from the lens. Next, screw-type filters take a long time to attach and detach from your lens. Lastly, by keeping each filter type in a different color, Micheal wants to make filter selection much faster.
No Color Cast For Maven ND Filters
What began as frustration for Micheal, where he was tired of expensive ND filters with strong color casts, has led to creating his own line of filters to fix the issue. He’s tested multiple filter brands to find out their problems. Many brands aren’t color-neutral even when they claim to be so, he says.
We’ll Be Testing These Out Soon
It’s a project that’s been over three years in the making, and Micheal has launched a Kickstarter to bring these filters to photographers worldwide. Our detailed review of the Maven filters should be out in a few weeks. Stay tuned to see how they fare in our tests.
All images and technical information on this page were either provided as part of the press release kit of the Maven Filters or taken from the project’s Kickstarter page.
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