[NLaurens]

Hi,
First; please forgive me for posting questions just after joining.

Recently I ordered a Hoya cpl filter for my lenses, the Hoya cir-pl slim frame 52 mm to be more precise. I went for the low prices on ebay (worked well for my hoya UV filters).

The filter arrived just after my holiday and because of the looks of the packaging I'm wondering if it's a real or a fake one.
The transparent plastic is a bit scratchy, the sealings are intact. the transparent lip that clips over the white back plate is a bit rough, the lip has got a thin piece of transparant plastic standing up. A curousity of the white panel is that the two upstanding sides don’t go that far to the bottom of the box and are more rounded than my HMC UV slim frame cases.
The paper with text on it on the white and transparent panels of the casing had got sharp edges on the rear panel instead of rounded ones and the lowest line of text is written in this way: “Ce produit est SOUS licence de Hoya Corporation” I haven’t seen the word sous completely in upper case on my other filter cases.

The ebay seller was hkdirect and in the package was a maxsaver.net service card. Since the casing differs from what I'm used to and what i was able to see I'm wondering if this might be a counterfeit. I attached 3 pictures with the cpl in question on the right (or top) and a genuine UV filter case on the left.


Can anyone who has the same filter perhaps give his / her opinion or share a photo?


Many thanks in advance



Laurens

Attached Images

     

[jatrax]

First; please forgive me for posting questions just after joining.

Not a problem, if we did not have new members asking questions what would we do all day?

And welcome by the way.

As to your question I compared your pictures and a Hoya case I just received. There are small differences and I guess it is impossible to be positive but I don't see enough difference to be worried about. Minor differences in the packaging could be different plants or even different machines in the same plant or just a different run. The real question is not the packaging but the filter. Take it out examine it closely, does the machining, stamping and general quality seem to be the same on both? If so most likely you are fine. If it is a fake but the quality is the same does it matter?

Edit: I also just noticed that the UV box is stamped 'Japan' and the label says made in Japan. The CPL does not. So it could just be that they have moved production offshore between the time your UV was made and the CPL was made.

[tclausen]

Not a problem, if we did not have new members asking questions what would we do all day?

And welcome by the way.

As to your question I compared your pictures and a Hoya case I just received. There are small differences and I guess it is impossible to be positive but I don't see enough difference to be worried about. Minor differences in the packaging could be different plants or even different machines in the same plant or just a different run. The real question is not the packaging but the filter. Take it out examine it closely, does the machining, stamping and general quality seem to be the same on both? If so most likely you are fine. If it is a fake but the quality is the same does it matter?

Yeah, what jatrax say. I've seen Hoya filters that came in boxes like the one you've got, as well as Hoya filters that came in very very different boxes - all from the same very trusted source. That shouldn't mean anything, packaging changes.

Can't certify that what you have got is an original, but from the packaging there's nothing that screams "counterfeit" to me.

[Docrwm]

Hoya has more models, changes them more frequently, and varies widely in what they sell and how they package across country of intended sale than any other filter maker I have run across. They also have more different "grades" of filter. Could it be fake, sure. Is it likely, not really. What's more likely is what you've already been told or that the filter was originally intended for sale elsewhere.

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Last edited by Docrwm; 06-05-2013 at 06:00 AM.

[abmj]

Agree with above. The box doesn't matter, it usually gets thrown away or tossed in a drawer somewhere, anyway. Look closely at the filter. If it looks right and works properly, I wouldn't be concerned.

[NLaurens]

Ok, many thanks. I Didn't realize that the packaging can differ in regions. Besides the bit scratchy casing might be due to being in stock for a time and that the boxing changed.

Edit: I also just noticed that the UV box is stamped 'Japan' and the label says made in Japan. The CPL does not. So it could just be that they have moved production offshore between the time your UV was made and the CPL was made.

That's correct, 49 mm is concidered 'odd' nowadays and that filter was a leftover at the store. Needed it for the DA 50-200 WR . The seller told me that Hoya did stop making this filter in 49mm when they moved the line to the Philippines. My 52 mm UV is identical apart from that it's made in the Philippines.