[mee]

I'm in the market for a CPL and am looking at breakthrough, Amazon sells an X1 CPL from Breakthrough Photography for 80 dollars. That is a bit steep for my pocket (even though I know the nice ones are easily twice that).

So I would like to know if anyone here has that particular model from BP and, if so, how they find it to function.

The only other available CPL from BP is the X4 at 150 dollars.

My other option is a Hoya Pro1 Digital for 50 dollars. In the 2009 lenstip comparison, it got high marks. But I saw on another review that they scratch very very easily.

Also wondering if the breakthrough version does as well.

[officiousbystander]

I use Hoya Pro1 CPLs and they always go with me on family beach holidays. So there's plenty of opportunity for them to be knocked around. They're glass, they're multicoated and work well. They probably only scratch easily if you set out to scratch them. But no one using a common sense approach to caring for camera equipment will do that.

[panoguy]

See here:
Polarizing filters test - Results and summary - LensTip.com

Those guys in Poland know optics, and really tested these filters. The folks who give something 5-stars on Amazon ("Breakthrough Photography") have probably only used that single CPL, so wouldn't know flare resistance or color casting or optical degradation unless it was hugely obvious. Trust Lenstip! My suggestion is to buy B&W or Marumi.

[mee]

Thanks guys, but I've seen all those already. Before I pose questions like this, I make it a habit to research as thoroughly as I know possible. Actually, I spent last evening trawling through the crevices of the internet for data. Strangely, I found none on the X1 CPL (beyond the Amazon page) and I'm rather interested in it. It isn't even listed on Breakthrough's own site.

That said the Breakthrough NDFs are absolutely the best... and rank as such (and are priced pretty much as such - chaching). Best brand for those.

Though I'm not sure on their CPLs and especially the X1 which appears to use NITTO (which I don't mind) as opposed to their own, improved film. I'm concerned with the ability to scratch it mostly that and how much light loss occurs. In the 150 dollar x4, they say only around 1 stop which is great. I'm guessing, since the X1 uses NITTO, it causes a larger light loss amount.

Sadly, lenstip has yet to review a single CPL from Breakthrough as of yet. I've petitioned Breakthrough earlier today, but (even if they do go forth with getting them reviewed) that is a matter that will take time.

In the meantime, the best idea I could come up with for obtaining more data is to just ask other photographers who may happen to have used them. And so here I am.

[mee]

Still wondering :c )