Buyer Beware: Counterfeit B+W Filters Being Sold on Amazon

[Canon Rumors Guy]

<p>The-Digital-Picture is reporting that Counterfeit B+W Filters Being Sold on Amazon.</p>
<p><strong>From The-Digital-Picture:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>A site visitor recently reached out to us with concerns regarding a few B+W filters he purchased on Amazon (via third-party). While shooting test images with the filters, he noticed a significant drop in image quality and suspected they may have been counterfeit.</p>

<p>B+W filters are a favorite of ours here at The-Digital-Picture.com, and we’re especially fond of their XS-Pro line. When people write into the site asking for advice on filters, B+W is the brand we most often recommend. As such, the image quality degradation the site visitor experienced using the “B+W” filters led us to believe that the filters were indeed fake.  <a href="https://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=22622">Read the full story</a></p></blockquote>
<p>We recommend <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Shop-by-Brand-B+W/ci/4/N/4294255798/phd/4291599900?origSearch=B%2Bw&SUFFIX_QS">buying B+W filters from B&H Photo</a> if they ship to your country.</p>
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[LDS]

Not unusual, on Amazon, unluckily.

"We recommend buying B+W filters from B&H Photo if they ship to your country"

They probably ship, it's just the custom fees that will make it too expensive (I did once) - compared to finding a trusted B+W reseller locally. Usually checking the "distributors" page will tell you where.

This is the distributors page:

http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/en/photo-imaging/product-range/b-w-fotofilter/distributors/europe/

It shows Europe, other continents are available from the menu on the left.

 

[infared]

ARGGGGHHHH...just went through all of my lenses.....I found a fake filter that I had on one of my best lenses. The new 35mm L. It’s a 72mm UV-Haze 010M XS 1066123 filter. I did order from an eBay seller. I put clear, nano filters on my lenses an I remember at the time that when I got the filter, I thought hmmmmm...I ordered a clear filter and I went back to the ad and it said Clear/UV filter. (Trying to attract more buyers?). There is no Clear/UV filter, only clear or UV. So...my suspicion is that these fake one's might be UV-Haze filters only, which are not as popular now..
Had the square-with-rounded-corner, green (holographic-like) sticker on the front of the box, (it flickers Btwn B+W and Genuine Product), and the ring was not brass. I think at the time I was so excited about having a new lens....I did not notice...The writing on the outer ring of the filter is gold, but the writing on the front of the filter is silver...not gold like the other genuine filters that I have. My filter looks exactly like the fake filter on Brian’s page at The Digital Picture. I have ordered other filters from a reputable seller in Hong Kong...they have the proper Holgram etc and check out. In the instance of the fake filter, I was careless and the seller was from Israel, which is unusual, in my experience.
If that is my only problem today...I am doing OK

 

[Click]

Thank you for sharing this information.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I have bought my last four UV/clear B+W filters from Amazon (all sold/shipped by Amazon, not a 3rd party seller, although I realize the report indicates the stock is commingled). All of them appear genuine. Fonts/colors match (and match my much older filters), the box for the most recent (August 2017) has a larger silver Schneider Optics hologram sticker, the other three (2016, 2014, 2013) have a smaller green B+W Filter hologram sticker. Perhaps I was lucky, but it's also worth noting that while the 2013 filter was 82mm (for the 24-70/2.8L II), the three most recent were all for EF-M lenses, two 52mm and one 55mm, and maybe those less expensive ones aren't worth counterfeiting.

 

[woodman411]

I have bought my last four UV/clear B+W filters from Amazon (all sold/shipped by Amazon, not a 3rd party seller, although I realize the report indicates the stock is commingled). All of them appear genuine. Fonts/colors match (and match my much older filters), the box for the most recent (August 2017) has a larger silver Schneider Optics hologram sticker, the other three (2016, 2014, 2013) have a smaller green B+W Filter hologram sticker. Perhaps I was lucky, but it's also worth noting that while the 2013 filter was 82mm (for the 24-70/2.8L II), the three most recent were all for EF-M lenses, two 52mm and one 55mm, and maybe those less expensive ones aren't worth counterfeiting.

Are you sure the green hologram ones are genuine? I was fortunate to have two 67's to compare the weight, and the fake one was noticeably lighter, just as that article described. The fake one also had white lettering versus the genuine's yellow, although I'm guessing it wouldn't be that hard to print yellow. The fake one came in what seemed like a genuine B+W box with the green hologram, but no QR code - the genuine one had the QR code. I guess the only way to be more sure is to scan the QR code that comes with it.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I have bought my last four UV/clear B+W filters from Amazon (all sold/shipped by Amazon, not a 3rd party seller, although I realize the report indicates the stock is commingled). All of them appear genuine. Fonts/colors match (and match my much older filters), the box for the most recent (August 2017) has a larger silver Schneider Optics hologram sticker, the other three (2016, 2014, 2013) have a smaller green B+W Filter hologram sticker. Perhaps I was lucky, but it's also worth noting that while the 2013 filter was 82mm (for the 24-70/2.8L II), the three most recent were all for EF-M lenses, two 52mm and one 55mm, and maybe those less expensive ones aren't worth counterfeiting.

Are you sure the green hologram ones are genuine? I was fortunate to have two 67's to compare the weight, and the fake one was noticeably lighter, just as that article described. The fake one also had white lettering versus the genuine's yellow, although I'm guessing it wouldn't be that hard to print yellow. The fake one came in what seemed like a genuine B+W box with the green hologram, but no QR code - the genuine one had the QR code. I guess the only way to be more sure is to scan the QR code that comes with it.

They have brass rings, and there's no effect on IQ. The ones with the green holograms precede the use of QR codes. The green "B+W Filter" holograms are the same ones on boxes going back to 2009 and bought from B&H and Adorama.

 

[woodman411]

I have bought my last four UV/clear B+W filters from Amazon (all sold/shipped by Amazon, not a 3rd party seller, although I realize the report indicates the stock is commingled). All of them appear genuine. Fonts/colors match (and match my much older filters), the box for the most recent (August 2017) has a larger silver Schneider Optics hologram sticker, the other three (2016, 2014, 2013) have a smaller green B+W Filter hologram sticker. Perhaps I was lucky, but it's also worth noting that while the 2013 filter was 82mm (for the 24-70/2.8L II), the three most recent were all for EF-M lenses, two 52mm and one 55mm, and maybe those less expensive ones aren't worth counterfeiting.

Are you sure the green hologram ones are genuine? I was fortunate to have two 67's to compare the weight, and the fake one was noticeably lighter, just as that article described. The fake one also had white lettering versus the genuine's yellow, although I'm guessing it wouldn't be that hard to print yellow. The fake one came in what seemed like a genuine B+W box with the green hologram, but no QR code - the genuine one had the QR code. I guess the only way to be more sure is to scan the QR code that comes with it.

They have brass rings, and there's no effect on IQ. The ones with the green holograms precede the use of QR codes. The green "B+W Filter" holograms are the same ones on boxes going back to 2009 and bought from B&H and Adorama.

Good to know, thanks. The fake one with the green hologram I ordered this year, so I guess that would be an immediate red flag now.

 

[waelelgendy]

Was wondering if anyone can post a photo of how the "B+W" logo on the genuine XS-Pro filters look like. I just bought some filters from Amazon, which have same features as the ones mentioned in the article. However, the font used for the "B+W" logo is different from my older F-Pro filters (bought on Amazon as well, many years ago). It's something like Arial vs. Times New Roman. Which font is used on the genuine filters?

Thanks!

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I avoid buying anything which is known to have counterfeits from Amazon due to the co-mingled stock issue. Batteries, filters, any high end product that can be counterfeited. I have bought from Adorama on Amazon because they ship from their stock, its not shipped by Amazon.

I got caught by the co-mingled stock issue just once, I purchased a Kenko TC. I received a very old version when I should have received the latest version. Kenko put different color paint dots on each update to the TC, and someone sent in a bunch of very old ones to be co-mingled, so it was pot luck as to what you got.

I stick with Adorama or B&H for most photo gear unless its a item that will not be counterfeited.

 

[AlanF]

Buy Marumi = they are great, cheaper and don't get faked.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Buy Marumi = they are great, cheaper and don't get faked.

Apparently there are counterfeits as well.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3976081