Breakthrough Photography Launches World's First Tempered GND & ND Filters

Zeidora said:
Maximilian said:
scottkinfw said:
This company disrespects customers, especially Graham. They shouldn't be allowed to advertise on this site.

Graham, go ahead and accuse me of being a troll, one of your fav insults.

And no Graham, I won't go away. I am just one of many who you have mistreated.

sek
Just to counter this - probably real - experience and opinion.
I was in contact with stuff and Graham several times and always treated friendly and with respect.
I am also pleased with the filters I bought from them (CPL, ND) so far.

So Scott, YMMV, but it is not the only experience with Breakthrough Photography.
Bought several times from them, very happy. Had one small order mishap, was quickly resolved, and threw in an extra lens cap free of charge. Excellent customer service. I don't know what the problem is with a 300 day money back guarantee, particularly on filters!

Scott: Could it be, that if the customer is rude, that the people at company are not excited of dealing with you? In German we say "as one shouts in the forest, that's the way it rings back" (wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus).

Was looking for glass ND grads, which thus far nobody produces. Have two sets of Lees, and they have pretty bad color casts. Re price, nobody is forced to buy anything. Enjoy your freedom of choice.

Funny enough, it seems the germans are having very good experiences with BP (including me). I had to order directly with the company since they have no local distributor. But everything went nice and smooth and the contact so far was friendly. So far it seems the ND I bought has no quality issues.

I do remember some rude comments from Graham here at CR, but also that some members weren't exactly polite... ;)

There is another figure of speech in german that is very fitting: "Der Ton macht die Musik" (it's the WAY you say it..)

-Sebastian
 
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ahsanford

Particular Member
Aug 16, 2012
8,620
1,651
YuengLinger said:
Tempered glass? Great! Now I won't be nearly as worried if my toddlers run head first into a filter.\\ ::)

Another solution to a problem we never knew existed. :D

Biggest problems with 100mm systems:

[list type=decimal]
[*]Vignetting on wide angles It's a reality of a 100mm system that you cope with and don't ever solve, but every small improvement here helps.


[*]Holders are primitive, clunky and lack ergonomic intuitiveness. Neither of the words 'quick' or 'slick' ever come up with these systems.


[*]CPLs and ND grads coexisting require painful options: 105mm+ front CPLs that cost a fortune and slightly worsen vignetting, or (IMHO, worse) you put the CPL on the lens and stackevery thing on top of that.


[*]Moving a tripod after you've set everything up is frustrating: you have a choice of removing the filter holder and putting it down somewhere (in the dark / near-dark perhaps), dismounting the camera with everything attached and finding ground to put it on, or moving the entire tripod with everything attached and pray you don't drop a filter or the cable release doesn't come taut as you walk, etc.


[*]It has not been a problem for me (I'm an amateur here), but light leaks have plagued some folks such that they further complicate things with a side baffle / accordion hood.


[/list]
- A
 
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Wow, I wish I hadn’t read some of comments about some of the customer experiences during the upstart of Breakthrough. I am now a damaged BP fanboy. I either got lucky or came onboard after they matured a bit.

I’ve ordered directly from BP and from a large online retailer with success. They even send you a letter, nice cleaning cloth and that iconic pic of the Golden Gate bridge you’ll find in their marketing materials.
I own one ND3, 6 & 10 and the CP. I’ve taken some great pictures using these filters but in full disclosure I haven’t run any scientific tests or performed any comparison testing. It could all be an illusion but’s it my illusion and I like the results I am seeing. The X4s, man that coating is so easy to clean.

Feelings for BP aside, I am in for a DarkCP. I have the 82mm size and use them on my 16-35mm F4 with a step up ring. If I stack the CP on an ND I do get some vignetting. I can stack on a 24-70 just fine.

Graham if you are reading this, hook a brother up! You can't pay for this kind of advertising. Sounds like you have some explaining to do as well!
 
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ahsanford said:
M_S said:
I wonder: How do you adjust the polarizer effect with the 10 stop combi pol filter????

Good question. Some say LiveView is still possible with a 10 stop in place (depending on your ambient light levels), but I usually nail things down in LiveView M mode without the ND in place and then add it afterwards (and make the 1000x time correction when I expose under Bulb).

I suppose they (or you, after buying it) could mark the 'clocking' of the two CPL rings -- like put a white dots on the outside of the rings that coincides with max and min polarizing effect so that you wouldn't need to rely on seeing the frame to know what level of polarization it's set for.

...but yes, most people want to see the image effect as they are turning it. :D

- A

Live View does work on a Mark IV -- I was surprised that it could see through the 10 but it does. At first I tried using a ND calculator but Live View really does all the work for me now. With a 10 I find myself over exposing to see a little better then I dial in what I want.

It is not ideal on a 10 and the 6 is easier. I like the idea of marking the CP. I'll try that.
 
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brad-man

Semi-Reactive Member
Jun 6, 2012
1,673
580
S Florida
Hector1970 said:
Very expensive. I've found Formatt Hitech Firecrest neutral density filters the best in terms of cast. Ive spent lots on Lee Filters too. The biggest problem is robustness. Scratching in the polymer and breaks on the glass ones. I've broken two big stoppers, two little stopper, a 16 stop Formatt Hitech and a 2.4 Formatt Hitech. I've almost cried each time. Is it possible to make these with harder to break glass.


Stop using them as beer coasters! These filters are made of tempered glass. If the quality is there (glass, coatings, etc.) then these are the filters you're looking for...
 
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Funny that a couple of years ago I was just looking for a good protective filter to complete weather seals, Graham putting the smack down on a reviewer on amazon is what sold me.
I don't remember what the reviewer was complaining about but it was pretty unreasonable. And rather than kiss the guys kiester he basically told him to go <blank> himself.
I'm so sick of people crying expecting companies to bend over and cater to their ridiculousness. Graham berating the guy was a breath of fresh air.
I now have BP protective filters on pretty much everything, and recently started using their X4 CPL and couldn't be happier with it. The 3stop ND just came in the mail today.

OH! And I recently toppled a tripod at it's lowest setting with camera attached. I was packing up to leave after a short trip and the ground was a little more uneven than I expected. The filter hit the rock and sand and got scuffed up just a little bit. I talked to someone via their facebook and a few days later I had a replacement in my hands. Free.

I agree with an earlier post (in german) about personality mirroring. You come off like a jerk, expect to be treated like one.
 
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ahsanford

Particular Member
Aug 16, 2012
8,620
1,651
YuengLinger said:
How many of these replies, particularly from new posters, are being written by employees or others with an investment interest in Breakthrough? C'mon, y'all, 'fess up. ;)

This grassroots, social media buzz generating is giving me a headache.

+1. Graham has showed up here a 2-3 times immediately after a press release, kickstarter announcement, etc. and after last week's episode of 'Why is 'trust me' not good enough to substantiate my seemingly impossible vignetting claims?', I wonder... Has he sent a surrogate or some friendly voices in to soften up the skeptics? ::)

FTR, I'm no enemy of Breakthrough or anyone else hawking gear for that matter. I welcome a useful new product idea. I just want to see substantiation of claims + any fine print needed to attain that performance level in real use.

Their product concept looks interesting, honestly. But their claims and chief person speaking to those claims, on the other hand, have moved me 'curious / I wonder how they pulled that off / tell me more' to outright skeptical. It's nothing personal, angry or inappropriate. It's just that I tend to barter in facts / logic / proof, and responses of 'trust me' do not motivate me to reach for my wallet.

- A
 
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May 12, 2011
1,386
1
I have 2 Breakthrough X2 ND's and love them. And I'm really surprised to hear people mention bad customer service. I had an issue where dust was sticking to the front of the filters and I messaged them asking about it and they immediately offered to ship me brand new ones even though it had been a year since I'd purchased them. I've had nothing but good experiences with them and they make solid products.
 
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scottkinfw

Wildlife photography is my passion
CR Pro
Maximilian said:
scottkinfw said:
This company disrespects customers, especially Graham. They shouldn't be allowed to advertise on this site.

Graham, go ahead and accuse me of being a troll, one of your fav insults.

And no Graham, I won't go away. I am just one of many who you have mistreated.

sek
Just to counter this - probably real - experience and opinion.
I was in contact with stuff and Graham several times and always treated friendly and with respect.
I am also pleased with the filters I bought from them (CPL, ND) so far.

So Scott, YMMV, but it is not the only experience with Breakthrough Photography.

What does YMMV mean?

I am glad you were treated well, I only report on the poor treatment I received.

sek
 
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scottkinfw

Wildlife photography is my passion
CR Pro
Pookie said:
Maximilian said:
scottkinfw said:
This company disrespects customers, especially Graham. They shouldn't be allowed to advertise on this site.

Graham, go ahead and accuse me of being a troll, one of your fav insults.

And no Graham, I won't go away. I am just one of many who you have mistreated.

sek
Just to counter this - probably real - experience and opinion.
I was in contact with stuff and Graham several times and always treated friendly and with respect.
I am also pleased with the filters I bought from them (CPL, ND) so far.

So Scott, YMMV, but it is not the only experience with Breakthrough Photography.

When they came out here a few of the people from my studio bought in, had filters with really weird quality control issues regarding coatings on their filters. They took forever to respond and by the 2nd email Graham was just as "pleasant" as he is here. I live here in the bay area of California and always try and buy local if they are a good alternative... like buying and supporting Peak's great products.

They may have some good products but the attitude of Graham and his tall tales are ridiculous. There are numerous places to get great filters, I wouldn't spend a dime with Breakthrough at this point.

Thanks for posting this Pookie. Graham "troll shamed" me to the point that I thought I was the only one and I was nuts. Thank you for the validation. I don't recall publicly expresseing displeasure with a company before.
I agree, Peak is great.
sek
 
Upvote 0

scottkinfw

Wildlife photography is my passion
CR Pro
Zeidora said:
Maximilian said:
scottkinfw said:
This company disrespects customers, especially Graham. They shouldn't be allowed to advertise on this site.

Graham, go ahead and accuse me of being a troll, one of your fav insults.

And no Graham, I won't go away. I am just one of many who you have mistreated.

sek


Just to counter this - probably real - experience and opinion.
I was in contact with stuff and Graham several times and always treated friendly and with respect.
I am also pleased with the filters I bought from them (CPL, ND) so far.

So Scott, YMMV, but it is not the only experience with Breakthrough Photography.
Bought several times from them, very happy. Had one small order mishap, was quickly resolved, and threw in an extra lens cap free of charge. Excellent customer service. I don't know what the problem is with a 300 day money back guarantee, particularly on filters!

Scott: Could it be, that if the customer is rude, that the people at company are not excited of dealing with you? In German we say "as one shouts in the forest, that's the way it rings back" (wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus).

Was looking for glass ND grads, which thus far nobody produces. Have two sets of Lees, and they have pretty bad color casts. Re price, nobody is forced to buy anything. Enjoy your freedom of choice.
Hey ZeidoraI deal with people all day every day and service them. I would agree with your wise German saying. If a customer was rude, dit would tend to make people less receptive. Works the same here in The USA.
I won't beat a dead horse here. My experience, especially with Graham, was what it was.

sek
 
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scottkinfw

Wildlife photography is my passion
CR Pro
ghosthouse said:
Wow, I wish I hadn’t read some of comments about some of the customer experiences during the upstart of Breakthrough. I am now a damaged BP fanboy. I either got lucky or came onboard after they matured a bit.

I’ve ordered directly from BP and from a large online retailer with success. They even send you a letter, nice cleaning cloth and that iconic pic of the Golden Gate bridge you’ll find in their marketing materials.
I own one ND3, 6 & 10 and the CP. I’ve taken some great pictures using these filters but in full disclosure I haven’t run any scientific tests or performed any comparison testing. It could all be an illusion but’s it my illusion and I like the results I am seeing. The X4s, man that coating is so easy to clean.

Feelings for BP aside, I am in for a DarkCP. I have the 82mm size and use them on my 16-35mm F4 with a step up ring. If I stack the CP on an ND I do get some vignetting. I can stack on a 24-70 just fine.

Graham if you are reading this, hook a brother up! You can't pay for this kind of advertising. Sounds like you have some explaining to do as well!

Ghosthouse, I am glad you had a good experience. I'm not saying all customers get disrespected, so maybe I was just unlucky. In any event, if you order more, I hope your luck continues and you are totally happy with your purchases.
From my experience, if they were the best quality filters, I wouldn't buy them due to the bad feelings about them.

sek
 
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