Urth 77mm Ethereal Black Mist ⅛ Diffusion Lens Filter (Plus)

Works great with TTArtisan 27 - accelerates the softness. Even more subtle than the CineBloom products and I prefer that.

I've got a handful of Tiffen and K&F Concept filters that I use on my Nikon lenses, and I was excited to try this offering from Urth, which I had never heard of before. Upon researching the brand I discovered that they have two lines of filters: the Urth series, which is their cheaper line that comes packages in brown boxes, and the Urth + series, which is their premium line that comes in grey boxes with a plus symbol at the top right of the box. This filter is from the Urth + premium line. The build quality of the filter is top notch, and it uses coated German glass. The metal ring has a slim profile and is double threaded so you can stack more filters on top of it. The softening effect of this filter is VERY subtle. It will likely be too subtle for some. The effect is more pronounced in very high contrast scenes, where it reduces contrast slightly and adds a soft halo to the very brightest parts of the scene. In low contrast scenes it can be hard to even see a difference. You might consider choosing the 1/4 strength version of this filter if you're looking for a stronger effect. The filter comes with a round metal storage tin with a screw-top lid and a custom cut foam insert, which offers excellent protection when it's transported in a camera bag. A soft cleaning cloth is also included. The box states that the filter is "Consciously designed in Australia" and "Expertly assembled in China". Since there's no warranty information on this Amazon product listing page, here's the warranty info copied from the Urth website: "We believe the best way to make a product sustainable is to make it last a lifetime or more, that’s why we guarantee our products for life. We use the highest quality materials coupled with precise manufacturing processes, but bad things happen to good people (and products) and, from time to time, some units may fail. If your Urth product fails from normal usage, we will replace it with a new unit. To make a lifetime warranty claim, email our customer support team with your order number, a photo or video of the issue, and a written description of the issue." Of course, Urth is a new company (founded in 2014) so there's no guarantee that the company will be around "for life", but it's good that they're willing to stand behind their products. As a bonus, this company claims to plant 5 trees for every filter sold, and there's a code printed in the lid of the box that promises to plant 5 more if you register on the Urth website. I'm happy to have this top quality filter in my photography toolkit, and I look forward to more offerings from this company. I would recommend it if you're OK with a very subtle diffusion effect.

I was not aware of this Urth brand before ordering this 1/8 diffusion lens filter. There are two lines in the brand -- Urth premium and Urth Plus+, which is the professional line. All carry a life-time guarantee. This lens filter is part of the professional line and utilizes top-quality German-made Schott glass with 20-layered nano-coating. I like that it is scratch resistant as I sometimes graze leaves or branches and such when I am trying to take a close-up shot of something outdoors. I have a 52 mm Nikkor standard lens and this filter fits perfectly. It is thin and light-weight and both the front and back are threaded so I can stack it with another filter if I want to. The glass is very clear and there is no distortion and there are no imperfections visible to the naked eye, I'm familiar with the optical quality of Schott glass from years ago when I had an array of lens filters for the 35 mm film cameras I was using in a series of B&W photography courses I was taking. Now, I have several lenses for my my fairly new DSLRs but no lenses yet. I want to order a nice selection of different types of filters for different effects (I'm still learning how to use a digital camera) so I was happy to find this brand offering filters of such high quality and at such a reasonable price. I am definitely not a pro, but I like being able to protect my expensive lenses with professional quality filters and exploring what type of effects will be possible. I will definitely be looking at some of the other filters and filter kits Urth offers. I especially like that five trees are planted with each purchase of a lens filter. What a great idea. The current price of $58.00 seems very reasonable for a lens filter of this quality. The purchase includes a polishing cloth and a very nice-looking, sturdy metal case.

If Tiffen made a 1/16 strength diffusion filter I think it would look a lot like this one from Urth. That's how subtle the diffusion is on this filter. I did some side by side tests of this filter and my Black Pro Mist 1/4 strength filter to confirm my findings here. Beyond that it is a nice glass filter that comes in a metal case. Everything here feels quite premium. It doesn't hurt that these folks at Urth will fund planting 5 trees in Madagascar for every filter they sell. I mean don't buy the filter just for that but seeing as, in my opinion, this is a great quality filter, I like that my purchase is also going to help the environment as well. If you are in the market for a very subtle diffusion filter I personally feel this is one of the most subtle on the market.

If you, like me, prefer the portability and convenience of having a full frame digital camera with you on the go, but also prefer the look of 35mm film photography, this nifty little filter from Urth may be exactly what you’re looking for. There are a million such filters out there, the most popular being the ProMist filters from Tiffen. This 1/8 Ethereal Filter from Urth is similar but has its own unique qualities that are hard to describe but easy to see when you look at photos side by side. I have a set of ProMist filters that I enjoy, but I wanted to try something different, and the subtle softening that I get from these filters is quite appealing. The packaging is top notch and the case is not one you’ll want to throw away. It’s a perfect place to store a filter you’re not using. And this filter also comes with a great little microfiber cloth that’s perfect to keep in your kit. If you’re worried that your photos will look “ethereal” when using this filter, fear not. That’s just some fun branding lingo that fits in with the company’s overall vibe. This filter just cuts flares, softens the image just a touch, and protects your lens! That last one may be the most important. If you’re not rocking at least a clear UV filter to save your lens, you’re a braver person than I. When you open the packaging, you’re met with a fun little message that informs you that you’ve just planted 5 trees with your purchase. Such a great little detail. I love it when a company finds a way to do some good in the world. The quality of this filter is top notch, completely on-par with anything out there from the bigger and more established brands. If you’re looking for something a little different, and want to make a small difference in the world, go ahead and give Urth filters a try.

This is very nice diffusion filter. It is thin, light, and looks to be well made. At 1/8, its effect is small but real. Having paid a heavy price for taking very sharp pictures of faces, I am sensitive to the need for softening lines. This filter will not restore youth in your subjects, but it softens the lines a bit without making the subject look artificial. The picture looks sharp even with the diffusion. I have used it by itself on my Nikon 24-120 lens and also on top of a B+W UV Haze filter. No vignetting with the two of them together and the diffusion may have been slightly enhanced.

This is bafflement. I’ve included four images to show the effect of this filter on an image. The camera I used is a Canon 5D2 having a 24 mpix sensor. The lens is a Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art. Each image was shot raw or Canon CR2 format and then opened in Photoshop with no alterations in Adobe Camera Raw. There is zero sharpening or noise reduction or any post processing applied. You can see there’s some noise and while the images are reasonably sharp, they aren’t nearly exhibition grade. Both images were taken seconds apart using a tripod and both with the same settings. There are also two selections from the original images showing 100% zoom using the deer skull as the focal point. I had to save using the JPEG format for posting here but used the highest quality setting. The images originally looked the same in PSD and JPEG formats. There was no quality loss in the save to a lossy compression format. These are two of many images I took over the course of a morning’s photography session. I was expecting an ethereal glow to the images taken using any lens with this filter added but got nothing. Maybe it’s me. I created the included images using the fairest method I could come up with explained above. Now it may be that the lower resolution of this older sensor shows little change but the newer, higher resolution cameras would show some difference. If there’s a trick to getting some results with this filter, it’s not obvious to me nor were any instructions on how to do so included. The good side is that nothing bad happened with this filter so it didn’t harm the color or the quality of the images. Maybe I never, on this cloudy shooting session, encountered the conditions where this filter kicks itself into action or it only works with certain subjects I’ve not encountered, but for me, after hours with it on and off the lens, I am baffled as to what this is supposed to do. I also may be missing something others can see in these images.

Excellent 1/8 diffusion lens filter. This is a very, very subtle amount of diffusion. But there's no loss of detail, and the subtle flair of bloom looks wonderful. If you're going for that celluloid effect, you'll be very pleased with this filter's performance. Comes with a tin storage case. Thin enough to not produce any vignetting with my 18-140mm kit lens zoomed all the way out.

フィルター径:52mmに使うこういうのを探していました。 この品質、価格ではどこにもなくてやっと良い製品に出会えました。 光を拡散できて、カラーバランスが整って、ドイツ製のSCHOTTガラスなので、使いやすい。 もっと早くこの製品に出会えていたら良かったのにと思いました。 おすすめです！

TOP!!!

Much chipper than tiffen, and same quality and effects. I bought this filter because tiffen doesn’t make a 39mm filter. And this was good decision. I save a lot money.

Ottimo prodotto, su APS con zoom abbastanza spinto lavora molto bene e basta il filtro da 1/8.

Great! Hope they have silver