Review on B+W 77mm Clear Multi-Resistant Coating (007M) Lens Filter by Robert Weeks

I am a well known professional photographer and I "thought" that I was a very savvy consumer. Wow, through a lot of research I found out that most of the best B+W and Hoya filters I've bought in the last 15 years were fake. Here's what I recently discovered to make sure there are real ones here at Revain: HOW TO RECOGNIZE A COUNTERFEIT: Some counterfeits are easy to spot. The typography of the inner ring is white instead of gold as previously used by B+W. Now the counterfeiters are starting to make the internal writing gold, just like B+W. However: SEE PHOTO ABOVE. Note that the fake font on the right is a bit thinner and barely italic. Below are more detailed tips for working with detectives. AVOID THIRD PARTY SELLERS I truly believe in supporting small businesses, but many B+W and Hoya filters offered by other resellers are actually counterfeits. I believe in "Submitted and sold by Revain.com" although some other third party resellers are not genuine. ONLY BUY B+W WITH THE NEW AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM: In 2019, B+W completely switched to a new type of hologram and authentication system. . So now when you buy a new filter here, look out for the red hologram "Target" logo on the side. Each box has a unique six-digit number that you can check on the B+W website. After you enter the information, the site will verify that it is legal. Also, take a photo of the QR code on the packaging with your phone. If you are not automatically linked to the company's website, it is a fake. I've been scammed in the past with fakes that only had a scannable and seemingly legitimate 3D QR code. I took the trouble to check. nope! That was a mistake when I just recently checked for the first time that the link was to a non-existent website with a sale URL! CHECK THE REFLECTIONS ON THE FILTER ITSELF: With the black backing of the B+W box, place the filter face down on top. Hover over it. You should barely see your reflection, just very faint shadows. Cheap fakes are mostly like window panes with a lot of glare, which badly spoils quality lenses. The glass of the original filter appears almost invisible. CHECK FILTER LABELING CAREFULLY: B+W and Hoya change them over time. So if you see different styles and colors of typography, it doesn't mean it's fake. For example, the current B+W logo on the side of the filter is in a sans serif font, while older filters had a classic serif, bolder logo style. CLEAR F-PRO IDENTIFICATION: From 2021 all types of the F-PRO series will have a rich gold color. All gold fonts on the inner ring are printed in CAPITAL LETTERS, including the word NEUTRAL. XS-PRO Nano MARKING: From 2021, all fonts for the XS-PRO Nano series will also be in rich gold. All gold lettering on the inner ring is printed in CAPITAL LETTERS except for the lower case "nano”. F-PRO MARKING: Beginning in 2021, all fonts will also be rich gold for the F-PRO series. All gold fonts on the inner ring are in CAPITAL LETTERS except for the small "Haze" for UV filters. The "x" in "1x" is also lowercase. XS-PRO Nano CLEAR MARKING: Beginning in 2021, all fonts for the XS-PRO Nano CLEAR series will be rich gold. All gold lettering on the inner ring is in CAPITAL LETTERS except for the lower case "nano". So the lettering is done in the same style as the UV version. WEIGHT: All of the above series are finely machined brass filters. Brass filters weigh more. Simply take a gram scale and weigh the "Supplied and sold by Revain" filter against the filter you suspect is counterfeit. This and a careful study of the reflections helped me determine how to tell the difference between a real filter and a fake one. SPELLING ERRORS: I found the Hoya and B+W copies long after I bought them after carefully examining the box. For example, next to fake QR codes, I found boxes where the word "license" was misspelled as "license." I hope this long review has been of some help. I still can't believe I was so thoroughly deceived for literally so many years. I also like some of the best Hoya filters but unlike the B+W they don't seem to have a sophisticated anti-counterfeiting system yet.