3.11.2019

Here in the UK, the Japanese company Marumi is not that widely known about, but don't let that put you off - it's a gem! As I've discovered, their professional grade lens filters out-perform the big brands, and that's why I use them. There's a debate over whether or not protectors are a good idea, but my answer is always yes! The front element of my expensive lenses are sealed against dust and scratches, so never need touching. And if your protector is good enough, optically, it will make no difference to the quality of your images. If damage occurs, sacrifice your twenty quid protector, not your thousand pound lens, is my policy.Marumi makes five different ranges of lens protectors,going from the top end professional high spec premium price Exus line down to budget. The DHG Super is one step below Exus, and gives me all the features I want and need to protect my valuable and cherished lenses, at an affordable price.Here's the lineup of Marumi lens protector ranges, going from high end down to budget:* Exus Lens Protect Solid* Exus Lens Protect* DHG Super Lens Protect* DHG Lens Protect* FIT & SLIM MC Lens ProtectIMPRESSIONSRemoving one from the supplied storage case, initial impressions are surprise at the extreme clarity of the glass. This is helped by the black coating of the in-frame glass edge, reducing internal reflection between surfaces. The DHG Super line benefits from a lens coating that repels oil and water, so these protectors are ideal for shooting outdoors. Screwed to the front of a weather sealed lens it provides an extra layer of protection, and I find water just beads off, leaving no residual marks! If you're shooting in dusty environments you might consider the Exus line, which adds an anti-static coating and even toughened glass if you choose the Exus Solid.These special coatings go a long way to keeping my filters blemish free where a competitor product would show marks and finger prints that would require cleaning. Every time you pass a cloth over a lens you are creating micro-abrasions, so the ability to leave it alone can make a big difference to both image quality and life of the filter.Another impressive feature of the DHG Super protectors is the low profile, and on-lens it adds a mere 4mm front edge projection! The frame has a true matt coating unlike many other filters too, and useful knurling on the frame to aid grip during removal. The front of the frame is female threaded at the same diameter as the male rear, for adding further filters or a lens cap, with thread depth of 3.5mm.RECOMENDATIONSThese are not the cheapest of lens protectors, but they compete on price with other quality brands yet are technically superior in my opinion, for the reasons I've described. Japanese manufactured camera gear has long been known for fanatical attention to quality and detail, and it saddens me that so much optical equipment is now made elsewhere, in anonymous factories churning out low grade tat for the price of a cup of coffee. Why would I save a few quid and stick an optically horrible lens protector in front of my four figure camera and lens setup? So I highly recommend you purchase one of these protectors and give it a trial. That's what I did initially. I was so impressed I swapped all my protectors over to Marumi. I recommend you go with this DHG Super Protect range as a minimum, because the coatings are so good. The anti-static properties of an Exus will set you back another ten to fifteen pounds, but if keeping your glass dust free is an annoyance to you, that extra might be well worth it to you. Whichever you choose, I'm confident you'll be impressed.THE MARUMI OPTICAL COMPANYThe Marumi Optical Company has been manufacturing high spec camera filters at their factory in the Nagano prefecture for over 65 years. Originally an OEM supplier to well known German camera brands, they entered the consumer market in the 1970's and have steadily built a loyal following amongst photographers who value good quality gear. It's worth searching out the English version of the company web site, which has a full run down of the range plus a handy comparison chart of the features of each range. The official distributor for the UK is Kenro, based in Swindon, who trade directly as Kusso Ltd.I hope this review has been useful to you, and I'm always happy to respond to questions - just hit the Comment button below :-)

26.5.2014

I've used Marumi for filters for a good few years now (though I try other makers too)The DHG (digital high grade) series is multicoated and available in lens protect, UV and CPL as well as others.All feature a low profile size, lots of coatings to help reduce ghosting and internal reflections, a satin painted filter ring again helps reduce reflections, plus black ink on the outer edge of the glass filter. The "super" v the normal DHG is an additional coat added to the filter surface which helps repel grease, dirt and water/oil and it does seem to help here.I've used both the normal DHG and Super. If you're outdoors a lot and can get the front element dirty at times the "super" is worth looking at,

28.2.2014

I've used Marumi for filters for a good few years now (though I try other makers too)The DHG (digital high grade) series is multicoated and available in lens protect, UV and CPL as well as others.All feature a low profile size, lots of coatings to help reduce ghosting and internal reflections, a satin painted filter ring again helps reduce reflections, plus black ink on the outer edge of the glass filter. The "super" v the normal DHG is an additional coat added to the filter surface which helps repel grease, dirt and water/oil and it does seem to help here.I've used both the normal DHG and Super. If you're outdoors a lot and can get the front element dirty at times the "super" is worth looking at,

25.2.2015

This is not a well known brand of filter but the company has had some excellent reviews on various photographic sites. I was a little dubious about this filter at first as the seller seemed to be a non specialist retailer and I had read about some other filter brands that been faked in the past.Upon inspection the case did not seem to reflect a high quality product but the filter itself looked to be of good quality. Optically it looks to have a good quality anti reflective coating and distortion free glass. I have used it on an expensive quality 'pro' lens and the image quality is almost entirely the same with and without the filter attached.

16.2.2014

Marumi is a little known but high quality manufacturer who I came to know of through what I understand is the UK's only Nikon dedicated dealer in London. I have used Nikon lenses for 30 years and attached a variety of filter brands to them, always using a lens protector as a minimum. Marumi is among the best and their filters are slim and lightweight as a bonus. My only disappointment with this purchase was the supplier, fotosense of Bolton. I had to chase delivery and then the wrong one was supplied. Unfortunately, they then lost interest and just said send it back without even an apology. They said that return postage was not their responsibility and had no means of refunding it.

25.1.2012

Filters, love them or hate them, this is not the place to argue. I do use them, as I am a bit clumsy and prone to dropping things. They have saved a couple of lenses for me. But any bit of glass between you and your subject can detract from the image clarity, cause unwanted ghosting or reflections etc. I found these marumi dhg filters a while ago. They do not seem to detract from the image, I cannot tell an image taken with them off or on, apart from ghosting, which is very slight. The coatings on these are fantastic, they do resist dirt and they do clean up very well with proper lens cleaner. If you point a lens with one of these marumi filters at a bright light in a dark room,

15.11.2011

purchased this for my new Pentax kit lens. fits very well onto thread of lens (as in seems very well machined, there was no drag or feel of cross threading), i was initially worried it was not tightening as it seemed to take a lot of rotations to get on finger tight but i think it again is due to it being well machined with a fair amount of thread on it.have shot directly into the sun with it and it was a very noticeable improvement over the last filter i had used, albeit that was a very old one.i have not yet had to test its coating as far as removing any marks or dirt, my review score may increase over time.again, at the moment I am very pleased with this purchase.

13.9.2014

Just what I wanted for the Fuji X10 camera. This is a plain, anti-reflectance coated, glass filter (not UV or anything else) to protect the lens which is fairly exposed on the X10. I use a camera case normally and do not use an additional lens cap. This 'lens protect filter' screws onto the Fuji X10 perfectly.Results to date seem fine, I haven't noticed any spurious reflections with my photos.Also, additional lens hood screws securely to filter when wanted.

23.4.2017

Not much to say except that it does its job very well and gives the added and valuable security of knowing the main camera lens is protected against rain and dust - and - of course, you can wipe it without risk of damaging the lens itself. I prefer these to the usual UV filters as they have no impact upon the image being taken. I now use clear filters like this on all my cameras.

8.12.2016

All of my previous purchases of Lens Filters have been HOYA.Having checked the price of a HOYA 95mm Filter I did some further research and discovered MARUMI....a brand I was not aware of.Feedback was excellent ....price was a 1/3rd less than an equivalent HOYA....so I went for it.Very well pleased, excellent tight fit...a quality product !

27.7.2013

A lightweight way of protecting your lens from dust and scratches: it is much cheaper to replace one of these! The filter is low-profile, almost unnoticeable when fitted, and you can still use your lens cap. There are cheaper versions, but this one got good reviews so I am hoping that with reasonable care it will last me for some time.

13.8.2016

Excellent - for a large filter - 95mm in this case(!) the 'cheapies' just don't deliver; this was to replace a cheap filter that despite the positive reviews just did not even fit properly. This Marumi filter is excellent - high quality, precise engineering and finish; superb fit and optics!

16.7.2013

I am a little wary of putting anything in front of the lens on my cameras as, like many others, I am always striving for the best image quality. With this filter I can see no difference at all - and it is comforting to know that the lens is protected.

8.3.2016

Well made. Bit pricey for what it is, but had problems cleaning Hoya HMC, always left with an oily streaky surface, which probably had no effect on the quality of the pictures, so decided to try this make with the extra oil and watet repellant coating

22.10.2013

Needed a good quality filter to protect a new lens. This is a quality filter as the outside edge of the glass is coated black to minimise internal reflections within the lens. It does not affect the quality of the pictures that I have taken so-far.

Marumi 67mm DHG Lens Protect Filter - Reviews

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