FREEWELL Magnetic Quick Swap System 67mm Neutral Density ND64 (6 f-stops) Camera Filter

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The filter is basically a stationary magnet - like a bunch of bar magnets sitting on a table. I don't expect there is much impact on the magnetic actuators (which are magnetic motors) used in IBIS to move the sensor. Some of Fuji's best lenses use linear magnetic motors in AF - for example the Fuji X 50-140 f2.8 and the 90 f2. There is no evidence of any interference with IBIS and those two lenses so I doubt if small would cause any issues. Using magnetic filters is, quite simply, a pleasure. It makes it so much faster to mount filters, swap them, change lenses, adjust to the scene. It’s hard to emphasize just how much magnetic filters make the photographer’s life easier. In particular, when a part of a group with non-photographers, every second spent fiddling with photo equipment can get bothersome for the whole group. Anything which can speed up the process is welcome. Rotating a CPL filter with the M2 system is a straightforward process. We’ve made it simple and intuitive to adjust the polarizer to achieve your desired effect.

One other thing I wish they'd add is the filter details listed on the front of the filter. The details of the filter are listed on the side which is great but it would be nice to also include them near the thread size is. For example, if I have each filter in the case they come in, I can't tell which filter is which from a top-down view as you can see in the photo above. Not a deal-breaker but certainly something that could be easily changed. Magnetic System Colour cast is the hue that the filter gives your image. Kind of like how your sunglasses change the tint of everything you see, filters do the same for our cameras. Colour cast isn’t always a bad thing, however; some colour casts are more pleasing than others. I took the Freewell Magnetic Polarizer Filter on a multi pitch adventure up the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, BC. I thought if I had no issues with it while dangling 2000ft above the ground, then there certainly would be no problems at ground level. Our approximate route. Maybe the most exposed filter review anyone has ever made? What’s The Point Of A Polarizer In Photography?However, if you want to shoot with a VND filter, your first need to snap the VND base filter into the inner filter slot in the base ring on the lens. Then, you flip one of the VND filters so that the “VND” text on the ring is facing you, and snap that on top of the base ring on the lens. Ladies and gents, I have some news for you. The Freewell magnetic filter system is officially on the market. Gone are the days of having to screw on your filters like a measly peasant.

The company also says the kit’s magnetic adhesion will keep the filters in the holder firmly affixed, which prevents vibrations while they still remain easy to remove and adjust. The metal knurling on the bezel along each ND level helps grip when turning to change values and allegedly improves the accuracy of stop setting. The company also claims that transitioning from one-stop value to another is smooth and gradual, and should give a reduced occurrence of “x-pattern overlaps” seen in other variable NDs.Like other magnetized filters, the speed at which these filters are attached and detached from a lens is fantastic. Each filter rotates nearly as smooth as a threaded filter, and the hard stops effectively prevent the VNDs from being overturned in either direction. When flipped over, the CPL filters rotate smoothly and easily. The main things to consider when looking at filters are: colour cast, quality, ergonomics and sharpness. K&F Concept’s lens adapters have two advantages. The first is that they are quite slim, measuring at only 2mm once installed. The second, and possibly most important, is that the adapter lets the user attach regular lens caps. These advantages mean they can remain permanently in place on a lens. Freewell is seeking crowdfunding to bring the product to market, and the IndieGoGo bundle also includes a compact case that can hold the entire kit safely, and it can easily fit in any bag, or clip onto any exterior strap or latch point. The K2 filter system consists of screw-on base filter holder rings, that you only have to screw onto your lens once, afterwards, the filters snap on magnetically. The system includes the K2 Island Slot, a gradient tool integrated for slide-in effect filters like gradient, glow mist, snow mist, and streak. The effect filters slide in from the top and can be rotated in any direction. Magnetic Filter System K2 – Source: Freewell True Color VND

One other advantage of the K&F Concept filters is that they are available for a wide range of diameters, starting at 49mm, as opposed to 67mm for some competitors. All told, Freewell is effectively providing with this system four VNDs (two with diffusion, two without) and two circular polarizers filters for hundreds less than buying each filter type individually. Lens compatibility and vignette performance The downside to this filter is the colour cast. I personally am not a big fan of the green cast so I’ll have to correct that in post, each time I use this filter. If you do not like to post process your images, this may be a bigger issue to you. Each filter comes with a threaded ring that screws into your camera lens just like any other filter you've used in the past. The difference is it's just a metal ring that does nothing until you attach a filter to the ring using it's magnetic system. Freewell also offers the option to use a UV filter as the magnetic ring for it's system but I didn't use one in this review. In the tests I put each of these filters through I did not notice any significant differences in quality and sharpness. Rather than wasting your time talking about those two aspects, let’s focus on the areas that stood out; colour cast and ergonomics.We’ve extensively tested these filters and found no issues when using them at various focal lengths. Whether you’re shooting at 16 millimeters on a full-frame camera like the Sony A7 Mark IV or Sony ZV1 with the 16-35 GM lens, the M2 filters deliver exceptional performance. As you can see, there’s now little-to-no difference between the control and the Freewell 2-5 stop VND image. What this means overall is a little extra time in post color correcting photos and videos (which needs to be done anyway as evidenced by color cast in the control image as well). Lastly, I zoomed into 200% on the images taken at f8 with my 70-200mm lens to show potential sharpness loss. Such detail likely won't come through after jpeg compression and resizing for this article but trust me when I say I see no loss in sharpness or detail in the image, which is great.