Hoya (Kenko Tokina) announced a new lineup of HD3 professional photography filters that are "4X stronger than standard optical glass and the antireflective coatings are 800% harder than previous generations while offering a stunning 99.7% light transmission rate". For the pricing and availability of the different models and sizes, check this product listings. Additional information:
Huntington Beach, CA – August 18, 2015 – Kenko Tokina USA, Inc. is proud to introduce the new Hoya HD3 series of professional photographic filters. The HD3 UV and Circular Polarizer filters give photographers the ability to capture high-quality images in extreme settings without loss of color balance, contrast, or clarity due to adverse environmental conditions. Additionally, the new filters’ light-weight and rugged design means no scratches, stains or damage to the front of the lens. The Hoya HD3 filters are 4X stronger than standard optical glass and the antireflective coatings are 800% harder than previous generations while offering a stunning 99.7% light transmission rate.
Professionals Agree: Hoya HD3 Filters Are the Amazing
Professional photographers are raving about the optical quality of their pictures using the new Hoya HD3 filters. Award-winning photographer Hudson Henry found the new filters vital for a recent European photo shoot.
“The UV filters are amazing. I leave it on while shooting sunburst photos without seeing any noticeable degradation,” says Hudson Henry. “These UV filters are like perfectly clear armor. It’s especially handy for conditions with dust, crowds of people, salt spray, and sweat.”
Extreme photographer Stan Moniz, a longtime Hoya user, raved about the new filter series.
“These filters are so durable and so easy to clean, it allows you to do things other photographers haven’t done and get images that haven’t been captured before,” says Stan Moniz. “These filters are the bomb to use. I can’t understand why a professional photographer wouldn’t always have these on them.”
The HD3 Series of Filters
The new HD3 series of filters consists of a UV and Circular Polarizer in common sizes ranging from 37mm to 82mm. Building on the brand’s reputation for producing the toughest filters on the planet, Hoya engineers have developed a new ultra-hard nano-coating formula in addition to a new process for applying layers of antireflective coating to the HD3 glass. These two factors combine to yield a coating that is 800% harder* than the optical coating on the previous generation of filters.
The HD3 UV professional filter features a new 32-layer proprietary coating system that greatly reduces or eliminates reflections on the surface of the glass and yields a 99.7% light transmission rate. This means the filter has virtually no effect on the color balance, contrast, or clarity of the final image. Additionally, the hardened, antistatic top-layer is water repellent, stain and scratch resistant, and cleans easily when smudges or fingerprints are introduced to the surface.
The optical glass in the new HD3 UV professional filter is made in Japan, using Hoya’s exclusive HD hardened glass that is 4x stronger than normal optical glass (UV only).
The filters in the new HD3 series utilize a lightweight, one-piece**, low-profile aluminum frame to house the glass. This one-piece design allows the filter to maintain perfect parallel alignment to the sensor plane for maximum sharpness, while the low-profile frame eliminates vignetting when used on ultra-wide-angle lenses.
Hoya HD3 filters were developed in conjunction with Kenko Tokina USA, Inc. and intended solely for U.S. distribution.
* 800% harder coating on UV only, the coatings on the Circular Polarizer are 200% harder than previous generation.
** UV only – Circular Polarizer requires two pieces for rotation purposes but maintains a very low-profile design.
To learn more about Hoya’s HD3 UV and Circular Polarizer filters, visit http://HoyaFilter.com/HD3.
Samples - before HD3:
after HD3:
