Two essential things you need to know about the OKKO gear. First, they have a no questions asked lifetime replacement policy which means even if you drop and break the filter, OKKO will replace it for you. That’s kind of a big deal. Second, they sell each magnetic component separately. You need to buy a magnetic ring to mount your ND or CPL or cap onto. The Clear UV filter is also a magnetic base, if you don’t want an empty ring in the mix. Then you add a magnetic version of the ND or CPL or cap. Each item is sold separately.
I can see the wisdom of this, having bought a several different brands of magnetic filters for testing, and am now in possession of roughly 12 magnetic base rings for my 77mm threads. If you’re starting fresh with magnetic filters it’s important to make sure you order a base ring (or the clear UV) for the OKKO in addition to whatever filter you intend to snap on later. In my testing the ND64 and lens cap from OKKO also played nicely with all the K&F base filters. They are similar in look and finish, although some clear differences in design are evident. Kase inner rings also work, but not the regular adapter rings.
Your standard lens caps will play nice with the OKKO Clear UV magnetic base ring, thanks to it’s depth and inclusion of an inner lip for the caps to grip onto, but there is no thread for stacking conventional filters. It’s designed for magnetic only. K&F and Kase magnetic filters snapped onto this OKKO Clear UV base just fine, in case you’ve already got some of those on your shelf.
I also tested the 77mm OKKO filters on my Freewell 67-77mm magnetic adaptor, and while the cap fits nice and snug due it’s threaded design, the ND64 magnetic from OKKO doesn’t sit flush on the Freewell. The same scenario was true for the Kase in-laid magnetic rings and the OKKO; those rings essentially sneak the magnetic ring inside the existing filter thread, and it’s the filter thread itself that the OKKO magnetics are not designed around.
Every OKKO filter, base ring or cap you buy comes with a cleaning cloth. It’s a small detail, but you can never have too many of these. OKKO put a little branding on one side of the cloth, so I can quickly tell which side is the “clean” side, and which is the side I repeatedly paw with my grimy fingers.
The most important factor for magnetic ND filters however is image quality. Colour shifts on ND filters is something that really causes me issues when shooting video, and just makes life harder than it needs to be with stills. Some things you can correct easy enough, some you can’t. This review is part of a wider set of tests I ran on the Kase, K&F and OKKO magnetic filters, and from my slightly scientific testing (using an X-rite colour checker and a standardised studio setup) the OKKO was a clear winner. When compared to one of my favie Variable ND filters it was even more impressive.
In my testing the primaries showed little or no shift, except for the yellow channel with a tiny 2% burn. That’s easy to correct, if you even notice the shift in the first place. The bigger test for me takes place outside of the studio though. In the real world I find myself shooting not in perfect clean daylight, but instead I am drawn to the rough edges where the sun is low across the horizon or throwing sunset colours straight down the lens. I like the messy stuff, but filters often do not.
After two weeks shooting with the OKKO filters on the Kimberley Coast I was super happy. I reached a point fairly quickly where I didn't want to risk shooting with the other filters I had brought with me. A had a little pouch full of other filters, but once you find something you're happy with, and can see the footage is coming out clean, you wanna stick with that.
Between the excellent results on colour accuracy, the practical aspects of their design, and the lifetime backup the OKKO brand comes out a clear winner in my testing.
– E
Read more about how I tested the filters here:
https://ewenbell.com/blog/Testing_ND_Filters
Read the longer version about comparing OKKO, Kase and K&F filters on my Kimberley Coast shoot here:
https://ewenbell.com/blog/My_Favie_Magnetic_Filter
Read about why I avoid Variable ND filters and the chaos of shopping for magnetics here:
https://ewenbell.com/blog/Neutral_Density_Theory_vs_Chaos
Take a look at 2 mins of video captured with the help of OKKO magnetic ND filters:
Okko Pro Lifetime Guarantee
https://okkopro.com.au/policies/refund-policy
Where To Shop
okkopro.com.au
digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/?rf=kw&kw=okko
camera-warehouse.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?q=okko
Keep Reading
Join Ewen's newsletter for monthly updates on new photography articles and tour offers...Subscribe Here
