Kickstarter: Maven magnetic filters promise ease of use and excellent, color-neutral optics
posted Friday, October 21, 2022 at 2:00 PM EDT
Photographer and instructor Michael Andrew has spent the last few years developing what he calls the world's most convenient camera filter system, the Maven Magnetic filter system. Beyond being easy to use, the filters promise true color neutrality. After using expensive neutral density filters, Michael grew tired of needing to spend time performing color corrections.
"Maven filters were designed to address pain points common in most filters, one of them being a system to identify [filters] by appearance, without needing to read fine print," says Michael. Each filter is color coded, with the color suggesting its use. For example, CPL filters are coded with blue, as circular polarizers make the sky appear bluer. The 3-stop ND filter, a popular choice for video, is red like a camera's record button.
Ease of use is important, too. The Maven filters are equipped with a magnetic adapter, so they can easily be put in front of or removed from a lens. This promises to be much faster than dealing with threading a filter, which can be quite tricky at times. Each Maven filter features 16 layers of multi-resistant coating (MRC) to make them easy to clean. The Maven CPL includes deep grooves, so it can be rotated even when using a lens hood.
Color neutrality is a major component of the Maven neutral density (ND) filters. There's no established standard for testing color neutrality of ND filters, so manufacturers are free to make any claims they wish. In my experience, I've worked with some ND filters with amazing color performance and others that had noticeable color casts. Michael tested a bunch of filters, which you can check out below.
As you can see, there are some strong performers, and others with noticeable yellow or blue color casts. If you'd like to hear about the Maven filters from another photographer, check out Todd Dominey's hands-on review below. Dominey was provided the filters by Maven but was not paid for his review video.
If you want to learn more about Maven magnetic filters, head to Kickstarter. The campaign has been fully funded, eclipsing its goal by nearly $200,000 with a couple of weeks remaining. The filters start at $149 for a set of small filters (43/46/49mm) and $249 for medium/large filters (52, 55, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77 or 82mm). These include all five Maven Magnetic filters (3 ND, 6 ND, 10 ND, CPL and UV), the magnetic adapter ring, and a special carrying case.
We only share Kickstarter campaigns that we believe are trustworthy. However, there are risks associated with crowdfunding campaigns. To learn more about safety on Kickstarter, click here.