Is there a significant difference between a Hoya infrared filter and a cheaper one?

I hate to be a wet blanket here but with years in the photo-retail & wholesale business (from mid 70's to 2001) I have found many filters are priced by their name brand association.

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At one time Nikon MADE their own glass and did have some mighty fine optics. I'm not say today they don't, but they, like the vast majority of manufactures out there of lenses, buy there glass now from independent makers of optical glass.

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However, the Nikon name on a filters bezel is just a stamp on, and another company's name could have been there just as easy. Because of this I would not say that one IS any better than the other or - is..!

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Hoya and Tiffen are a couple of the larger mass producers of photographic glass filters. Either one of these name brands are of optical quality. BW from Germany has a VERY high regard here and prices to reflect it. However, is their extreme price actually worth it other than paying, again, for a "name"...

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Leica and Hasselblad also have a filter line and if you wanna shutter, just look at some of Hassy's prices.. Holy Mother of God.. For 1 filter you could buy a 35mm LENS..! Again, the manufactures are assuming you must have the bucks for you bought their camera..

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Is glass glass...? No..! A fair degree of optical purity and extreme flatness (each side being as parallel as optically possible) are needed not to mention optically pure. The machined aluminum bezel or cell the optical flat is mounted in, hardness of this metal as well as fit and finish, all add to the price.

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However, add a Nikon name to the rim and the price goes one way, and add Ritz Camera or Pro Master or Quantaray and the price goes drastically, the other. Same glass..? Sometimes today, yes..! MANY items are the same as the next but packaging and name brand, and even place of sale can reflect on price, a LOT..! (even tho they are all made in the same plant in Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, etc..).

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I have 52mm 87c filters I paid the same for as a Skylight or UV or 25a or whatever.. These are of the Hoya brand. I also have IR filters in 62 and 67mm with the same pedigree and were priced no different than other filters their size. Why..?

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IR photography today is making a slow come around. A few years ago not too much was being done in this field. Years ago Kodak High Speed Infrared film, 35mm, in Black n White and even in E-6 Ektachrome (color slides, up from the early E-4) was very abundant and even Ma and Pa camera stores sold it. Today..? Good luck..

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Film was cheap and filters were cheap. Demand started to drop and prices went up and up till 52mm filters were well over $100 bucks. Today, the demand is slowly picking back up and prices going down.

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Would I spend $5 or $20 for a IR filter today..? Sure, I would give it a try. In fact, I have a few projects going where I need square and rectangle glass IR filters and even at 50 to 80 bucks for one, AND having a glass cutter making it the size I need is cheaper than ordering a custom cut one...

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To your question..? I would say - no, and if bought from a reliable place, Amazon, yes.. buy it..

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Cheap filters are only worth putting in front of cheap lenses. If you have the "kit" 18-55mm lens, a cheap filter won't make much of a difference. If you have a high-quality lens, there's no point putting crappy glass in front of it. Good filters are expensive, it's just a fact of life. If you don't want to degrade your image quality, you have to fork out the big bucks.

Good filter brands: Hoya, B+W, Singh-Ray, Tiffen, Promaster HGX

Bad filter brands: Promaster, Sunpak, No-name brand

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