Breakthrough Photography Filters for Canon EF-EOS R Adapter Introduced

Lens Filters

by Jeff LochAugust 6^th, 2020

Breakthrough Photography just introduced an entire lineup of filters for the Canon EF to EOS R drop-in filter mount adapter. At the moment, there are 22 filters to choose from, including Neutral Density, Dark CPL, Night Sky, Infrared, Circular Polarizers, Variable ND, and B&W Polarizers. If you plan on using EF lenses with the Canon EOS R5/R6 or RED Komodo, let’s take a closer look at this great creative option.

Breakthrough Photography Drop-In Filters

Breakthrough Photography is an American company specialized in photo/video filters. They just introduced a new lineup of drop-in filters compatible with the Canon EF to EOS R lens mount adapter with drop-in filter.

The Canon EF to EOS R lens mount adapter with drop-in filter is available with either a clear, PL, or VND filter. This Canon lens adapter allows you to mount filters behind your EF lens, which is extremely convenient. For example, if you have wide-angle lenses with no front thread to attach filters. Also, for filmmakers, I found this adapter to be very versatile as it gives any RF-mount camera a kind of “built-in” variable ND filter. Indeed, I’ve been calling the Canon EOS R the “mini C200” for that specific reason thanks to the EF to EOS R lens mount adapter with drop-in filters.

22 Filters – Endless Possibilities

At the moment, the Breakthrough Photography lineup consists of 22 drop-in filters, including:

• Neutral Density drop-in filters in various strengths, including 3, 6, and 10 stops of light reduction for the X2 version. This filter is also available as an X4 version with better light transmission and two additional 10/15 strengths.
• Variable ND: VND-R from 2-10 stops and DARK VND-R from 10-16 stops of light reduction.
• Circular Polarizers/CPL with two versions – X2 and X4 – that feature different light transmission capabilities.
• Dark CPL.
• Night Sky.
• Infrared 720nm for creative effects.
• B&W Polarizers with red, orange, yellow, and green filters.

Each drop-in filter category features a different color code for easy identification. For example, CPL filters have a green adjustment ring while VND ones have a grey one.

Also, every drop-in filter has a rubberized grip which is also color-coded.

Breakthrough Photography Drop-In Filters Image Quality

According to Breakthrough Photography:

The Canon Drop-In CPL features an impressive average light transmission of 43.06%, which outperforms every filter manufacturer, except for the X4 CPL.

X4 CPL average light transmission is 50.64%, which moderately outperforms the Canon Drop-In CPL.

X2 CPL average light transmission is 42.44%, slightly less than the Canon Drop-In CPL, while outperforming every leading CPL manufacturer.

The X4 CPL moderately outperforms the Canon Drop-In CPL in color cast, maintaining both a slightly more neutral performance with higher overall light transmission.

Also, the company claims that the X4 ND performances exceed industry-leading manufacturers such as Singh-Ray, B+W, and Lee.

Finally, the VND-R and Dark VND-R drop-in filters eliminate the “X Pattern” and have slightly better color-cast performances compared to the Canon VND drop-in filter.

Pricing and Availability

Breakthrough Photography drop-in filters are available to purchase individually – with prices ranging from $79.00 to $199.00 – or as bundles starting at $179.00. Bundles come with a cool-looking storage case that also doubles up as an 18% grey reference card for white balancing your camera.

Of course, you’ll need the Canon Drop-In Filter Mount Adapter EF-EOS R to use these filters if you don’t already have it, which retails for $299.00 with a CPL filter, or $399.00 with a Variable ND one.

All the drop-in filters should start shipping in September, and you can already pre-order. For more information, please visit Breakthrough Photography’s website here.

What do you think about these drop-in filters? Do you consider using it with your Canon EOS R5/R6 or RED Komodo? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!