New Beastgrip Filters for Smartphone Filmmakers – Fixed ND’s, CPL and VND

Lens Filters

by Richard LackeyMay 27^th, 2020

Beastgrip has expanded its range of smartphone filmmaking accessories with the Pro Series Beastgrip Filters, fixed ND’s, a CPL, and VND.

Beastgrip Pro Series ND 4 and Beastgrip filter mount adapter on an iPhone mounted in a Beastcage. Image credit: Beastgrip

Beastgrip has been a household name for smartphone filmmakers for some time. They have built an entire hardware eco-system around the Beastgrip Pro, a universal cage that fits just about any smartphone, and provides accessory mounting points, and interchangeable lens mounts that can be aligned to any position for any phone camera. Beastgrip also makes some very good quality lenses and have now launched a set of filters.

The Beastgrip Filter Range

My Beastgrip Pro with the Pro Series lenses (including a prototype 1.55X anamorphic) and the new range of filters. Image credit: Richard Lackey

The Beastgrip Pro Series filters comprise a set of fixed density ND filters, a variable ND, and a circular polarizer. These filters are all made by Kenko Tokina in Japan. The fixed density ND filters come in ND4, ND8, ND16, ND32, and ND64.

The Beastgrip Pro Series 58mm VND Filter. Image credit: Beastgrip

The Beastgrip Pro Series variable ND filter gives you between 1.5 and 8.5 stops of reduction in one filter. This is a different approach from a few other filter manufacturers that have split their VND offering into two filters, each with a smaller range of density to avoid cross polarization issues. However, it has the distinct advantage of costing less than having to buy two filters of course, as good VND’s tend not to be cheap.

I’ve had these filters for a few weeks but due to the lockdown situation I wasn’t able to test them. I’ve recently started to use them but it’s too early to report yet on performance or any issues.

Beastgrip Filter Mounts

The Beastgrip 37mm to 58mm filter mount directly mounted to the Beastgrip Pro. Image credit: Beastgrip

A filter intended for smartphone videography is only useful if you can mount it to your phone. This has always been tricky but is becoming easier. The Beastgrip filters are all 58mm thread diameter and mount directly onto the Beastgrip Pro Series lenses. A 37mm to 58mm filter mount is available to use the filters directly on a Beastgrip Pro, Beastcage, or in fact any cage with a 37mm lens mount thread. A Beastgrip M-Series lens filter mount is available also that provides a 58mm filter mounting thread.

There’s nothing that makes these filters specifically engineered for smartphone use of course, and could be used with any camera on a lens with a 58mm filter thread.

I like the approach of using round photographic type filters with smartphones exactly because they are universal.

Beastgrip Filter First Impressions

My initial impressions of the Beastgrip filters is that they are high quality optically and perform well. I have yet to analyze in detail any possible color shifts or any polarization issues with the VND. As with any filters, the fixed density ND filters are likely to give more consistent results than the VND. The filters are built well, although not particularly thin or lightweight compared to some others I use.

I am missing the actual stop markings on the VND that I’ve grown used to with the PolarPro VND filters, but stop markings on VND’s are not as common as they should be.

Concluding Thoughts

It’s great to see Beastgrip round out their offering with a high quality set of ND filters. They are in line with my expectations of quality and performance from a company that also makes some of the best smartphone lenses. It’s a smart move to engage in a partnership with a trusted source of high quality optics such as Kenko Tokina, and I think this shows in the Beastgrip Pro Series filters.

Find out more and order the Beastgrip Filters on the Beastgrip website.

Are you already using filters when filming with your smartphone? What are your favorite filters and how are you mounting them? Let us know in the comments below.