Sometimes you look at a new product and you  just have to wonder why the hell someone didn’t think about this before. When Jeff Karp told me about the new RevoRing from H&Y, that was exactly my reaction.

Look at it this way: I have been  professional photographer for the better part of 17 years, now, and, if I had to pick a problem that needed to be solved, it would be photographic filters. I have a ton of them and I never seem to have the right one with me. Why? Because there has been no attempt to standardize the design of lenses. Take Canon, for example. There’s one size filter that fits most Canon lenses, however, there are a dozen others that require a different size. Add to that the fact that you need to carry a circular polarizer, a variety of neutral density filters, and, you have a bag full of filters.

Keep in mind that there are filters and then there are GOOD filters. The low end, resin coated, well, they are not much use. So, on top of everything else, you will spend a ton of money quickly.

For a long time, the last year or so, I’ve been using rectangular filters, mostly H&Y. This is a major step forward. One set of filters which fit in a more-or-less universal holder. That’s an improvement. The rectangular holder attaches to a ring that attaches to the lens……… So, you need a ring for every different lens size. If you buy a good set – like the H&Y – then you have almost all the rings you need. If you have an “odd size” like my vintage Pentax 6X7, with a 95 MM “mouth,” you will have a problem. Then there is the setup time. I have to take the holder out, add the right ring, then attach filters… Most of the time, it just takes too long.

So, what is the RevoRing and why is it different and better? Can you throw away all those other filters? Well, to the second question, the answer is yes and no.

There will be situations where the rectangular filters are best suited – the graduated neutral density filters that I like to use “stacked” when I photograph waterfalls – where the RevoRing, at least at the moment, won’t provide what I want. But the rest of the time, absolutely.

Make no mistake about it. If you are serious about photography, you need one of these. Here’s the link.