The new Neutral Density, Polarizer and UV filters from the photography startup Breakthrough Photography are launched, for the first time, on Kickstarter! With outdoor photographer Art Wolfe vouching in for the new filters, the small company aims to design and manufacture the worlds best photographic filters. And they promise that “if one of our state-of-the-art traction filters isn’t the best filter you’ve ever used we’ll give you a 110% refund – no hard feelings.”

These filters blow the other guys out of the water in nearly every respect. Video shooters are going to love the durability of these filters and how much easier they are to get on and off the lens when in the field. That’s how Graham Clark, from Breakthrough Photography, presented their new collection to me. I was curious to know more.

What firstly sets these filters appart his their appearance. The X2 and X3 filters feature a new filter design which incorporates texture in the metal achieved by CNC machining brass and environmentally friendly aluminum. It helps to get a good grip on the filter when it is time to remove it from the lens.

“We really tried to take the legacy standard flat black filter design back to the drawing board to really understand what it was that photographers needed in order for a filter to be most effective. Of all the various prototypes and frame materials, the ones with texture in the metal were the clear winners among photographers” said founder and photographer Graham Clark.

“When I first felt these traction filters I thought, ‘Why don’t all filters have this?’ It makes getting filters on and off a whole lot easier.” said acclaimed outdoor and nature photographer Art Wolfe after trying the new line of filters with what Breakthrough Photography calls “Traction” design.

The “Traction” design is not the only new thing about the X-series. They’re also extra slim, as a result of intensive testing of multiple filter designs. Graham Clark says that “during our extensive field tests we found 4mm filters on 16mm lenses produced on average +1 stop of light falloff. At 3.7mm the vignetting was entirely eliminated on our full-frame setups. Our standard flat black X1 and X2 traction filters have 3.5mm, whereas our X3 traction filters are machined down to 3.2mm.”

The X-Series filter lineup consists of 3 different models:

• 1. X3 Traction Filter features the companies signature 3.2mm ‘Traction’ frame CNC machined from brass, SCHOTT B270 glass from Germany, MRC16 and dual nano coating layers. Available in 3-stop, 6-stop Neutral Density and UV.
• 2. X2 Traction Filter features a 3.5mm ‘Traction’ frame CNC machined from aluminum, AGC glass from Japan, MRC8 and dual nano coating layers. Available in 3-stop, 6-stop Neutral Density and UV.
• 3. X1 Flat Black Filter features an ultra-slim 3.5mm standard flat black frame with and MRC4. Available in UV.

Available in 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 57mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm, alll X-Series filters are double-threaded, weather-sealed and backed by a 25 Year Ironclad Guarantee.

The X-Series filters are immediately available for pre-order on Kickstarter with a December 2014 delivery schedule. Pre-ordering and product information can be found by visiting the company website: Breakthrough Photography.