Best polarising filter

Do you really need to pay extra for high-end polarizing filters like the Hoya HD MkII, or is the difference compared to their cheaper UXII series negligible? What do the coatings actually do, and is it worth paying extra for the Hoya brand, or is it just overpriced? Can you get the same quality from popular, reasonably priced polarizing filters like those from K&F Concept, which also feature multilayer coatings? I’ve been trying to find an answer to this question and have searched for comparisons online. All I found were biased videos, often influenced by sponsors, or forum discussions that claim Hoya is the best and K&F offers good quality for its price. But is Hoya really worth twice the price? What are the actual differences in real-world performance?
In this article, I’ll compare three of my circular polarizing filters: the Hoya UXII, Hoya HD MkII, and a mid-range K&F Concept polarizing lens filter with multilayer coating. To be honest, K&F Concept’s product line is a bit confusing. I decided to go with the next step up from their entry-level filter—the Nano D-Series, which features 24 layers of anti-reflection coating. It’s nearly twice as cheap as the Hoya UX and about three times cheaper than the HD MkII. The high-end K&F models, with multilayer anti-reflection, water- and fingerprint-repellent coatings, and True Colour technology, are priced almost the same as the entry-level Hoya, which has a solid reputation but lacks anti-reflection coating, relying instead on its ‘True Colour’ by default.
I’ve been using the Hoya UXII for years and have been happy with almost everything about it, except for the low-contrast flares when the sun hits the lens directly. Fair enough—lenses themselves can cause some flaring too, but I was curious if a higher-quality circular polariser could cause less of this effect.
Both photos taken with Hoya UXII on 55 mm lens. Second picture has more visible low contrast effect. These are best shots of the series, lens hood is on I was trying to find angle to reduce flare.
I decided to buy what’s considered to be the best of the best in terms of coatings to tackle sun flares—the Hoya HD MkII. There’s also the even more expensive HD MkII Nano, which has little to no impact on the picture; the coating is mainly there to protect the filter from scratches. Turns out, it comes with fancy packaging, but I’m hoping that’s not the only advantage I paid for.
The filters are noticeably different, even at first glance. The uncoated Hoya has a very slight blue tint—almost neutral, but a bit cold—and its reflections are at full intensity, almost like a black mirror. The older brother, on the other hand, has a slimmer frame, and its reflections look dimmed and green. When you place it on a piece of white paper, it still has a bit of a greenish hue, which will definitely alter colors to some degree and the K&F filter has even greener reflections. Personally, I don’t mind a slight color cast. I love all colors, and I think custom white balance or some color correction in post-production fixes any issues, in my opinion.
Hoya UXII, Hoya HD MkII, K&F Concept Nano-D Circular Polarizing Filter
Apart from the color cast and reflections, one important factor is light transmission. A simple paper test shows that the cheapest K&F filter is almost as “fast” as the top Hoya. Considering the price, I’d call it a draw. The cheapest Hoya, on the other hand, is almost like an ND filter—it reduces more light, and this is very noticeable to the naked eye.

1. No CPL; 2. Hoya UXII; 3. Hoya HD MkII; 4. K&F Concept Nano-D Series

Okay, let’s take a look at some test photographs using all these filters. As we can see from the first three photos, the last two are almost identical, with only the first photo standing out due to its darker exposure and colder tint.

Exposure corrected, same White Balance. 1. No CPL; 2. Hoya UXII; 3. Hoya HD MkII; 4. K&F Concept Nano-D Series

Exposure corrected +3 stops in Lightroom. 1. Hoya UXII; 2. K&F Concept Nano-D Series; 3. Hoya HD MkII;

In the low light test, looking at the ceiling it is clear that the top-priced Hoya is the winner

Hoya UXII, Hoya HD MkII, K&F Concept Nano-D Circular Polarizing Filter

The focus of this test is lens flare. This is what Hoya charges for, and the results confirm my experience. Even though the K&F has a 24-layer coating, it still can’t beat its more expensive counterpart. I don’t really notice any difference in flare with the Hoya UX, which has no coating at all. In this photo, we can see the HD MkII does have lens flare, but I should mention that this was the hardest one to capture—the angle needed to get the worst flare possible was tricky. With the other two, the flare appeared immediately.
Hoya UXII, Hoya HD MkII, K&F Concept Nano-D Circular Polarizing Filter

Apart from the flare, you can see in the other pictures that the K&F and Hoya are almost identical. They both have a slightly warm-green tint and comparable light transmission. I wouldn’t be able to tell which is which.
I’m happy with the results, and I think Ken Faith definitely deserves a spot in the spotlight, offering excellent light transmission. I bought it for real estate photography to pair with my fast, wide-angle Viltrox 16mm f/1.8, which unfortunately had some noticeable green vignetting. The green cast from the K&F filter isn’t a problem at all. In addition to that, the lens flares pretty noticeably, so adding more flare isn’t a big deal—especially indoors, where the chances of flare are minimal. While the high-end Hoya filter is the clear winner here when considering price, you might want to go with K&F Concept depending on your specific needs. If you’re using a high-quality, multi-thousand-dollar lens, it makes sense to invest in the best solution, as I did, for the highest possible quality. For me, the Hoya UXII is now my go-to 2-stop ND filter, perfect for daylight flash portraits or slightly blurry street photography.

K&F Concept Nano-D Series official K&F Amazon Store affiliate link

Amazon

I won’t be sharing any affiliate links for Hoya here. I highly recommend sticking to official stores since there’s a lot of counterfeit stuff out there, and I wouldn’t trust unofficial retailers. If you’re looking to get Hoya, your best bet is to buy it from a nationwide chain store or directly from their website.