The Irvine, California-based photography gear startup Aurora Aperture has announced a new next-generation rear mount filter system. It’s designed to be an elegant solution for photographers to use filters on ultra-wide lenses that don’t have a front filter thread.
Traditionally, photographers using such lenses would have to choose between using lower-quality gel filters on the rear end or ultra-large adapted glass filters on the front end.
Aurora Aperture announced the photo industry’s first rear-mount glass filters, the CR (Canon Rear Mount) filter set, back in 2017. Now the company is building upon that idea and expanding its horizons.
The new next-gen filters just announced will support more brands (adding Nikon, Sony, and Sigma), offer more filter types, and have an improved magnet-based design.
Lenses support include the Canon 11-24mm f/4L (and other select Canon wide-angle lenses), Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G, Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art EF mount and Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art EF mount, Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art E and L mount, and Sony 12-24mm f/4 G.
Filters in the system will include a number of ND filters, a graduated ND filter, and a light pollution filter.
Design-wise, the new system uses a quick-release magnetic mounting system. After the rear portion of a lens is modified with an adapter to support the system, filters are installed simply with a press against the magnetized adapter.
“The magnetic quick release feature greatly simplifies the filter installation, especially for photographers working in harsh outdoor environments,” Aurora Aperture says.
The next-gen rear filters are made from Schott D 263 T eco thin glass held in stainless steel frames and feature multi-layer nano-coatings that provide accurate colors and resistance against water/oil/dust/dirt.
“These filters can meet the high-resolution demands of 4k/8k video, and the high pixel density of modern-day sensors,” the company says.
Here’s a short video introducing the new system:
Aurora Aperture is planning to launch its next-gen rear mount filter system through a Kickstarter campaign this month. Filters will be priced from $43 to $113 each, and the adapters will cost between $35 to $41.