X3 CPL is the worlds sharpest and most color neutral CPL. The moment you use the X3 CPL, you know you’ve never used anything like it. Featuring our all-new American made CPL film and an all-new weather-sealed brass Traction Frame®. 

Want to order multiple X3 CPLs? Click here to learn how.

Questions? Click here to ask us on Live Chat

• Available in 12 Sizes: 39mm, 46mm, 49mm, 52mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 95mm and 105mm.
• World's Most Color Neutral CPL: Our all-new CrystalVision® CPL film, Made in California, achieves the most color neutral performance of any CPL filter.
• Capture Critically Sharp Images: Constructed with SCHOTT B270® Optical Glass Made in Germany.
• Optical Performance: Our State-of-the-art MRC16 and nanotec® coatings eliminate reflections and repel dirt, water and other elements.
• A Winning Design Proven By Photographers: All-new Weather-sealed Brass Traction Frame® Based On Our X3 ND
• Backed by our 25 Year Ironclad Guarantee with US-based support

TECHNOLOGY

Our all-new and internally developed CPL film - CrystalVision® - is at the core of the X3 CPL, and we manufacture it right here in California. To achieve the worlds most color neutral performance, we had to develop a unique approach to manufacturing.

All commercially available CPL filters exhibit a yellow cast, due to a gradual transmissionincrease starting around 600nm and then spiking at 650nm onward into IR. With ourCrystalVision® film, we achieved a gradual transmission decrease from 600nm onward. Instead of spiking uncontrollably near 650nm and far into infrared, the X3 CPL sees very controlled transmission into IR, without the curve spike. 

A perfectly flat transmission curve would yield a perfectly color neutral result, and while there is no such thing as a perfectly neutral CPL filter (contrary to what other filter makers may claim) the X3 CPL is the most color neutral any CPL filter, guaranteed.

MANUFACTURING METHOD

When filter makers use off-the-shelf polarizing films originally designed for LCD panels, it produces a predictable transmission increase. During our research into alternative manufacturing methods, we were able to solve this problem. As a result ourCrystalVision® CPL film achieves a decline in IR transmission across the visible spectrum and is very well controlled throughout the IR range.

DYNAMIC RANGE

Outdoor photographers frequently struggle with dynamic range. The human eye has a dynamic range over 20-stops, while a mid-day outdoor scene (like the one below) may range between 15-18 stops. Professional camera systems range between 12-14 stops, and during the last decade very little progress has been made.

You can sometimes recover detail in shadows if there’s enough data there in post-processing, but you can’t remove glare in post-processing, and the removal of glare adds vibrancy, contrast and reveals details that are otherwise unseen.

FRAME

We took all we learned from the success of the X3 ND and designed an entirely new circular polarizing frame, unlike you’ve ever seen before. 

The X3 CPL Traction Frame® is made by CNC machining brass, and then electroplating it with a matte black finish to reduce and eliminate stray reflections into the lens barrel, which increases contrast and saturation as a result. The Traction Frame® is also double-threaded which allows for easy filter stacking, and is fully compatible with all of your lens caps.

GLASS

• Constructed with SCHOTT B270® optical glass, made in Germany, allows you to capture critically sharp images. 
• Our all-new CrystalVision® CPL film, Made in California, achieves the most color neutral performance of any CPL filter.
• State-of-the-art nanotec® Nano Coatings Technology, which beads water and other elements rather than absorbing and smearing.
• To help eliminate reflections we use state-of-the-art MRC16 coating, 8 layers on each side.

WEATHER-SEALED DURABILITY

We specifically designed X3 CPL as a workhorse circular polarizer for field work, built to withstand extreme wind, salt water, dust and other abrasive conditions and elements.

25 YEAR SUPPORT

We stand behind each X3 CPL filter with our 25 Year Ironclad Guarantee with US-based phone, email and live chat support.

Kickstart us the rest of the way

Breakthrough Photography is a brand conceived and validated via Kickstarter. We were born here on Kickstarter and love the community we've built and value your input and loyalty.

Our backers - more than 1,000 of you to date - are the reason for our success. You propel us to design the best filters for photographers around the world.

Kickstarter is a great way for us to test and measure the demand of the many of the products we think photographers will use and love. We believe in the emerging power of community and the individual to bring ideas to life and challenge convention. During the next 30 days, we will be turning our prototype designs into a reality for photographers around the world. Here are some areas where your pledge money will help to make the product a reality:

• Buying raw materials for manufacturing, brass, SCHOTT B270 sheet glass, materials for packaging and more.
• Finalizing Tooling & Development Testing for our 5-Axis Haas VF-6/40TR CNC machines.
• Electroplating finished frames matte black

1. When this campaign ends on DATE, you will get a survey sent via email. In the survey we'll ask you which filters you backed, and in what sizes. We'll then send you a coupon code.

2. After you get the coupon you'll visit our website (http://www.breakthrough.photography/) and you'll checkout as if you were buying them normally, you'll enter your shipping address and that stuff, at which point you enter the coupon and your order total will say $0, you just pay the shipping cost which is determined by weight and the destination country.  Again, at checkoutyou only pay shipping (we're not collecting shipping on Kickstarter).

3. Once your order ships you'll get an automated email with tracking information.

4. That's it!

SHIPPING COST

Our goal is to charge you the LOWEST possible cost for shipping, and to do that your cost will be dependent on if you buy one or more filters.We don't charge you shipping here on Kickstarter because Kickstarter charges a flat cost, regardless of weight. Instead you'll pay for shipping separately after the campaign ends, when you checkout on our website.

Do you charge for shipping on Kickstarter? No.

Why don't you charge for shipping on Kickstarter? Because Kickstarter charges a flat fee regardless of weight.

How do you charge me for shipping my reward? Once this campaign ends, you'll checkout on our site, and at the end of the checkout process you'll pay for shipping.

Do you make any money on shipping? No! We charge you our discounted rates nearly exactly, but we do add 32¢ to the shipping cost for the bubble mailer.

I don't live in the USA. Can you ship to my country? Yes, we ship to every country in the world.

Will I get a tracking number? Yes! After you complete the checkout process order on our website, and after our Kickstarter campaign has ended, you will get an order confirmation email. Once your order ships, you'll get an email with a tracking link!

How much will shipping cost? It depends on the country that you live in and if you buy one or more filters. Here's a number of examples of approximate shipping costs:

United States: around $4
Canada: around $7
UK: around $10
Australia: around $12
Europe: around $12
Everywhere else: around $10
Add approximately $1- $2 for each additional filter.

What payment methods do you accept on your website? All Credit Cards, Debit Cards, PayPal and Amazon Payments.