a magnetic modular filter system

A little over two years ago, H&Y set out to save us a little time and hassle from the world of step-up rings. Full disclosure: I have a ton of filter step-up rings to fit my filters onto any lens of any size. I usually buy the largest filter I may need for the ability to use on my widest lens and also my smallest. These step-up rings occupy a needless amount of space in my gear area. I am ready for a change.

Filter maker H&Y is here to save us the headache and heartache a gear bag full of step-up rings brings us. H&Y raised more than $700,000 on Kickstarter to bring the REVORING to life. But, the users’ feedback stated that the REVORING could not meet all their content creation needs. H&Y heard you loud and clear and are back with an evolution of the REVORING with the REVORING Swift System, a magnetic modular filter system. So, H&Y took an already great piece of gear and gave us more tools for all of us to use. Got to love it.

The H&Y REVORING Swift System takes the well-designed retractable blades mount and enables filmmakers and photographers to build it out for their needs. No more carrying a bag full of adapter rings to be mounted on all your different lenses.

The REVORING Swift System is easy to use, and I think having a piece of filter kit to be easy to use is an absolute must. I often found myself deciding against using a filter because the moment I wanted to capture was either too brief, or I weighed the pros and cons and felt taking the time to stop shooting to add a filter wasn’t worth it. That may not be the best way to operate, but it worked for me… in the past. I don’t have this problem with the REVORING.  

The REVORING is quick and easy. You can see in the video above how quickly you can add a filter to a lens. The REVORING is well designed for the job it does. Next, the Swift System is also easy to use, and we have the magnetic modularity to thank for that ease of use.

In the video above, you can see I slap the Variable ND to the REVORING and then slap the Black Mist onto the Variable ND, and finally, I slap on the super lightweight matte box. It was easier to add the filters and matte box to my camera than to write the run-on sentence above describing how easy it was to do. I will say you can add too many filters to the Swift System. I found that a best practice is to go with two filters and the matte box. If you try to add more weight to the magnetic filters, they will become less secure.

Will the REVORING Swift System save you space? I think you may lose the numerous and slow-to-use screw-on step-up rings and refill that now open area of your bag with more filter options. I almost forgot to mention that the REVORING comes in four different sizes: 37-49mm, 46-62mm, 58-77mm, and 67-82mm. 

The biggest benefit of using a super quick and easy-to-use filter system is to use more filters. H&Y filters are not too expensive and considering the prices of cinema glass filters; the H&Y options are slightly less costly. 

About those filters, H&Y have a few options ready for purchase on their website and other popular dealer sites. My favorites were the Variable ND and the Black Mist.

The Variable ND, I think, was one of the best Variable NDs I have used in a long time. I didn’t experience any part of my image being darker than other areas of my frame. When it came to color changing as you move through the Variable ND strengths, I didn’t find any color shifting at all. The version of Variable ND I had was a little stiff, but that stiffness likely will work itself out with continued use. It might be better for a filter to be rigid when you just pulled it out of the cardboard box than to be super loose. 

The H&Y REVORING Swift System Matte Box is super lightweight without losing rigidity. The H&Y matte box also comes with a french eyebrow or top flag, whatever you want to call it these days. I’ve used some super light matte boxes built for gimbal use, and I was not too fond of the slight rubber quality. I typically used the Matte Box when I was shooting interviews with my Canon R5 working as a “B” camera. Being able to control the backlight from flaring my lens was nice. The amazing thing about the Matte Box is the price: $39.90! That’s a steal. 

The Black Mist was my favorite and most used filter that came with the REVORING Swift System I was testing. I have always liked to use a touch of diffusion on my lenses, especially for interviews, and the Black Mist felt very much like a Black Pro Mist. I guess it should act like a Black Pro Mist because it is essentially the same filter with a slightly different name. H&Y’s Black Mist comes in three strengths: 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2. I pretty much used the 1/8 the whole time. I also like the slight bloom of lights with the Black Mist. I highlight bloom felt controlled and added a touch of texture to bright highlights. 

H&Y also sent me their 4x Star filter to test. I felt the 4x Star filter acted more as a diffusion filter than a star filter. I guess in my mind; I expected the star filter to give me more of the bling with highlights. I will say I’d rarely use a heavy bling star filter, so I was pleasantly surprised by the diffusion effect. 

The Magnetic Drop-In Filter Rack is the part of the REVORING Swift System that holds the Black Mist or 4xStar filter. The magnetic drop-in rack has a “window” on one end that allows you to drop in your filter. You then place the metal “window” back onto the top of the filter. The process is like using a drop-in 4×4 filter system with larger matte boxes like Arri’s or Bright tangerine’s. The system worked well, and I will say you will want to have as many Swift Magnetic Drop-In Filter racks as you have filters because once you have your filter in the drop-in filter rack, it is easier just to leave it there.

H&Y did not stop at circular drop-in filters. They also have Swift Magnetic Clip-On Filter Holder for 100mm x 150mm filters. These are more traditionally shaped rectangular glass filters like a neutral density grad filter. H&Y has Graduated Soft and Hard filters of varying degrees as well as Center Graduated Neutral Density filters. One 100mm x 150mm I think I want to really try is the H&Y K-Series StarKeeper Anti-Pollution Night Filter, which you can slap onto your magnetic swift system if you want to do so. 

All in all, I loved using the REVORING Swift System. In fact, the whole system was so easy to use that it naturally folded itself into my gear case. The entire REVORING Swift System just works well and quickly. For a solo shooter, which is often the case for me, the REVORING Swift System made sense because it was quick to use and took up only a little space in my gear case and my shoulder bag.

The entire H&Y REVORING Swift Filter system I tested came with soft cases for the filters and variable ND. The entire kit also fit within a small box and thus took up very little space in my bag. 

Right now, as I write this post. I see that H&Y has several of the filters listed on its website that are not yet shipping and that some of the filters mentioned in the Kickstarter campaign are not yet on the website. Some of those filters look interesting, like the gold and blue streak filters. I mean, who doesn’t love a little faux-anamorphic? If I were to opine here, I feel like H&Y has plans to put the filters out they mentioned on their Kickstarter, but we do not know when that might be. It is my hope that H&Y continue to build out their REVORING Swift System because I think it is one of the easiest filter systems out on the market. I also think a filter system this easy to use means you will end up using more filters. 

On a parting note or moment, I will share my absolute favorite thing to say when someone reviews my images. I lean in and gently ask, “Is the filter strength too much?” This trick works especially well with either circular polarizers or 1/8 black mist diffusion. 

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