Xume Adapter Case Study

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Xume adapters: add some magnetic magic to your filters

The Xume adapters offer those who use multiple creative filters the way to quickly change filters without having to screw/unscrew them. Welcome to the magnetic magic of Xume.
When Manfrotto asked me if I wanted to try the Xume adapters I was both excited and puzzled. I had read about the filters, when Manfrotto bought them, and felt they were an interesting solution for photographers using filters and tired of fighting with the screw and unscrew operation, which sometimes tends to not work as expected, but I was not sure if they would effectively solve those problems.
If, like me, you’ve
Initially, Manfrotto had the filters as just another accessory in their catalog, but soon the company understood that the adapters and their new series of filters would/could/should work together: the Lens Filter Suite was created. It comprises the Xume adapters and the filters now available under Manfrotto’s brand, a series of protective, polarizer, UV and Neutral Density (ND) filters, some of which I’ve written about, before, in articles published here at Manfrotto School of Xcellence.
Having explained what the Xume adapters are, let’s get back to my initial concerns with the system. Concerns or concern, as my immediate problem was the potential cost of the system if you want to use it with multiple lenses. It took me a while at exploring the system and how to better adapt it to my needs to completely grasp that the cost, while probably more than you thought you would ever invest on some metal rings, pays for itself in the long run, if you regularly use filters and need to change from one to the next rapidly.
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But once you’ve done that, removing or placing the filter is simple: you place the filter and holder in front of the adapter, and the magnetic power takes care of joining the parts with high precision. No need to adjust the position, or anything, they just become one, a bond strong enough for you to move the camera around.
Manfroto says you can safely keep the filter in front of the lens and walk about without any problems. Although I’ve tried to knock the filter out of its position, or displace it shaking the lens, and it didn’t move, I must admit I will not follow the suggestion when moving more than a few steps, presumably with my camera on a tripod. Maybe I am being overcautious, but that’s what I will do. Feel free to do otherwise, if you feel comfortable.
Price was my main question with the Xume system. A filter holder for a 77mm filter costs 14,19 € while the lens adapter costs 34,51 €, meaning you’ll have to pay 48,7 € to place a 77 mm filter in front of your lens. If you need to buy adapters and holders for your different lenses, the cost may be enough to make you think twice. Let me give you a suggestion: select the lenses you mostly use creative filters with, and buy adapters and holders for those. The time you’ll spare when photographing will make the initial investment feel like a blessing, believe