PolarPro Warp review: This bizarre filter hides a trifecta of special effects. Can it cure boring photos?

Grabbing attention in a feed full of good photos isn’t an easy task – but I’ve found a scroll-stopping special effects filter. The PolarPro Warp is a filter of curved glass with a sharp center that creates mesmerizing swirls, striking rings of light and even rainbows.

Special effect filters can often look good on paper, but prove challenging in real-world use. I tried the PolarPro Warp out at portraits, product photography and even a dance floor at a wedding to see what one of the brand's newest filters is capable of.

The results? The PolarPro Warp brings a refreshing mix of special effects – and a cure for photography boredom to get out of a creative rut.

PolarPro Warp: Specs

PolarPro Warp: Price

As with most filters, the cost of the PolarPro Warp depends on the size. The filter starts at about $80 / £80 / AU$119 for a 49mm, and the 67mm, 77mm and 82mm sizes retail for about $100 / £100 / AU$149.

The filter is also available in PolarPro’s quick swap Helix MagLock system for $150 (equivalent to £112 / AU$229).

PolarPro Warp: Design

The PolarPro Warp is far chunkier than a typical filter, because the glass that bends (and, yes, warps) the light is an angled beveled glass. That design makes it jut out from the filter’s metal ring. All that glass also makes it a bit heavy, at least compared to typical filters.

The filter is comprised of angled glass that protrudes in front of the edges, leading to a normal flat circle of glass at the center.

That shapely glass is housed inside a weather-sealed aluminum frame painted a lovely warm brass color. The textured ring makes the filter easy to grip, to twist on and off the front of the lens.

The filter includes a storage pouch – a great feature considering the larger glass element means it may not fit in basic plastic hard filter cases. PolarPro also says that the filter has anti-scratch, anti-fingerprint coatings.

PolarPro Warp: Performance

The shape of the glass that juts out from the filter’s metal frame reminds me a bit of the beveled edges of a fancy window – and so do the effects that it produces. The look that the PolarPro Warp filter creates depends on the angle of the light – and I found at least three different iconic looks possible.

With soft, non-directional light, the beveled glass on the edges of the filter simply blur the background into a lovely swirl. This takes the colors found in the background and gives them a spin.

But add in directional light, hitting the filter just right, and watch the magic unfold across the camera lens. Directional light heading towards the camera filter will create rings in whatever color the light source is.

Shooting with a window to the side of the subject, the Warp filter created white rings around the camera that I was photographing. Photographing a dance floor, the DJ’s lights created colorful rings of light in the resulting images. Taking a shot of a power tool throwing off sparks created gold rings of light, matching those sparks.

The final effect is one that I see often with beveled windows: when the light hits just right, the Warp filter will create a rainbow. This effect reminds me a bit of holding a prism up to the lens.

Soft swirls, rings of light and rainbows – the PolarPro Warp filter feels rather like a three-in-one surprise box of special effects. Because the way the light hits that curved glass changes the effect, the results can often be unexpected. But I think happy accidents and experimental effects add a layer of fun to photography.

The more I shot with the Warp filter, however, the more I was able to estimate how it might respond. I knew directional light created rings of light, so I took it to a dance floor and intentionally stood facing the DJ’s lights so that I could get those colorful rings.

As much as I love the variety of special effects coming from the PolarPro Warp filter, the effect does occasionally mess with autofocus performance. My camera hunted for focus a few times when the rings of light, which shifted with the pulse of the DJ lights on the dance floor, moved across where I had the autofocus point set.

The occasional autofocus hunting and unpredictable nature of the Warp filter weren’t dealbreakers for me, though. I just wouldn't necessarily use it on once-in-a-lifetime shots that I won’t get another chance to repeat, like a couple’s first kiss at a wedding.

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PolarPro Warp: Verdict

The PolarPro Warp is a cure for boring photography. The variety of effects that it creates, depending on how the light hits, adds a layer of surprise. Happy accidents are why I love film photography – and the Warp filter brings that element of surprise to digital cameras.

The Warp filter creates three different kinds of special effects depending on how the light hits, which adds variety to how the filter can be used. While I still wouldn’t use it on every shot, because the effect may become repetitive, I would readily use the Warp to add interest to portraits, event photography, product photography and more.

While I wholeheartedly recommend the Warp filter, my warning to creatives is twofold: the effects can be a little unpredictable and those gorgeous rings of light can sometimes confuse your camera’s autofocus system.

For a surprise blend of special effects, though, the Polar Pro Warp filter is going to be one that stays in my kit.

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