Rollei Astroklar review: a light pollution filter from a heritage photo brand

Rollei is a company with historical significance in the world of photography. Founded in 1920 by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke, the German company became known for pioneering the TLR (twin lens reflex) cameras, notably its Rolleiflex and Rolleicord models. Many of these cameras are much sought after and valuable on the second-hand market today.

Rollei has gone through several insolvencies in recent times, and as such, the name ‘Rollei’ is more of a licensing agreement today, with the original Rollei factory closing in 2015. The Rollei Astroklar light pollution filter is manufactured in China, rather than Germany, so I got hold of one to see if it lives up to the high expectations that come with the prestigious Rollei name.

As one of the best light pollution filters, the Rollei Astroklar is designed to cut out yellow and orange wavelengths caused by street lights, which can not only create an unwanted yellow color cast in your night city shots but also reduce contrast and create a washed-out hazy glow on the horizon in your astro photos. Let's find out if you should add one to your kit bag to enhance your low-light city and astro shots…

Rollei Astroklar: Specifications

Rollei Astroklar: Price

The circular filter comes in an impressive range of thread options with 15 to choose from, as well as 100mm and 150mm square options. Normally, the larger the filter, the higher the cost, which is only to be expected due to the greater amount of material used in its manufacture.

But I found typical street pricing at the time of penning this review to be a bit of a mixed bag, with pricing yo-yoing up and down through the range. Street prices range from around $70 / £48 / AU$82 to $123 / £92 / AU$105, but the most expensive filter isn't necessarily the biggest. For example, my go-to astro filter is normally 82mm to fit my favorite wide-angle astro lens. I'm based in the UK, and in this instance, I opted for the largest 105mm for £52, because it was much cheaper than the 82mm at £92.

Indeed, there are some very odd jumps in pricing in all territories, with prices varying wildly. So the upshot is that it may make sense to buy a larger filter and use a step ring to make it compatible with your smaller lenses.

Rollei Astroklar: Design & Handling

The Rollei Astroklar filter is manufactured in China and comes in the broadest range of filter size options of any light pollution I’ve reviewed, with no fewer than 15 different size iterations between 39mm and 105mm circular screw-in filter threads, as well as 100x100mm and 150x150mm square options.

The 105mm screw-in version I opted for weighs 30g and has a depth of 5mm, though this protrudes by just 3mm when screwed into the front filter thread of a lens.

The filter also gets a double-sided coating to tame reflections and repel oil and water, though I found it blocks out light by 2/3 of an f-stop, so shutter speeds need to be a little longer.

Also included is a storage box, though at sizes of 105mm and 112mm, it comes with a leatherette case that magnetically closes and keeps the filter safe when stored. My only gripe here is that it was fairly oversized for the 105mm filter I had in on test and took up more space in my kit bag than I would have liked. It’s also not as protective as a hard plastic case.

Rollei Astroklar: Performance

The Rollei Astroklar showed a great performance when it came to coatings, which are applied to both sides of the filter. The filter surface is hydrophobic, so water beads nicely and falls right off with a shake, making it easy to clean.

Rollei says its Astroklar filter has a special anti-light MOG coating to reduce unwanted yellows and oranges from street lamps. In testing, I found it did a good job of neutralizing these unwanted colors, though, in common with other similar filters, it can't do too much to combat the light spill and loss of definition in the stars and sky from light pollution. The best solution for this is to head to a designated dark sky area. However, for some scenarios, this isn’t possible, such as night-time shots of cities; here, the Rollei works very well.

Sharpness and contrast were good with the filter attached, and I didn’t notice it introducing any additional chromatic aberration or vignetting. It’s also worth noting that the filter blocks out light by about 2/3 of a stop, so my exposure time without the filter was 13 secs, and with the filter attached, this was extended to 20 secs.

Rollei Astroklar: Verdict

The Rollei Astroklar performed very well and has some excellent features that make it a joy to use. Image quality is fabulous, and its coatings provide good protection and resistance to oil and water.

While Rollei makes its Astroklar in a wide range of circular filter threads from 39-105mm, it’s also available in 100x100mm and 150x150mm square iterations for dedicated filter holders, and it has the widest range of sizes amongst any light pollution filter I have tested. But check before you buy, as it can be cheaper to buy a larger option and use a step-up ring to make it compatible with lenses that have a smaller filter thread.

Alternatives

The K&F Concept Natural Night filter boasts a strong set of features, with quality Japanese glass, a light and thin frame, and a 28-nanolayer multi-coat, which does a great job of making the filter resistant to oil, water, and scratches. The filter is available in filter threads between 49mm and 82mm.

Aimed at professionals, the Cokin Nuances Clearsky is one of the highest-quality light pollution filters around, with the very best glass and water-resistant coatings. It's available in thread sizes ranging between 52mm and 82mm, and can also be picked up as a square filter for Cokin’s P, Z, and X holders. If you take astro and night city shots to sell and have deep enough pockets, the Cokin Nuances Clear Sky is the best of the best.