Photographer's 2025 Buying GUide
As we enter 2025, it’s the perfect time to refresh your photography gear and embrace the tools that help bring your creative vision to life. Whether you’re a professional photographer or an enthusiast, Kolari Vision has an innovative lineup designed to enhance your shooting experience across genres and styles. Let’s dive into some must-have gear for the year ahead.
Magnetic Clip-in Filters deliver professional-grade optics in a sleek, CNC-machined aluminum magnetic frame, making them lightweight, durable, and incredibly versatile. Since the filter sits behind the lens and in front of your sensor, you won’t have to purchase multiple sizes of the same filter to fit each different camera lens you own. This makes them a super cost-efficient filtration option for creatives.Â
Our catalog of infrared and visible light magnetic clip-in filters are now available for these mounts:
- Canon RF-Mount: it is also possible to pair it with the RF-EF Drop-in Filter Adapter for multiple levels of filtration
- Sony E-Mount (Full frame and APS-C)
- Nikon Z-mount
- Fujifilm X-Mount
- Fujifilm GFX-mount
Our Magnetic Clip-in Filters made a huge splash on social media back in 2021 among photographers and videographers alike who were calling our filters some of the biggest innovations in camera gear. After the successful launch of our magnetic clip-in filters for Canon RF-mount, we launched our clip-in filters for Sony E-mount full frame, which are currently our top-selling filters of all time. Shortly thereafter, we expanded our lineup to Nikon Z-mount and Fujifilm X-mount cameras. At this moment in time, we’re still expanding our catalog for more camera mounts!
The Lumix ZS1 to ZS30 are compact yet powerful cameras that are perfect for street, travel, and everyday shooting, delivering incredible image quality in a pocket-sized form. Paired with a 720nm lens filter or upgraded with a full 3-filter kit (590nm, 720nm, UV/IR Cut Hot Mirror), the Kolari Pocket ZS becomes the perfect infrared and visible light camera kit on a budget.
A few features that set the specific models apart also include:
- Resolution: Ranges from 10 to 18 MP
- Video Quality: For the best video experience, we recommend the ZS10 or newer, which supports 1080P
- Lens Range: All units cover at least the 25-300mm range; newer models expand this to 24-480mm
- Aperture: All models feature a wide f/3.3 aperture
- Additional Features: Newer models include features like GPS, touch screen, and USB charging.
With hotspot-free lens performance, full support for manual shooting*, and a killer deal starting at $199.99, the Kolari Pocket ZS comes as the ideal cost-efficient entry point into infrared photography and is now available and ready to ship out in time for the holidays!
*Models ZS5 and newer all feature PASM manual control modes, and although none have RAW support, all of these models have CWB capabilities for IR and hotspot-free lenses.
Our favorite IR point-and-shoot cameras were from the Lumix ZS series before we opted to use the Canon ELPH 180 for the original Kolari Pocket. However, the growing popularity of Canon point-and-shoot cameras in 2024 has caused their prices to skyrocket, so we’ve decided to bring back the Lumix ZS series! We are offering a range of some of the best point-and-shoot cameras ever made—from the Lumix ZS1 to ZS30. These are refurbished and modified by us and tested to be fully working with a 1-year-warranty.
Every pro photographer has an ND lens filter in their camera bag. If you aren’t aware, neutral density filters (simply known as ND filters), simply reduce the amount of light entering your camera by a certain number of stops. These can help you to capture a proper exposure for your image in overly bright conditions, shoot long exposures, create motion blur, or get a shallow depth of field.Â
Whether you’re capturing waterfalls or shooting video with cinematic motion blur, our Kolari Pro Magnetic ND Filters are a must-have if you want to eliminate the hassle of threaded filters and bring the convenience of magnetic attachment to your gear arsenal. The magnetic design allows quick filter changes. To top it off, the glass used in our filters feature near-perfect color neutrality in both visible and infrared light spectrums. The price-to-performance ratio in our filters here is unbeatable!
*Our Magnetic ND Lens Filters feature Schott B270 glass for clarity and durability. They do not use Corning Gorilla Glass, which is featured in our Kolari Pro ND Lens Filters and Kolari Shades.
At Kolari, we’ve always been driven by our expertise in IR-blocking precision optics. When we developed our Kolari Pro ND Filters—renowned for their unmatched color neutrality, ultra strong Corning Gorilla glass substrate, and IR-blocking capabilities—we wondered, why stop there? If we could craft the most color-neutral filters in photography, why not apply the same advanced technology to something we all use every day: sunglasses?
That’s how Kolari Shades were born.
Kolari Shades redefine what eyewear can achieve. They’re the world’s first sunglasses to combine real glass optics that offer perfect color neutrality while protecting your eyes from 99% of infrared and 100% of UV light. Built with Corning Gorilla Glass and housed into titanium frames, these lenses merge the durability of plastic with the unmatched optical clarity and scratch resistance of glass while blocking facial recognition technology, setting a new standard for sunglasses.
Whether you’re shooting outdoors or simply enjoying the view, these are the sharpest shades you’ll ever own. We’re now offering three distinct styles of shades: our Horizon, Classic, and Aviator styles.
Used Cameras: Affordable Options for All Levels
While used cameras aren’t what you think of when it comes to flashy gear, it always helps to know that there are affordable options available for all levels of creatives whether you’re a budding photographer aiming to start your career in 2025 or a working professional in need of a second camera to cover your shooting range.Â
Our selection of used cameras is perfect for creatives seeking high-quality gear at a fraction of the cost. Every camera undergoes a rigorous inspection, ensuring reliability and performance. We also accept camera trade-ins for store credit or consignment towards purchases on our store, so you can upgrade your gear while saving on costs. Just make sure your camera is fully functional, digital (so no film cameras), and undamaged beyond normal wear and tear!
Kolari Pro CPL Lens Filter: Reduce Reflections for Stunning Shots
There seems to be a mystique surrounding CPL (circular polarizer) lens filters, but they are some of the most useful filters for photography once you understand what they’re used for. In short, they reduce reflections from metallic surfaces, cut through atmospheric haze, and improve color saturation.Â
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Our Kolari Pro CPL Lens Filter is made of two pieces of premium-class glass coated in our signature Anti-Reflective (AR) and Anti-Smudge (AS) coatings. The AR coating increases light transmission and reduces flares and ghosting, while the AS coating is hydrophobic, dust-resistant, scratch-resistant, smudge-resistant, and lends itself to effortless cleaning. Our CPL filter is fitted in a slim aluminum ring to reduce vignetting when using wide-angle lenses or when stacking filters. The ring is constructed for superior lens threading, and the aggressive grip knurling allows for easier filter removal. Our Kolari Pro Dark CPL Lens Filter boasts all of the same features as our regular CPL but with the addition of a built-in 5-stop ND.
As previously mentioned in our section about our Magnetic ND Lens Filters, neutral density filters allow you to control the amount of light that enters your camera. In practice, this is useful for achieving long exposures, shallow depth of field, and cinematic videos.
If you’re looking for the absolute top-of-the-line ND filter, look no further. We’ve made a near-mathematically perfect color-neutral ND filter with our Kolari Pro ND Lens Filter. You may never need to buy an ND filter again since it’s also built with scratch-resistant and durable Corning Gorilla Glass which boasts high internal transmission and lower refractive index for distortion-less sharp images. It also comes with a lifetime warranty! You can see its near-indestructibleness in action — it is the most durable ND lens filter you could ever get!Â
We’re currently offering 1-stop to 20-stop ND strengths in filter sizes between 49mm to 95mm.
Kolari Pro UV Cut Protective Lens Filter: Everyday Lens Protection
In 2024 during our Summer of Innovation, we announced that we would release a new infrared filter each year and launched our Candy Chrome Filter — a filter that produces unique shades of lush pink foliage and turquoise skies and waters after a red and blue channel swap. With further post-production and the use of infrared LUTs, you can also achieve a variety of red or gold tones!
Candy Chrome was developed in collaboration with infrared photographer Pierre-Louis Ferrer this year in 2024 who also helped develop our Infrared LUT Packages.
