Ahem…
If you recently purchased a $160 Lee Solar Eclipse filter to photograph the upcoming solar eclipse, beware: Amazon has sent out emails warning photographers not to use it. Amazon is also refunding the full purchase price without requiring that the pricey filters be returned.
Photographer Brian Matiash purchased the filter recently and was surprised by an email from Amazon this weekend with the subject line: “Important Product Safety Notification Regarding Your Amazon.com Order…”
“To protect your eyes when viewing the sun or an eclipse, NASA and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) advise you to use solar eclipse glasses or other solar filters from recommended manufacturers,” Amazon writes. “Viewing the sun or an eclipse using any other glasses or filters could result in loss of vision or permanent blindness.
Continue reading here: https://petapixel.com/2017/08/14/amazon-refunding-lee-solar-eclipse-filter-buyers-warning-use/
So, LEE filters for the solar eclipse and other gear is still listed for sale at B&H…
Why?
Because the filters were designed for the solar eclipse and do in fact apparently do what they say they do…
Amazon however seems to be acting out of an abundance of caution…
It seems Amazons concerns were that DSLR users would use it while looking through the optical view finder and regular viewers would use it instead of proper glasses. So out of unnecessary caution, Amazon is refunding and pushing the cost of the filters on dealers. The dealers will likely file a class action lawsuit against Amazon because there is nothing wrong with the filters if used for their intended purpose.
According to LEE all photographic filters for the Soler Eclipse are designed this way and Amazon might end up pulling them all if they realize this is the case. So the lucky people that ordered from Amazon should be perfectly ok using the filter on their mirrorless camera or with live view. Just don’t try to view the eclipse directly through the filter!
Source: https://fujiaddict.com/2017/08/14/lee-solar-filter-controversy/
So there’s that.
I’d just like to point out that purchasing photography gear on the Amazon dot com frequently leads to messy situations.
While at Adorama and B&H life goes much more smoothly.
I would seriously suggest that if you are in fact looking at photography gear on Amazon… you double and triple check everything. When you’re dealing with compact, high value, items that can be easily resold… a lot of poor behavior occurs (scams & theft).
Personally, I feel that paying literally $5 less for a lens from a seller I’ve never heard of on Amazon is not worth the risk… when for $5 more… I can have B&H’s good customer service and peace of mind because I know where the lens came from.
Things to think on…