Tekiac Ultra Slim Filters – the ultimate solution for the Leica Q3 43 and Q series

Introduction

A thank you to Schneider Kreuznach for providing the Tekiac filters set for review. The Tekiac filters are available at Tekiac.

This review has its roots back from when I reviewed the Leica Q3 43 (my review), at the point when I noticed that the excellent APO 43mm lens was physically longer than the Q3’s 28mm lens.

And with time, the decision by Leica to design the Leica Q3 43 to the same dimensions as the Leica Q3 despite the longer lens had led many users and reviewers to the inevitable question of:

“what if I need to use a protective UV, ND, black mist or other filters on the Leica Q3 43?“

I do not use lens caps (as I will usually lose them) and go with a UV filter. And like many of us, I do use other filters such as ND, black mist and the occasional white mist variants. Hence this design decision where Leica’s own manual declared that a filter was not usable with the supplied hood accessory was quite mind-boggling to me.

And every reviewer and user soon experienced another issue, which even if one could somehow find a filter to fit into the Leica Q3 43’s supplied hood, once you go macro mode where the lens extends further into the hood, we are back to square one where there simply is not enough space between the lens front and hood to fit a filter.

We even had forums and Youtube videos on people seeking to find this grail of a filter that works with the Leica Q3 43.

But deep inside, I knew that with an crisis usually comes an opportunity, and it was simply a matter of time before someone competent came up with a solution.

Leica’s solution

is not something I agree with, with their extravagant way out by prompting Leica Q3 43 users to purchase their round hood for an additional SGD370 (USD290) so that one can use filters. Also, the 2025 released Leica E49 Slim Filter UVa II did not work, upsetting some my peers who had bought it thinking Leica resolved the issue (I guess we needed Ultra-slim to work).

Oh, I have the Leica Q3 too, and I did think to use it’s deeper hood on the Q3 43, and nope the threads don’t fit, and that really kinda… saddened me actually.

Finally, an all rounded solution from Tekiac

And yes, the competent person(s) appeared after a few months. A friend pointed me to Tekiac’s solution and their collaboration (press release here) with Schneider Kreuznach (who makes the glass in B+W filters) was exactly what I wanted.

I got in touch with them and was kindly provided a set to test.

• Not only just the standard protective UV filter, but Tekiac’s filter set has options for a ND 0.9, Black Mist 1/4 and White Mist 1/4
• Top-tier 007 MRC nano coated glass I can trust from Schneider-Kreuznach (who makes B+W glass)
• An intuitive universal tool for attaching/removal that works for all filters in the Tekiac system
• Yes, there is no vignetting caused and the filter series works perfectly on the Leica Q3 43, even in macro mode.

Call me anything, but I am not planning to fix just any filter on a Leica APO lens even if it actually fits the hood. The potential color casts alone has put me off filters of dubious quality.

Designed specifically for the Q3 43, the Tekiac ultra slim filter system solves the issue in the cleanest way possible. What makes it special is the incredibly slim, frameless design. There’s no front thread, no unnecessary bulk; just a crystal-clear layer of protection that works the way it should all along with the supplied hood, not against it.

In the photo above, the Tekiac UV filter has been installed, and it is invisible to the eye thickness wise and the reason why we need a special mounting tool for it.

In fact, compare this with the photo I shared with the typical filter above to see the difference.

Some users have mentioned the mounting tool looks complicated but the truth is the installation and removal process is very intuitive. The mounting tool is necessary as Tekiac has redesigned the concept of a filter such that it sits flush with the front of the lens (no grip areas), ensuring zero issues when using the Leica supplied hood even in macro mode.

Installation was straightforward. There are grooves built into the filter which will fit perfectly and aligned with the ‘white’ labelled sides of the tool with a nice click. Start turning until you know it is tight and you are done. To remove the filter, fit the tool back onto the filter, turn the other way and that’s all there is to it. If you do not change filters, you only need to use the tool once.

Once mounted, the filter just disappears from sight. In fact, you probably will forget the filter is there. And with B+W (Schneider Kreuznach)’s 007 MRC nano glass, there is no concerns with image degradation, vignetting and color shifts, which had led to a lot of frustration for me back then when using lower quality ND filters.

Here is a link to my IG post with a video of the installation.

For what the Tekiac Ultra Slim series brings to the table, it is unique with zero competitors currently.

Conclusions

Of course, there will be other alternatives out there in future. But if you’re the kind of Q3 owner who’s clear about wanting the best, the Tekiac is in a class of its own. It’s the only option I’ve found that’s both truly uncompromising in image quality and designed specifically to overcome the Q3 43’s hood challenges, and at the same time, providing a good suite of variants from ND to Black and White mist.

A friend commented the Tekiac filters are expensive. At SGD196 (approx USD153) for the UV filter with the tool included option, it is not the cheapest but in an ironic way, still cheaper than Leica’s own filters by easily 15-20%, and it feels like it was made by people who shoot Leica and understand German engineering.

If you value a clean setup for your Q3 43 / Q series and keen on optical performance, protection with zero trade-offs, this is the filter system to consider.

And if we are back to the age-old argument of should we even use protective UV filters, my take is simply that I am the type who sees the camera as a tool to be used and protective UV filters have saved my gear before.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimers:

1. All product photos and samples here were photographed by me. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos. 
2. To ensure I am unbiased, the Tekiac filters were returned to Schneider Kreuznach at the end of the review.
3. This review is not sponsored.
4. I write as a passion and a hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.
5. The best way to support me is to share the review, or you can always help support me by contributing to my fees to WordPress for the domain using the Paypal button at the bottom of the page.