The optical and magneto-optical properties of the {Tb3}[Sc1.95Lu0.05](Al3)O12 garnet (TSLAG) crystal are analyzed in detailed and compared with those of the reference compound Tb3Ga5O12 (TGG). TSLAG presents a very high transmittance, particularly higher than that of TGG in the visible region, and its Verdet constant is 20% larger at any wavelength. The figure of merit and extinction features point out the superior characteristics of TSLAG respect to TGG. A prototype, polarization independent optical isolator based on a TSLAG rotator is demonstrated at 1080 nm. Its performance confirms the high optical quality of this crystal, indicating its mature development for Faraday rotator applications.

CeF₃ and PrF₃ single crystals are investigated as Faraday rotators for the UV-visible region. Their properties are compared with those of the industrial standard reference terbium-gallium-garnet (TGG) single crystal. In contrast to TGG, CeF₃ exhibits a higher transparency in the whole near UV-visible-IR, and a remarkable higher figure of merit which rapidly increases towards the cutoff. In the case of PrF₃, the transparency extends to even shorter wavelengths, and analogously to CeF₃ its figure of merit increases notably in the UV. These results indicate the potential of CeF₃ and PrF₃ as optical isolators in the UV-visible, where at present there are no alternative candidates.