filter for protection not on my lens

KIPAX

KIPAX

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KIPAX Lancashire UK
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My most expensive lens at 2,850 quid is the only lens I have that doesnt take a filter on the end to use as protection :( the canon 300 2.8L not happy when it gets wet first night out and smearing away trying to clean the lens.
 
to clean big front glass, just let it dry, then lightly breath on the "tide mark" and it'll come off with a lens tissue (Hakuba are very good) or the edge of a LensPen.

Don't take a lens cloth to the whole of the element, just target where drops have landed. Its better to let them dry rather than smear it around.

Not really sure why you think you need to "protect" it from a bit of water, its good old H20 not sulphuric acid! :)

I'd be more worried about getting water inside the lens, not on the front element. Is it weather sealed?
 
I think Kipax is talking about the 300mm 2.8L IS? It is indeed weather sealed, but Canon recommend a filter on all weather sealed lenses to prevent water getting past the front element.

These Canon super tele lenses are the exception, as you can't get filters in those sizes, but they come with an extra deep lens hood which is sufficient in most situations - the rain would have to be virtually horizontal to hit the glass, unless you're shooting upwards of course.

The front element isn't actually an element on these lenses anyway, it's just a piece of high quality optical flat glass which is easily replaceable. While it wouldn't be a cheap job, it certainly wouldn't be as expensive as replacing an actual lens element at that size, so any slight marks picked up over time aren't disastrous, with an easy fix being available.
 
but Canon recommend a filter on all weather sealed lenses to prevent water getting past the front element.

Umm.. that would suggest the lenses arn't weather sealed then?

Not arguing, just seems a bit of a contradiction if Canon really says that. Doesn't show a lot of confidence in the sealing...?
 
Dont really want to take the thred off topic but what would you say are the best filters?
 
Actually I'd say B&W MRC. The MRC coating is really easy to clean.

But you won't get a filter for huge Primes, so its all moot (and if you did, you'd be looking at £200+!)
 
doesnt canon mean that to complete the weather seal a filter is required?
 
or a more safe than sorry sorta thing
 
i am used to getting a lens and whacking a filter on.. protection against knocks as well... when the hood isnt on there no protection evn when the leather hood is on it dont feel safe.. again just used to screwing a filter on and breating easy re scratches or knocks.

at football your pretty much out in the open.. first night out wiht it i got soacked for 2 hrs and the lens was fully soaked :( thats the actual glass i mean.. i use a cover for rest of it... weather sealed or not :)

just seemed silly that top of the range doesnt have same protection available as the rest
 
I can sympathise . I've had a couple of similar occassions ( not for 2 hours though) Fortunately I only had an F4 lens and could use a filter. A lens hood does help to an extent put you still get rain on the optics. The hood can be a real pain when you are trying to clean the optics without getting them wetter

Try contacting Teamwork . The sell Heliopan filters up to 105mm in diameter. I don't know if there is a screw thread on the end of the 300/ 2.8 but they may be able to help with either a screw or different type of mount.

http://www.teamworkphoto.com/

Contact phone numbers etc on the web site.

let me know how it goes!
 
KIPAX said:
i am used to getting a lens and whacking a filter on.. protection against knocks as well... when the hood isnt on there no protection evn when the leather hood is on it dont feel safe.. again just used to screwing a filter on and breating easy re scratches or knocks.

at football your pretty much out in the open.. first night out wiht it i got soacked for 2 hrs and the lens was fully soaked :( thats the actual glass i mean.. i use a cover for rest of it... weather sealed or not :)

just seemed silly that top of the range doesnt have same protection available as the rest
Click to expand...

I'd say it does effectively have the same level of protection as they put a plain flat galss element at the front to protect the vastly more expensive optic that is the real front element. I bet the cost of getting the flat glass element replaced is not very much more than you would need to spend to get a filter the right size of a suitable quality to go on the front of such a brilliant lens.
 
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