Screw In Skylight Filters as protection!

captures.in.time

captures.in.time

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My mate suggested I use screw in skylight filters on the ends of my canon lenses as an extra protection to the front glass...

Is there any point in this in reality if I'm not doing to much risky clambering with my camera... and also will an extra piece of glass not be detremental to the picture quality?

M
 
Thanks for that... has anyone any other comments... Surely they must cause darker edges to pictures at wider angles??? I just think if another piece of glass means more dirt etc???
 
You'll find two schools of thought on this one, those who swear by the filter and put one on every lens and those who think ut's a waste of time! I'm in the second camp and have ditched the UV filters, the cheap ones degrade you images noticeably and the expensive ones cost more than accidental damage cover! I back the hood to protect the front element from most things and the fact I don't shoot in any uber harsh environments to do the rest.

Dark corners shouldn't be an issue even on super wides as the UV filter is generally not very deep.
 
markelliot said:
Thanks for that... has anyone any other comments... Surely they must cause darker edges to pictures at wider angles??? I just think if another piece of glass means more dirt etc???
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Thats my view BUT if you do accidently knock it, would you prefer to buy another lens or another filter?
 
I use them on my lenses. The benefits outweigh the minuses. It protects my front element from scratches and dirt. I'm happier cleaning the filter than the lens. You'll not have problems with vignetting really, I use a filter on my 10-20 lens without any problems. You must get a decent quality filter though that has coatings on it to reduce flare etc.
 
I've done tests to see if I can see any difference between pics taken with and without filters. And to be honest I can't put hand on heart and say I can see any significant difference. This is with quality filters, and they are not cheap

On the plus side I've had 2 lenses saved by the fiter, including my 100-400 zoom that got dropped when someone moved my bag. Thought I was in for an insurance claim, but no only a new filter. Lens is still working fine.
 
I've got mostly decent filters on my lenses (B+W), the filter for my Bigma cost me about 90 quid. But then the lens cost me best part of 500 quid. I'd rather replace 90 quid of filter than 500 quid of lens, personally. Unless you're insured, I think it's worth the extra expense. For me, anyway.

Talking of insurance, can anyone recommend any?
 
Oh, and a suggestion I was given, which I wish I'd taken on board before, is get one decent big filter and get a step up adapter.
 
welly said:
Talking of insurance, can anyone recommend any?
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I wish there was a simple answer to that!!! Seems like it depends on what day of the week it is, and which way the wind is blowing as to whether they are any good when it comes time to make a claim....

I think the general consensus is to speak to your household insurance company for their stipulations, and then specify the kit you want insured to them.

Have a search, there's been plenty of threads about it, but good service really only counts when you need to make a claim....
 
a1ex2001 said:
You'll find two schools of thought on this one, those who swear by the filter and put one on every lens and those who think ut's a waste of time! I'm in the second camp and have ditched the UV filters, the cheap ones degrade you images noticeably and the expensive ones cost more than accidental damage cover! I back the hood to protect the front element from most things and the fact I don't shoot in any uber harsh environments to do the rest.
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:agree:
 
I have no filters on any of my lenses unless I use a CP or ND from time to time. the only time I'd consider using a filter for protection is if I was shooting motorsport or something where objects were physically flying through the air at me.

If you use your lens hood I really fail to see how you can damage your front element unless your are very very care free with your equipment. I've had my camera out on windy beaches, in the pouring rain on an air boat in the Everglades, sticking out the side of a helicopter and also crawling around through bushes & tree's trying to find good angles and never had a problem with damaged front elements, ever!
 
My mate suggested I use screw in skylight filters on the ends of my canon lenses as an extra protection to the front glass...

Dis-own him. Get more sensible friends :)
 
puddleduck said:
My mate suggested I use screw in skylight filters on the ends of my canon lenses as an extra protection to the front glass...

Dis-own him. Get more sensible friends :)
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That's a bit harsh!

Looks like im going to loose those Skylight filters then as im not paying lots of money for them... was just going to get cheap jessops ones!

Thanks all for your advice!
 
Here's a thought - why not buy a cheap Hoya green sklight filter [about £12 each for 77mm], keep it on the lens for everyday shots, and take it off for the critical stuff?

A £12 filter which has accompanied the camera since new will add £12 to the resale value, and maybe, just maybe, will prevent inadvertent scratches if your lenscap prangs off inside your camera bag..
 
danbroad said:
Here's a thought - why not buy a cheap Hoya green sklight filter [about £12 each for 77mm], keep it on the lens for everyday shots, and take it off for the critical stuff?
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Well, I do a few holiday type snapshots with my camera, but not many.

Most of what I take is for photography as a hobby... for all of those I want them to be as good as possible.

I'd say my "snaps" account for a very, very small percentage of the time the lens cap is off of my glass...
 
danbroad said:
Here's a thought - why not buy a cheap Hoya green sklight filter [about £12 each for 77mm], keep it on the lens for everyday shots, and take it off for the critical stuff?

A £12 filter which has accompanied the camera since new will add £12 to the resale value, and maybe, just maybe, will prevent inadvertent scratches if your lenscap prangs off inside your camera bag..
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How can putting a cheapy filter on a decent lens ever be a good idea? It's like advising people to shoot through a window rather than opening it. If you going to by filters buy the best or simply don't bother, spending £12 to make your pictures worse is madness.
 
To be honest i use uv filters on all my lenses for the reasons above. They are mid range price ones and so far cant tell if they cause a prob.
But going off on a tangent here, i thought that skylight filters were for film and uv filters for digital:shrug: Any one care to expand.
 
As far as visible light goes, the UV filter does nothing at all. All it removes is some ultraviolet, and for a film camera, this makes some sense. Most digital cameras already have a UV filter at the sensor, so about all you are getting is something out in front of your lens for mechanical protection . A skylight filter has just a touch of pink warming to it, just enough to warm an overly blue sky. Some days you might want it. Again, a filter
of any kind can serve as mechanical protection to an expensive lens.

Shamelessly pinched from another forum.
 
There is not much difference between skylight and UV. The Skylight was also known as a 1A after the Kodak Wratten filter ID. it is a very faint salmon pink colour and was designed to reduce the blue haze in some photographs. Having said that my experience was it didn't have much, if any effect,on the colour balance.

If you do use filters on you lenses as protection, don't put cheap ones on, they really do screw up the image quality. Good glass deserves good glass
 
Def decided now to remove those filters... thanks for the coments guys!

M
 
I have a £500 wide angle with a mark on the lens because it won't take a filter for protection.

I have an £850 zoom lens with a big dent on the rim of a filter instead of the lens.

My B+W and Hoya Pro filters have never given me cause for concern regarding degrading the picture.
 
I was listening to a podcast (this week in photography) and a couple of guys were discussing it. They use filters almost like a lens cap (often instead of a lens cap), usually taking them off to photograph but if they need to pick up and shoot quickly they can.

Until now I have left mine on but I'm going to try and take it off more often to see if there is much difference.
 
For those that say the use them to protect from scratches, how many scratches do you have on your filters?
 
I've taken them off all of my lens's as i did some tripod mounted shots to compare the images and I'm sure i could see a difference especially when compared on dull days. I still have a hoya HMC super uv(0) 82mm currently for sale ;). Its all down to personal preference.
 
ShawWellPete said:
I was listening to a podcast (this week in photography) and a couple of guys were discussing it. They use filters almost like a lens cap (often instead of a lens cap), usually taking them off to photograph but if they need to pick up and shoot quickly they can.

Until now I have left mine on but I'm going to try and take it off more often to see if there is much difference.
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I see where you comming from and I would willingly do this if they were not such a pain to get on and off especially on a cold winters day.

I shall simply stick to being careful with my kit it makes sense after all and saves me buying expensive filters that I need to replace every time I decide to bash a lens about or drop my camera.
 
My biggest problem is this, your taking a load of bits of glass that have been optically designed to work together...then your sticking a cheap bit of glass in front of all that, all of which will be adding to a loss in contrast, saturation and will aid flare - even more so if your shooting with budget gear. I use a £150 polarizer yet I still only stick it on when I absolutely know it's anti glare properties will really help, otherwise I shoot 'naked' as much as I can (oooer).
 
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