UV Drop In filters - What's the point?

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Steveo_Hants

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I thought DSLR's were not effected by UV light and UV filters are only used to protect the front element of a lens?

If this is the case then what is the point of a UV drop in filter? Surely its just adding an unnecessary extra piece of glass in to the lens?:thinking::help:
 
Maybe someone will use the lens on a film body...?
 
From the digital photographers guide to filters:

"Although this type of light (UV) is mostly invisible to our sensory system, it creates a reduction in contrast - characterized by a slight haze in distant landscapes. Not only are UV filters useful to combat the effects of haze, they can also be utilized to protect the front element"
 
as far as i am aware it is because when the lens is designed, the space where the drop in filter goes is meant to have something with the refractive index of glass in it. just leaving air would mean there would be too much difference when a differnet filter was required.
 
My understanding is that among the many coatings on decent modern lenses there are coatings for UV which renders a UV filter redundant. This is true for film or digital. I would think that if you're using the filter purely for protection then a Skylight filter would do as good a job, and possibly still serve a useful purpose.

My 500mm f4L has a piece of (presumably) optical glass in the drop-in filter holder -it's actually part of the body of the filter holder, although I don't use any filters with it. I guess it may be to do with the weather sealing or even calibration of the AF. :thinking:
 
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