UV Filter, for protection.

Papajoe · 11 Apr 2012

It has been highly recommended that I invest in a uv filter to put on and keep on my new lens, a Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM. I have a couple of questions regarding this; is this what most photographers do? Do you recommend it? Can it be used at the same time as a lens hood? Does it distort the photo in any way, especially at night? Does it degrade the photo? Is it likely to cause even more damage to your lens if it breaks? Can you recommend a suitable uv filter for me?
Thanks, any answers based on your experience would be welcomed.

bindex · 11 Apr 2012

Well...

UV filters are always a contentious topic. Usually split about 50/50 for and against them.

I must say at the outset that I'm pretty much for the pro filter camp, in that I argue that you can always take one off, but it's a bit too late to put one on when you've got a front element covered in dog snot or worse.

But I will accept totally that ANY filter will degrade the final image. The question is of course whether you can actually see the degradation. Most times you can't but shooting into the light can indeed cause flare, so just remove the filter.

It's up to you really

cheers

Jayst84 · 12 Apr 2012

Rockman · 12 Apr 2012

I think it depends on where you use your camera. I'm outside a lot, often when it's damp and I would rather dry off the filter than the front element of the lens. Having dropped a camera and broken the filter but the lens was undamaged - I wouldn't have a lens without one.

Mike

mikeysaling · 12 Apr 2012

I always have a filter on my lenses - always used to be UV but lately i read that digital cams are not as susceptable to UV as film cams so now i have HOYA Pro 1 Digital filters - completely crystal clear and top quality - read about them http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/pro1d-01.html I use just the protector filter although the UV is alsoavailable.

faddius · 12 Apr 2012

I use hoya pro-1 UV filters on my more expensive lenses. I accept it can degrade image quality, but if I need something absolutely crystal clear with no compromise I can simply remove the filter.

The main reason I leave the UV on my lenses is purely for protection, scratches happen, often without noticing, such as catching the lens on a zip whilst putting it in / out of a bag, or brushing against the zip of a jacket you are wearing.

My lens got damaged a short while ago, one of the parts quoted to me was the front glass element as it had gotten scratched in the accident, this solitary part alone as far as I remember was £250 or so without the associated labour charges for fitting it.

markmullen · 12 Apr 2012

I only ever use them when I am in a situation likely to be hazardous to my lenses, photographing rallying for example where there are lots of stones and grit flying about, otherwise I use the hood and am just careful with them, my landscape lenses (17-40 and 24-105) live with Lee rings attached and the white Lee lens caps over them to protect them.

hollis_f · 12 Apr 2012

No UV/'protective' filter can improve image quality on a dSLR.
All UV/'protective' filters will cause some degradation in image quality.
The seriousness of this degradation tends to decrease as filter cost increases.
Good filters will cause degradation that is not noticeable under most conditions.
All filters, even the best, will cause noticeable degradation in some conditions.
Image degradation is worse with longer focal lengths.

deadkenny · 12 Apr 2012

Unless you are fairly clumsy, can't use camera straps to hold onto the camera, are paranoid about scratching the lens (they're actually harder to scratch than a filter is), constantly fail to use that protective thing called... a lens cap!, or you are shooting in very dusty/wet environment and want to keep the lens clean (but then the filter is getting coated so shots will be just as affected)...

don't bother.

In my opinion

But it's a subjective topic. Generally the vast majority of the recommendations to get them come originally from the retailer who is trying to flog an extra bit of kit. So many photo shops I've heard the same story, "oh you'll need a UV filter with the camera to protect the lens, blah blah". Probably flog you their own brand filter

I fell for it originally. They were getting awkward especially when swapping about, different sizes for different lenses or having to use step rings, got doubling issues especially with lights in the frame (think like double glazing), and they are tougher to keep clean than the front element (filters smear more I find). The UV filters now sit collecting dust.

Ed Sutton · 12 Apr 2012

deadkenny said:
...fairly clumsy, can't use camera straps to hold onto the camera...

Papajoe · 12 Apr 2012

Thanks for all the replies guys. I guess I’m going to need to purchase something like the Hoya Skylight hmc sup pro for situations like the beach and other hazardous environments. I can do my own sampling when I get It, to determine loss of IQ then decide if I want to keep it on or not.

odd jim · 13 Apr 2012

Papajoe said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. I guess I’m going to need to purchase something like the Hoya Skylight hmc sup pro for situations like the beach and other hazardous environments. I can do my own sampling when I get It, to determine loss of IQ then decide if I want to keep it on or not.

Don't bother with a skylight filter either.

I only use filters for their artistic qualities, ie polarisers and ND grads.

Front elements are very hard to scratch, and if you do they won't show on the image. Filters can cause more problems than they solve, and I've never had a front element damaged in many, many years of shooting everything going (including rallying).

A filter won't protect from any hard impacts either, whereas a lens hood will.

Mountaineye · 13 Apr 2012

UV filter (Hoya/Kenko dig /B+W) and hood all the time. Only take the filter off to swap for Lee holder, then sraight back on again. You may not mind a tiny non harmful scratch on your front element but the person buying it from you on Ebay will probably expect to pay a significant amount less.
Image degredation due to UV filters is by and large a feature of forum discussion rather than a real world observable effect. Scratched front elements are definitely fact. While on the subject, a tiny scratch won't admittedly harm IQ however the marks delivered by trying to clean a front element do damage the image. If a filter gets damaged from cleaning you throw it away, if a front element gets damaged it costs serious money one way or another.

odd jim · 13 Apr 2012

Mountaineye said:
UV filter (Hoya/Kenko dig /B+W) and hood all the time. Only take the filter off to swap for Lee holder, then sraight back on again. You may not mind a tiny non harmful scratch on your front element but the person buying it from you on Ebay will probably expect to pay a significant amount less.
Image degredation due to UV filters is by and large a feature of forum discussion rather than a real world observable effect. Scratched front elements are definitely fact. While on the subject, a tiny scratch won't admittedly harm IQ however the marks delivered by trying to clean a front element do damage the image. If a filter gets damaged from cleaning you throw it away, if a front element gets damaged it costs serious money one way or another.

It takes a hell of a lot to damage a front element. They are VERY tough.

UV filter / iq degradation is a real world issue - search on here for the threads with a direct comparison and it's obvious, even with "good" ones. Personally, I don't see the point of spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on a lens, then paying £50 to degrade the IQ to the equivalent of a lens worth half as much every time you press the trigger...

As for the eBay buyer, I've never sold a lens on eBay, and tbh I never buy lenses that I think I'll ever sell. With, say a lens worth £1k, it won't significantly lower the price anyway.

Mountaineye · 13 Apr 2012

It really doesn't take that much to damage a front element. I'm sorry but cleaning with a cloth, a small bit of grit or sand and even some metal fitments all stratch lenses. Trying to clean a front element that has been outdoors is fraught.
As I say, filter degradation is a forum issue. Look at the landscape work of Joe Cornish, David Noton, Charlie Waite et al and see how many are shot usinga Lee resin filter, they seem pretty sharp to me?
I'd love to see you try to sell a £1k lens on Ebay with a damaged front element, they achieve less as final sale figures it's that simple.
Anyway, each to his own. I think we all give our own opinions and the poster chooses their own path.

hollis_f · 13 Apr 2012

Mountaineye said:
As I say, filter degradation is a forum issue. Look at the landscape work of Joe Cornish, David Noton, Charlie Waite et al and see how many are shot usinga Lee resin filter, they seem pretty sharp to me?

How many of them use a 'protective' filter?

I went to a talk by Thorsten Milste at Canon Pro Solutions. He says that he never uses a 'protective' filter because of the loss of image quality. And he's not one of these people who shoot in namby-pamby environments. At the time his latest profect had been shooting elephants in the Namib Desert - a place known for two things - dust and wind.

odd jim · 13 Apr 2012

Mountaineye said:
It really doesn't take that much to damage a front element. I'm sorry but cleaning with a cloth, a small bit of grit or sand and even some metal fitments all stratch lenses. Trying to clean a front element that has been outdoors is fraught.
As I say, filter degradation is a forum issue. Look at the landscape work of Joe Cornish, David Noton, Charlie Waite et al and see how many are shot usinga Lee resin filter, they seem pretty sharp to me?
I'd love to see you try to sell a £1k lens on Ebay with a damaged front element, they achieve less as final sale figures it's that simple.
Anyway, each to his own. I think we all give our own opinions and the poster chooses their own path.

We'll have to agree to disagree!

But let's make it clear, I'm talking about UV and protective filters which serve no artistic or photographic purpose, not good, useful photographers tools such as ND grads and polarisers.

deadkenny · 16 Apr 2012

Worry less about the camera. The time spent worrying about the front element can be spent taking great photos. It's a tool for the job and just learn to love slinging it about (and invest in good straps to hold onto it

).

I still believe that it's harder to scratch a front element. Not impossible, but I've had sand and grit and all kinds on the lens, wiped with a cloth and no problems at all. They clean well and smear less. Same cannot be said of filters where I've used them which are scratched and smeary despite attempts to clean properly.

Sure, accidents happen. You deal with it. If you're prone to damaging £1k lenses, buy some insurance

UV Filter, for protection.

Papajoe

bindex

Len McCluskey

Jayst84

Rockman

mikeysaling

faddius

markmullen

hollis_f

deadkenny

Ed Sutton

Papajoe

odd jim

Flimsiest Lambresta

Mountaineye

odd jim

Flimsiest Lambresta

Mountaineye

hollis_f

odd jim

Flimsiest Lambresta

deadkenny