L lens weather sealing, UV filters must?

wyx087

wyx087

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it feels strange putting a piece of glass in front of a very expensive L lens, are UV filters a must?

the lens isn't new, already got a bit of dust on it and inside. any point degrading image sharpness by putting a UV filter on it?

could a circular polariser do the job? those are the only filters i consider a must-have, but because they rotate, could they do the job of protecting the lens against elements when out doing landscape?


on a related note, if i expose the camera with nifty fifty 50/1.8 in light showers, would the weather sealed body be okay?
 
I have L lenses too and circular polarisors for when needed but run with naked fronts 99% of the time.

Of course adequate insurance is a must :)
 
A CPL will obviously offer protection to the front element of your lens but this particular filter has a purpose.

In terms of your question in the thread title - If you want to know whether a lens requires a 'protective' filter on the front to be considered 'weather sealed' (In addition to the rear gasket) you can easily find a list of which lenses require the fitting of a filter.
 
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thanks, the question is more of: would CPL be able to protect from elements rather than getting a UV?

i understand CPL has special purpose, and will loose 1 stop of light. generally it's only 1 stop, it's not a big problem out doors.
 
Sorry, I read the question in the title: L lens weather sealing, UV filters must ?

Canon provide a list of which L lenses require a filter for weather sealing.

Would CPL be able to protect from elements rather than getting a UV?

Even though the CPL 'rotates' - the filter thread remains tight on your lens thread.

Any screw on filter would protect the front of your lens and some filter / lenses = weather sealing but some filters (like CPL) obviously have an 'effect' which might not be desired all the time.
 
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Why waste money on a UV filter you wouldn't use and if you did, would involve a lot of faffing around if you wanted to attach your CPL.

I use a CPL (Marumi) and just take it off if I don't need it, but generally shoot a lot with it on.
 
thanks guys. looks like there's no need to buy a UV filter, will just invest in a good CPL filter.

final question, is the front filter requirement is to be sealed against dust and small particles? the lens hood would be okay during rain?
 
I'm just wondering why you would want to sacrifice 1.5-2 stops of light by having a CP filter on the camera, unless you were actually using it for the filter effects at the time?
 
Goody13 said:
I'm just wondering why you would want to sacrifice 1.5-2 stops of light by having a CP filter on the camera, unless you were actually using it for the filter effects at the time?
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On a sunny day, 2 stops isn't a big deal. Besides, I doubt anyone actually screws it on and off EVERY time they want the effect.

On a rainy day, CPL isn't desired. Hence my final question.
 
wuyanxu said:
Besides, I doubt anyone actually screws it on and off EVERY time they want the effect.

I do and have done for the last 40+ years. I also do this with ND.ND grads or any other filter I need to use for a specific effect.
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Goody13 said:
I'm just wondering why you would want to sacrifice 1.5-2 stops of light by having a CP filter on the camera, unless you were actually using it for the filter effects at the time?
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It's a good place to store the filter, it "protects the lens" (weak argument IMO) and it is useful in almost every situation outdoors. I normally have mine on all the time and store the lens with it on, only taking it off when I don't need it (for example indoors and at night) or when it gets dirty (way too regularly recently).

I guess to an extent it depends on what you shoot most of the time. I rarely shoot indoors and most of my shots with the lens I have the CPL on are landscape/outdoors. Having it on all the time makes it easy to just twist the lens and see if you like the effect at the time you shoot. I did buy the Hoya HD purposely because it only reduced the light one stop and had good IQ though, wouldn't try with a really cheap CPL.
 
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Which lens are you talking about? There really aren't that many that require a filter to complete the sealing.
 
hollis_f said:
Which lens are you talking about? There really aren't that many that require a filter to complete the sealing.
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24-105mm f4L and in a few months time 17-40mm f4L.


i'm with Amp34, out doors 1 or 2 stop is not that important.

but i prefer B+W for their quality, but will look into Hoya HD, i had a 52mm normal Hoya CPL, it is starting to fall apart :(
 
wuyanxu said:
thanks guys. looks like there's no need to buy a UV filter, will just invest in a good CPL filter.

final question, is the front filter requirement is to be sealed against dust and small particles? the lens hood would be okay during rain?
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Yep save your money and spend it on a filter you actually need/want like the cpl. IMO folks spend far too much time worrying about specks of dust, minor scratches, moisture etc. In day to day shooting, it makes very little difference if you have dust in your lens. In years of shooting, I have yet to look at a photo and wonder if a bit of dust ruined that shot. I've never needed a filter to protect my lens, but a lens hood - always.

And your kit should be fine in rain. Just dry it off when you get in.

Shoot more and worry less :D
 
I'd only use 50mm in very light rain (drizzle or mist to be exact)

or you will soon find water drops on the lens mount, and a little later they will eventually make their way to the mirror chamber.

But then I would guess that installing a rubber gasket should be a very trivial job.
 
wuyanxu said:
24-105mm f4L and in a few months time 17-40mm f4L.


i'm with Amp34, out doors 1 or 2 stop is not that important.

but i prefer B+W for their quality, but will look into Hoya HD, i had a 52mm normal Hoya CPL, it is starting to fall apart :(
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My Hoya fell apart last week. It didn't worry me though as the last Hoya CPL I had fell apart as well... It's pretty easy to put them back together again when you work out how...:gag:

EDIT: I agree with the lens hood! Not only is it something good to rest the lens on if you need to put it on the floor* it also helps protect the lens from everything, including things like rain. It worked great in lots of spray and rain I had last week**. In fact my camera was wearing a hat last week to keep the rain off it whilst it was filming torrential rain on a tripod. The lens hood protecting the front of the lens, the hat the rest... :lol: A filter on the other hand would have just been covered in water and my hat would have got in the picture!

*Changing lenses, shooting multiple things etc.
** Yes, part of it was to test the weather sealing on the D7000 and 17-55. It passed, with flying colours!
 
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daugirdas said:
I'd only use 50mm in very light rain (drizzle or mist to be exact)

or you will soon find water drops on the lens mount, and a little later they will eventually make their way to the mirror chamber.

But then I would guess that installing a rubber gasket should be a very trivial job.
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you know the unpredictable British weather, sometimes i just fancy going out light: 50mm and without a bag.

so how do i install a rubber gasket on a lens?
 
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