Lens glass protection

Mr G

Mr G

Messages
2,392
Name
James
Edit My Images
Yes
I have a canon 17-85 is lens..I want to by a glass lens protection for it
I have looked at a few filter sites etc and get conflicting answers..

All i want is something that will protect the lens without losing the quality of the image
is there such a beast out there and if so will I be paying through the nose..
then again is there a better way of doing it :thumbs:
 
bit of a can of worms topic, some people swear by them and others think theyre the devil for reducing quality.

PERSONALLY i think it depends on the conditions you shoot in and the size of your hood.

for example my lenses:

18-50 - doesnt really go out in harsh environments so no filter
70-200 - goes to rallys so subject to dust, grit and stones so has a hoya pro UV
120-300 - goes to rallys but the hood is the size of a small car so stops most objects, plus a 105mm filter isnt the cheapest lol

all of the above are insured however so any major damage can be sorted :)
 
Just get the best quality Canon or Hoya Pro-series UV filter you can afford - people get obsessed with trying to get the ultimate image quality from their lenses and it's all balls - the human eye is incapable of discerning the difference in most cases and variations in shooting conditions takes care of the rest...

If you only shoot still-life subjects in optimum studio conditions with the camera tethered to a tripod and only clean your lenses with a brand-new brush and fresh lens tissues under laboratory conditions every time - then yeah...maybe...

But for 'real-world' photography - stick a quality UV filter on...then at the end of the day look at all the crap that's stuck to it and think "that would have been on the front element..."
...and when you have to scrub salt-spray, dried raindrops, sand, dust, bogies, blood etc off, you'll be glad it's a £50 filter and not the £1500 lens you're abrading with a gungy hankie...
 
Mr G said:
I have a canon 17-85 is lens..I want to by a glass lens protection for it
I have looked at a few filter sites etc and get conflicting answers..

All i want is something that will protect the lens without losing the quality of the image
is there such a beast out there and if so will I be paying through the nose..
then again is there a better way of doing it :thumbs:
Click to expand...

A lens hood is the only thing that will not affect the Q of the lens in my opinion, other will differ.
 
Hoya Pro1 protector filters all the way. :thumbs:

Apparently the protector filters don't effect the colour tones, and UV protection is pointless because the sensors already have some sort of filter on them to take care of that anyway?

Not sure what skylight filters are meant to do, but I had one on my old lens when I bought it, and after using it for a year or two I found I was loosing 1-2 stops with it! :bonk: :lol:
 
I use them sometimes sometimes not, got one for my 70-200 for sea spray and other poor conditions otherwise I use hoods (all the time)
 
Jim B said:
Not sure what skylight filters are meant to do, but I had one on my old lens when I bought it, and after using it for a year or two I found I was loosing 1-2 stops with it! :bonk: :lol:
Click to expand...
Skylight will have a little warming (pink) in the colour not a lot, as for lossing 1-2 stops NO way on a skylight:shrug:
 
paulyoung666 said:
did i read that right :suspect: :eek: :lol:
Click to expand...

He has a Canon camera (and Canon lenses, I assume) - so why not a Canon filter? If he was using Nikkor glass I would have suggested Nikon filters - as long as the glass is optically flat - which with expensive ones it is and produces no colour-cast - which with expensive ones they don't...what difference does it make who manufactures them?

I only don't like Canon cameras because they don't feel right to me - nothing wrong with the images they produce...mebbe...:naughty:
 
^^^ What's with the mebbe...? :p :D

Personally I prefer Heliopan, B+W or the top end Hoya filters. But if I was working in the conditions that Arkady is then any filter would be better than none.

I'll accept than any filter at all WILL degrade the image. But I don't routinely look at the images through a microscope so in reality I never notice any differencel. And I've always got the option of removing it if I want to. It's too late to add it once you've got the front element covered in dog snot or other debris.

I always use lens hoods, they do give a certain amount of protection too, but that's not their primary purpose.
 
Bill Roberts said:
^^^ What's with the mebbe...? :p :D

I always use lens hoods, they do give a certain amount of protection too, but that's not their primary purpose.
Click to expand...

Which raises a question. Other than protection what else are hoods good for?
I've never fitted any of my hoods to my lenses. Should I?

Barney
 
Barney12 said:
Which raises a question. Other than protection what else are hoods good for?
I've never fitted any of my hoods to my lenses. Should I?

Barney
Click to expand...
They do help keep stray light off the lens cut down on flair If you keep the sun off the front lens you get much better contrast
 
Lens hoods are made to stop extraneous light from falling on the front element of the lens and causing undue flare. They're designed specifically for a particular lens, although with zooms it's sometimes a bit of a compromise.

And yes... you should use them with all your lenses.

cheers
Bill
 
so more conflicting ideas looks like using my lens hood is in front :bonk:
 
Arkady said:
Just get the best quality Canon or Hoya Pro-series UV filter you can afford QUOTE]

Canon filters are overpriced coasters - go with Hoya Pro...
Click to expand...
 
philthejuggler said:
Canon filters are overpriced coasters - go with Hoya Pro...
Click to expand...

I stand corrected...Nikon or Hoya Pro would have been my 1st choice, but out of deference to the Canoniers here...:D

...and yes - lens hoods help keep stray raindrops, dirt and other gubbins off the lens as well as shielding that front element from stray sunlight (or light bleeding in from anywhere you don't want it to) that'll degrade your lens way more than any filter ever could...

Also helps to keep you from accidentally putting fingerprints on the lens when grabbing for the camera in a hurry and will soak-up any accidental knocks and bumps - I'd rather sacrifice a lens hood and filter than a £1500 lens...
 
Jayst84 said:
Watch out for flare / reflections if you go the filter route. Sometimes they are appalling and destroy your shot. Most of the time chances are you won't notice a difference in quality though. You should be able to see it through the lens though, so you'll get to know in what situations it's better to take it off.
Click to expand...

How so? It's so close to the front element that you cannot possibly see it through the lens...
 
Jayst84 said:
Sorry, poor grammar there. I mean you can see the flare or any reflections it may be causing in a particular shot.
Click to expand...

Got you - I find it noticable at night where there are multiple point-light sources, such as street lights and such...you get multiple refractions and reflections off the front element and the inner surface of the filter sometimes...
If I was doing a set-up shot, that's about the only time I'd remove the filter...
 
Arkady said:
I stand corrected...Nikon or Hoya Pro would have been my 1st choice, but out of deference to the Canoniers here...:D
Click to expand...

I don't even think Canon themselves bother to defend their filters! I think they're an after-thought for people who really want everything they own photographic wise to have a Canon logo on!

Phil
 
Arkady said:
Got you - I find it noticable at night where there are multiple point-light sources, such as street lights and such...you get multiple refractions and reflections off the front element and the inner surface of the filter sometimes...
Click to expand...

You get those reflections all the time. In the situation you mention the reflections are highly noticeable because they're very light objects against a very dark background. In other situations they're not so obvious - but they're still there and they cause the drop in contrast that is very common with UV filters - especially the cheap ones.
 
Mr G says "I want to by a glass lens protection" for his lens. Then buy the best you can afford (brands such as have already been mentioned.

Using a hood is used by many (myself included). I don't work in a war zone and have never had any times when I wish I had had a filter on.

There is no right or wrong, just personal choice.

Some people put seat covers on their car seats to protect them. My mothers car went to the scrap yard with immaculate seats which she never got to see!

Graham
 
Another vote for "don't bother with a filter & use the lens hood".

The only time I've thought about it is when taking coastal shots where sea water is likely to be catching the lens, a good cleaning ritual is my preferred option though

Simon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top