Lens protection , uv filters ?

tomkbucks

tomkbucks

Messages
877
Name
thomas
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all sorry i know this is a numpty question and im sure covered many times , ive been searching but cant find a definitive answer,

I want to protect my lenses, sigma 10-20 and canon 18-135, its been suggested my a mate that i use a UV filter and just leave it on all the time, but im sure that cant be right , what circumstances should the uv filter be used ? am i ok to just leave it on ? are there any good alternatives to lens protection? eg a clear lens..ive already got a good polarising filter (hoyo ? ) and use that on bright days with good results, but of course cant leave that on !
 
tomkbucks said:
Hi all sorry i know this is a numpty question and im sure covered many times , ive been searching but cant find a definitive answer,
Click to expand...

Loads of posts on here about it, always ends in tears :D

Yes you can leave it on.

Best option is insurance, a filter will not protect your lens from theft, or being dropped into water.

At the end of the day it's your money, and your choice ... personally I do not use them, however I always have a lens hood fitted.

If I was shooting on the sea front, or in any other situation where debris may be thrown up at the lens I would put one on.
 
I agree. UV filters were designed for film, and aren't necessary with digital cameras, but a lot of people do use them for physical protection (you can use a skylight or plain glass protection filter too).

There's a lot of controversy about this. Some people feel that the filters impact IQ, other's don't, or don't think it makes enough difference to matter. I'd suggest getting a good one, if you do want to use a filter. Hoya Pro are fine for the money.

I just use lens hoods, and fit a filter if the conditions are rough and I'm worried about about blowing dust/sand/grit or spray. Mind you, you have to think about protecting the camera too, unless it's sealed.
 
A good fitting hood and be careful. As has been said above there are numerous discussions about should a filter be used and it really is a personnel choice.

Don't forget though, if you do decide to buy a filter, buy a good quality one. There is no point purchasing a good quality lens and then putting a very cheap piece of glass in front of it.

Hope this is of some help .....
 
* 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.
 
I used to buy a good UV filter each time I brought a good lens, but I don't bother with them now unless the weather is really harsh.
I found no real image quality lose but did get more flare on two lenses with filters on.
Now I always use a hood and so far, never had a scratched lens.
 
I've been using UV filters for a while, on all my lenses, for film & digital.

With digital, if I find an image degradation problem that's visible on replay, I remove the filter. It tends to be flare when shooting into direct light sources, as someone mentioned above.

I'd suggest having a go with them, then make your mind up. Get the best you can afford, and like almost all camera gear, if you don't like it, you'll get most of your money back by selling on :)
 
I have found with filters that they tend to degrade the image quality a lot more on longish telephotos than they do on shorter stuff. I have a Hoya pro where the degradation is hardly noticeable on my 17-40 but when I put the exact same filter on a 400/5.6 it most definitely degraded the IQ by quite a bit. I guess it could be because any flaws in the filter glass is magnified more.
With the super tele's (£5k +) you have not even got the option of putting on a protective filter although I believe there is glass element in front of the actually lens glass.

p.s. the only way to tell if a filter is affecting IQ is to take some controlled test, with and with out the filter - with long lenses I suspect that some people who use filters would be surprised how much IQ effected (especially the bokeh).
 
Last edited:
I use these on my lenses, seem as to not affect anything. No UV or Skylight correction, just plain multi coated glass.

LINKY
 
The only filters I ever use are polarising, IR and ND grad, and only when they are needed. I take care and always use a lenshood. Unless I need the camera out to shoot I keep it in my shoulder bag or the lens cap on. The only filter I'd consider for protection would be a Hoya protection filter, but only if I was at risk from serious salt water spray from the sea. The lens front element has picked this sticky mess up in the past and I quickly cleaned it off and wiped the camera clean.
 
All these replies are anecdotal and only illustrate an individual's preference. So it's down to you really.
 
Scotty Pro said:
I use these on my lenses, seem as to not affect anything. No UV or Skylight correction, just plain multi coated glass.

LINKY
Click to expand...

The light has to pass through more glass and more glass/air or air/glass interfaces so there will be some degradation albeit possibly small depending on the filter quality.
 
Last edited:
tomkbucks said:
I want to protect my lenses, sigma 10-20 and canon 18-135, its been suggested my a mate that i use a UV filter and just leave it on all the time, but im sure that cant be right , what circumstances should the uv filter be used ? am i ok to just leave it on ? are there any good alternatives to lens protection? eg a clear lens..ive already got a good polarising filter (hoyo ? ) and use that on bright days with good results, but of course cant leave that on !
Click to expand...

Clingfilm ftw, cheap too, btw, my pictures seem to be a bit soft focus, any ideas? :lol:
 
I only use a filter if there's sea spray or adverse weather, otherwise I leave off. My lens hood usually protects mine in most cases.
 
highpriest said:
Make sure it is B+W multi-coated and not the cheap stuff from Tesco :lol:

Cheers
HighPriest
Click to expand...

I believe their "Taste the difference" clingfilm is better.

If you wrap it all down the lens it will also increase the weather resistance as well. :thumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top