Who needs a filter for protection?

Oh my, the front elements do take quite a bit of abuse.
Thing is, everyday dirt like sand is silica and will have the same hardness value as the front element glass. It will probably scratch the glass more than hammering it with a flat head.

Filters all the way for me!
 
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Filters have saved 2 "L" lenses for me. OK the Hoya Pro's aren't cheap, but the a new front elements a lot more expensive.
 
I have decent Hoyas fitted to pretty much all my lenses.

Some people complain about image drop-off or artifats introduced by the filters but a knackered front element makes your pictures MUCH worse !
 
I always put a filter on my lens. Just bought a Nikon 14-24 2.8G though, and it doesn,t have the facility for a filter. Hope the front eliment is a tough as the one in the Video then.
 
didnt expect it to last that long.
 
I'm not sure this old lens would need one - that's the front element sitting next to it :D

P1020995.jpg
 
'Protection' or UV filters are a waste of time IMO.

In all my years I have never caused damage to a front element, and thats with some pretty hard use.

Just buy a hood (FAR more effective) and look after your kit.
 
Never used a filter either - I don't know what people do with their lenses but if I'm anywhere potentially hazardous (eg passing through a crowded area) I just seem to automatically put my hand over the front, (or put on the lens cap as last resort). The front element is about an inch inset anyway which gives some protection.
 
I only bother with my filters as it wold be easier to buy a new one than get the element sorted should I scratch it :shrug:
 
kol said:
I only bother with my filters as it wold be easier to buy a new one than get the element sorted should I scratch it :shrug:
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Buy a hood and you wont scratch it. A hood has other uses too, and improves image quality rather than degrading it (flare protection, improves contrast).
 
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OutLore said:
Here we go again.......:bang:
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This one always re-appears, like the Canon v Nikon etc etc, but it gets people going, oh yeah. I cut and paste. :|

Cool vid though!
 
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If you worked in some of the conditions I work in, a filter would always grace the front of each and every lens - cement works, mines, quarries, at sea working with powerboats and spray flying - if you aren't getting wet, you aren't close enough.
 
Filters are necessary to complete weather sealing on some L lenses.

Filters can protect from flying ham, oil, tomato sauce, beer, etc. More importantly they protect from sand, rocks, stones - very hard material that can easily (light touch is enough rather than stronger impact) scratch the glass. Steel is not hard enough.

Good filters don't really degrade performance (sorry they really don't), so this is a very clear cut situation.
 
daugirdas said:
Filters are necessary to complete weather sealing on some L lenses.

Filters can protect from flying ham, oil, tomato sauce, beer, etc. More importantly they protect from sand, rocks, stones - very hard material that can easily (light touch is enough rather than stronger impact) scratch the glass. Steel is not hard enough.

Good filters don't really degrade performance (sorry they really don't), so this is a very clear cut situation.
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Its not really that clear cut. I use filters, but only CPL's, and Hoya Pro ones at that. And while they dont degrade quality on their own, as soon as you get a tiny spec of dust or dirt on the filter it seems to present itself quite clearly in my images, needing some pp'ing to remove them. A tiny spec of dust on a front element never presents itself on the final image. So while a good filter wont necessarily degrade an image per se, I find they need constant cleaning while out on a shoot or I get dirt specs all over my photos.

Secondly, its actually VERY hard to damage a hardened front element (apart from indirect blunt impact force, ie, dropping from a height), and if you did manage to scratch it, its unlikely a scratch would show up on a final image, the worst that would happen is you'd get flare from the very slight light diffraction. But 9 times out of 10, you'd need a diamond cutter to make headway into a front element.
 
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daugirdas said:
Good filters don't really degrade performance (sorry they really don't), so this is a very clear cut situation.
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* 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.
 
hollis_f said:
* 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.
Click to expand...

Correct.
 
I own protection lenses for the possibility where I'm in a volatile environment. So far I've never needed to use them and a hood does the job perfectly so far for my uses.
 
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