Protecting lenses....

[Quickpic66]

When i first decided to get into photography a few years back I was told that for every lens I buy i should also get a dayliight filter to fit onto it as they are cheaper to replace than the lenses.

I have done this now for all 5 of my lenses but i am wondering.

1. is this the right thing to do?
2. does this effect my taking pics by too much?
3. is there anything else I should do to help protect my lenses?

Many thanks for any help given.

[kiffy]

knowing bug**r all about photography i read that in quite a few places online recently, so while building my kit over the past fortnight ive bought four lenses and four uv filters so i hope its the right thing to do. only thing i did was not go for the cheapest uv filters i could find, unfortunatly i didnt go for the best either as budget restrictions kicked in but i bought kood filters which seem ok.. i hope?

[amk1977]

Some people (usually professional photographers) don't use them because of potential affect on image quality as a result of having them fitted and instead just have the lens hood fitted. Some people do use them. I, personally am of the school of thought that its much cheaper to replace a scratched UV filter than the front element of your lens.

Kood make decent filters. I have their CPL filter for the Cokin P type holder system, as well as a couple of their screw in UV fitlers.

[ap4a]

I don't see the point in paying hundreds of pounds for a quality lens only to reduce the quality of the results by needlessly putting another piece of glass in front of it. Using a hood when a lens is in use, and a lens cap when it's not, will give your lens better protection than a filter.

The only time I use a protective filter is when I use my 17-40 near the sea, waterfalls, sandy areas or in heavy rain as it's required to complete the environmental sealing around the front element, and for that I use a high quality multi-coated filter designed to help eliminate ghosting and flare. I use a hood to protect the lens from physical hazards (not the standard one that comes with it, I use the same hood as you can get for the 17-55).

I do have another UV filter which I got for my 50mm when I first started out, but after the first few months stopped using it as it was clear that it was reducing the image quality whilst not going to offer any additional protection (except perhaps against projectiles fired at my face).

Have a read here for a better argument against their use than mine: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/co...m-feb-05.shtml

[amk1977]

Lens hoods do provide a decent amount of protection against damaging the front element from accidental knocks and scrapes. What they don't protect against is grit getting onto the glass or onto the lens cloth. All it takes is a tiny shard of something sharp stuck to either and you run the risk of putting a nice big scratch on your lens. Not only willl it potentially reduce image quality, but will also massively effect resale value.

I would much rather take a minor reduction in IQ (although UV filters can improve IQ by reducing haze in landscape shots), than scratching a £300, £500, £2000 lens, which will cost hundreds of pounds to replace, as opposed to a half decent filter.

Its horses for courses and there is no blanket arguement for or against their use. For some people who cannot afford to splash out on repairing equipment, or are concerned about scratching the lens or damaging the coating when cleaning, filters are excellent. I know some people who won't use them because they are concerned about IQ. I use them and haven't really noticed any difference. I also know of people who have scractched their pro grade glass and wished they'd put a filter on.

[Stormsong]

I would rather spend a few pounds on replacing filters than a few hundred or thousand replacing a lens. I also wrap my lenses in bubble wrap before placing them in my camera bag. If you are in the UK, Ryman stationers stocks a 1m x 600mm sheet for about £1.50 (saves you having to buy a 10-metre roll).

[OldBoy]

Front elements of lenses are toughter than you think. I don't use any filters on my lenses regardless of weather and never had a problem. In fact top Pro lenses, like the 400mm, 500mm and 600mm all have rear screw-in filters.

[ianpinion]

I've moved over from using UV/Daylight filters to a HD Multi-coated Protection Filter and find it works much better without having any noticeable affect on the image quality.

[ap4a]

Each to their own, anyone that feel it's beneficial to use a filter for protection should do so as it'll aid confidence in your kit. And, as I said earlier, if you're going into an environment where there's a risk to the lens, such as blowing sand/grit or water, a filter if a good idea. As is not wiping a gritty lens (or filter for that matter) with a cloth until the grit has been removed first (common sense). If you are going to use a protective filter then go for the best you can afford as high quality ones with multiple coatings are less affected by flare and ghosting issues, and don't reduce sharpness and contrast as much.

However, if something hits the front of your lens you're just as likely to damage the front element as a result of having a filter in place than not as the filter will break inwards and splinters may then strike the lens.

It's always useful to be aware of the potential effects of using a filter so you can make decisions based on conditions a compensate too.

Images with a filter in place:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21273816@N02/2603725416/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zlguocius/262553351/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremymiles/4375189022/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leighanna/3821544746/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/da-pi/367819848/

And from a badly damaged lens:
http://www.lensrentals.com/news/2008...ment-scratches

A useful article on filter quality: http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/...ity/index.html

[littlebro]

Think about it, drop the camera with filter on the front, smashes it and possibly knocks the filter out, the threads most likely ripped..... new lens. With lens hood on just that smashed. Moral is, be careful.