do you use protective filters with your lens?

do you use protective filters with your lens?

  • yes, a filter is always on my lens

    Votes: 249 60.4%

  • no, i don't need it

    Votes: 163 39.6%
  • Total voters
    412
I always keep a filter on a lens. Most of them have nice, multicoated filters. Schneider, B&W, Nikon, Leica, Tiffen, Hoya. The images are sharp enough to cause aliasing on the M8 and exceed resolution of C41 film. So the addition of the filter does not produce a detectable difference in the image.

Now- using something like a scanning densitometer or other scientific instrument, and running a 2-D Fourier Transform of the image, I'm sure that some difference could be detected. But the only person that I know that has done that at home is my wife.
 
I've been using both the UV/IR filter (I've got an M8.2) and an ND filter in bright sunlight lately. ND filter first, then the UV/IR, then the hood.
 
Filters have saved yet sacrificed themselves more than a few times for my 70-200, a 400 and a 24-70. Id hate to think if I had to replace a front element. Not so sure about what I will do for the X100 yet, because I have no clue on how the lens hood will attach or how the lens cap snaps on or rather where it will snap on at.
 
No, I never use a protective filter but I always have a lens cap or a hood on my lenses. I won't go as far as to say that I don't need one though. I have thought about using one on a my very clean Summar and Summitar lenses because really nice ones are getting hard to find. Jim
 
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On most of my lenses I wear a UV or skylight filter if shooting color, and a colored filter if shooting black & white. For B&W, my default filter is yellow #8, but I often use an orange, green, or red filter depending on conditions and desired effect.

A number of my LF lenses don't have filter threads on the front element. I'll use gel filters on the inside element on those.

I use a hood if I have one for a particular lens. A bunch of my ebay lenses don't have hoods.

Caps are always on when the lens is in the camera bag and when the lens is on the camera until I'm ready to shoot. Then it goes in my pocket until I'm done shooting or until I change to another lens.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Never, ever. They reduce sharpness and can induce flare. Good ones like B+W are less bad than cheap ones like Tiffens (YUCK, absolutely horrid!) and the cheaper sngle-coated Hoyas (Hoya HMC are very good), but still, anything put over the lens will degrade quality even if you can't notice it.
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What he said.
 
The large amount of older lenses with slightly scratched front elements or "cleaning marks" let me think that the idea of protective filters is not the worst one ... :)
 
Absolutely. I've heard all the arguments about "image degradation" with using a filter, but I don't see it in my images. And anyway, I'd rather have to replace a $50 filter than a $1,000 lens...
 
Pretty much always, yes. If shooting into the sun I'll remove it, but I like a light yellow for most B&W work (Super Presto/Neopan 1600 is the exception) and usually have a clear or 81A on for color.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
Now- using something like a scanning densitometer or other scientific instrument, and running a 2-D Fourier Transform of the image, I'm sure that some difference could be detected. But the only person that I know that has done that at home is my wife.
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Your wife is a babe. You are one lucky dude, Brian. :D
 
mwoenv said:
No, because filter glass is never as good as lens glass.
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You say this based on... what?

The Schott (B+W, Heliopan, Leica) and Hoya foundries provide most of that "lens glass." Anyway, it's not magic glass that matters in a filter. It's optical flatness and superior coatings, and B+W, Leica, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Heliopan, Hoya et al. know how to grind things flat and coat 'em appropriately transmissive –- very very well.

These are mature technologies.
 
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I used to have a filter on everything, but since I do a lot of live music shooting, once I started having to deal with the ghosting/internal reflection from the stage lights, I have to admit I've all but abandoned them other than outdoors with colour filters for b/w and a warming filter.
 
Yes, on each lens sits a UV, clear, skylight, or a ND filter, usually.

I do take them off on occasion, but only if a sturdy hood is on the lenses.

It increases the confidence that if I have a moment where I may be a klutz the glass on the lens will not be damaged.
 
I remember changing lenses on the street during rush hour and having a 35mm Nikkor AF knocked out of my hand. I heard a crunch and watched it roll under a bus.
Then I remembered a filter was on it, and thankfully the wheels missed it.
I keep then on a lot of lenses not only for that, but to save the coatings from my compulsive lens-wiping.
I don't really use front caps, however, much to the concern of non-photographers I run into.
 
Nope, No need for protection... after over 40+ years in photography, never has a reason... I don't bring cameras to the beach or the like...

I DO use medal lens hoods, or tough plastic, never rubber!
And, I protect the lens with my palm if I lean or see a potential bump while out.

I don't use a wrist strap because that kind of strap is most prone to cause a bump with something with the camera swinging about your knee area as you walk.

I like to have the full IQ that the maker put into it.
 
You do not have to read many member equipment ads to figure out how much damage can be done to the front element of a lens by general carelessness. I have filters on all my lenses and have never noticed the slightest degradation of the image by their use. Basically, I find it a nuisance to have to remove and store a lens cap every time I want to grab a shot. Obviously, good quality filters are best, but what's $40 spent on a decent filter compared to damaging a $1000 lens?...TW
 
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