To filter or not to filter?

[hendriphile]

A picture (or 2) is worth a thousand words.

A picture (or 2) is worth a thousand words.

I prefer to filter ... if only for the purpose of lens glass protection. That's just my comfort zone.

After making a 2,000-mile trip recently by air I took my M3 out of its bag to find this:

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After removing the filter, it looked like this:

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IMHO, always protect your precious lens with a filter.

 

[Manuphoto]

After making a 2,000-mile trip recently by air I took my M3 out of its bag to find this:

[/IMG]

After removing the filter, it looked like this:

[/IMG]

IMHO, always protect your precious lens with a filter.

Well, good example.

Even though I didn't take a picture of it, a filter did save a Nikkor lens of mine once. Somebody opened a door and BAM, right in the glass. Yes, I did have a hood, but it was a small door handle and went in anyways (that was very unlucky, I admit). Filter was shattered, lens was perfectly fine.

I believe that, as long as you use good quality filters, you won't notice any problem or additional flare in 99% of situations. I've used Nikon, B+W and Zeiss filters with no problem for years.

Wind, salt, dust, sand, all this can damage your lens's coating. And, as posted before, you want to clean the lens when a small grains of sand is here... you could be in a very bad situation.

If only for the peace of mind, please, put a filter, just find a good one.

 

[kokoshawnuff]

I see absolutely no reason not to use a good filter on an expensive lens. For protection I always use B+W MRC Clear filters only taking them off when using another filter or shooting at night around bright lights. There are many circumstances where a hood won't do anything to protect a front element.

Everyone of my lenses are insured, but that doesn't mean I want to go through the hassle of squeezing the money out of my insurance company, then getting back on an eight month waiting list for a Leica lens.

 

[Robert Lai]

In 25+ years of photography, I've had two lens front elements saved by a UV filter that took the force of a blow. They were wearing lens hoods and lens caps too at the time. Now every single lens that I own has a filter of some kind.

If you have small children, you will soon find out that they love to poke at the shiny glass with their fingers. Or, they spit/sneeze when you're about to take their picture. They will find your lens element, lens hood or not.

Finally, I find that the color rendition of certain films such as Fuji FP-100C is too blue/green without a compensating Tiffen 812 filter to correct the color rendition.

 

[Range-rover]

If I want to protect my lens, I'll use a hood or a lens cap.

I wonder how a B&W or Heliopan filter's would fare with this test,
that what I use on my lenses.

Range

 

[ramosa]

I filter everything, UV/IR with lenses on M8, of course. But I will use UV on all lenses with a future FF digital M (e.g., M10). I like the feeling of knowing my lens is well protected.

 

[kshapero]

I do not use filters on my Leica lenses but I do use hoods to avoid flare and for protection.

 

[ruslan]

I filter everything, UV/IR with lenses on M8, of course. But I will use UV on all lenses with a future FF digital M (e.g., M10). I like the feeling of knowing my lens is well protected.

With M9 better to use ir/cut too.