who uses neutral lens filter to protect lens?

Z

zabo69

Member
Local time
2:19 AM
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
43
hi, who is using lens filter for protection? On a leica lens the filter compromises lens quality?
Should be used or lens cap its better?

regards,
Avelino
 
I general I do not use any filters at all, except when I shoot B&W. But, in some cases such as a windy day at the beach, I use a clear one to prevent sprays of salt water on the front element of my lenses.
 
I've got used lenses which came with a clear filter, and I keep on using it, but I don't seek them out.

On any lens, a filter will compromise image quality to some degree, it's basically like shooting through a window all the time. Of course filter glass is much better, clearer, and thinner than most windows, but you get the point.

Whether you'll notice any degradation in quality is another matter, I'd say probably not.

It's a personal choice really, I just use what my cameras come with, or what is convenient.
 
Are you asking about neutral density filters, or UV/Sky 1a filters that have a 0 filter "filter factor?"

There are some very good reasons to use filters. The front element protection issue has been debated ad nauseum and is a matter of choice. Using multi-coated filters produced in the past twenty years, there is no image degradation (except reflections under very specific conditions.) The M8 needs (and IMO the M9 benefits from) the UV/IR cut filters. I have always been in the UV/Sky 1a filter camp, and the UV/IR cut filters serve that purpose for me on all my lenses since I use them both on the M8 and M9P. I even leave them on shooting my M4-P.

Neutral density filters are useful for shooting with large apertures or slow shutter speeds in bright light.
 
I generally fit a UV/Skylight filter when I get a lens, although I have a few cameras for which this is impracticable. I do also use lens caps, but spend long times with the cap off, shooting, so some protection is a good idea. I don't think good filters affect the image visibly at all, and I'd challenge anyone to tell the difference.
 
Do you know the brand Kood? is the Kood Pro 39mm UV Filter any good? what brand do you think its better for a leica lens?
 
I generally use a UV filter over most lenses. I don't think premium clean, coated, and undamaged filters such as B+W, Leica, Hoya HMC or Heliopan do any harm. The premium B+W MRC filters are especially good. A damaged lens surface resulting from not using a filter is much more serious, and often can't be fixed.
 
Even with multi-coated UV filters, I kept having trouble with ghosting in situations with difficult ligh; exactly the kind of circumstances that make for the most dramatic shots. In the end, the conclusion for me was to not bother with them, and rely on lens hoods only. Although not to the same extent as a UV filter, they protect the front element from bumps, and as added bonus they provide extra shielding against flare.
 
This test sold me on Hoya HMC filters as protection filters from a quality standpoint and the cost is excellent:

http://www.lenstip.com/index.php?art=113&roz=15

I always have a filter on my Summar as its clean and I don't want to scratch the soft lens with periodic cleaning. Other lenses I'm a bit less paranoid about and only use filters part of the time.

I've had lens caps come off a Tamron lens while in a bag resulting in a small scratch. Mysterious debris hit the front element of a Biogon and start drying to it - cleaned a bit while shooting but was paranoid about messing up the coating so I put the lens away until I got back to a hotel and could clean it more properly (fortunately it was okay). In both cases a filter would have saved me a bit of headache.
 
I use a filter and hood on the lenses on all my carry around cameras. A lens cap is annoying to take on and off in the field. I use B+W filters and have never noticed any degradation in image quality. If a lens is stored, that's when the cap goes on.
 
I do it for my DSLR glass, which is in $300-1400 price range.
For my RF glass, I use yellow filters to get better b/w picture. 90+% is b/w for me with RFs.
Plus, my most expensive CS 35 2.5P came with UV filter, which I use if in color.
 
I use filters on my Leica lenses. I do not use filters on my Canon lenses, with the exception of my 24-70mm only because I loaned it to a friend last month and it made him really paranoid that it didn't have a filter so I went out and bought a cheap one. It's still on there.
 
same here...B+W UV for color and B+W Yellow for black and white...way cheaper than replacing a lens...and I'm a klutz, so...
 
Like many newbies, when I 1st started to photograph "seriously" (i.e., w/nice equipment), I used UV & P filters to protect lenses, but now only use them if I'm reasonably sure that I'll be shooting in an environment where the front element could actually get dirty/damaged. I am pretty religious about using hoods, however, as they both block extraneous light & protect against physical impacts (+ you don't have to worry about leaving the lens cap on! ;)).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom