will a haze filter help on a scratched lens?

[muf]

A lens with many small scratches tend to flare more readily and lose a bit of contrast. On a film camera. Would a multi coated high quality haze filter combined with a lens hood help eliminate the amount of flare and improve contrast?

 

[Livesteamer]

The only trick I know of to help a scratched lens is to carefully fill the scratch with India ink, if possible. A hood is almost always helpful, I doubt a filter will help much. It may not be as bad as you think. Good Luck. Joe

 

[Barry Kirsten]

This is a good question. A haze filter sharply cuts out the frequencies which cause haze due to atmospheric water and other particulate matter, so would not help reduce the 'haze' due to lens scuffing in my opinion. Multicoating assists light transmission through the glass element that it is applied to, so would promote transmission of light through the filter only and not help with transmission through the damaged lens element. I think the most benefit you could get in this case is to use a lens hood as you suggested, which would reduce flare. The only other option is to have the front element re-polished and coated, if you think the lens is worth it.

 

[Beemermark]

I would think a filter would make it worse or at best make no difference. Use a hood. Scratches from too aggressive cleaning can lower contrast. However by proper developing techniques and or printing can raise contrast. One problem is that contrast and resolution are the ying and yang of sharpness. In the '70's Leica lenses typically had high resolution and low contrast. A typical Japanese lens, like Nikon, tended to have lower resolution and higher contrast to achieve the same results. So if you a lens that originally designed having higher contrast and lower resolution and that has scratches, you can see where that ends up.

 

[farlymac]

Not much helps a scratched lens full of "cleaning marks". It's either a write off, or a dreamy portrait lens.


PF

 

[peterm1]

A lens with many small scratches tend to flare more readily and lose a bit of contrast. On a film camera. Would a multi coated high quality haze filter combined with a lens hood help eliminate the amount of flare and improve contrast?

Not as such, no. I do not believe that any filter will add back contrast caused by scratches. A haze filter specifically operates by blocking UV light which when present in the atmosphere appears as haze in the final image because film can be sensitive to UV light. That is to say the problem a haze filter operates on are not problems with the lens (such as scratches) but rather, problems with the atmosphere. In other words I suppose it might sort of help but only when there is atmospheric haze (and would work in much the same way whether or not the lens were scratched). In the same vein a polarising lens might too.
But a hood will definitely help. I have a Canon 50mm f1.2 which is a lovely lens though its front element looks as if it has been attacked with a Brillo pad and beach sand........... It is covered with scratches. I use a suitable hood and in most cases it works brilliantly though a little low in contrast in many situations. I avoid backlighting where possible. (Though I must admit I use it for digital not film as that is what I now shoot).

A few examples.....

Those Eyes - Color by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Modern Samurai in Training by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Market Cafe Brunch by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

 

[muf]

Thank you everyone for for your kind advice. I suppose I was clutching at straws. I think I will just use a lens hood and avoid bright backlit situations. It's got quite a few scratches, but I have definitely seen worse. I suppose I will try a film through the camera and see how the lens behaves.

 

[splitimageview]

Those surface scratches visible in that photo won't affect anything. However there may be other contrast-robbing issues, it's really quite difficult to photograph a lens so that it reveals all the flaws.

 

[Huss]

A lens with many small scratches tend to flare more readily and lose a bit of contrast. On a film camera. Would a multi coated high quality haze filter combined with a lens hood help eliminate the amount of flare and improve contrast?

Not as such, no. I do not believe that any filter will add back contrast caused by scratches. A haze filter specifically operates by blocking UV light which when present in the atmosphere appears as haze in the final image because film can be sensitive to UV light. That is to say the problem a haze filter operates on are not problems with the lens (such as scratches) but rather, problems with the atmosphere. In other words I suppose it might sort of help but only when there is atmospheric haze (and would work in much the same way whether or not the lens were scratched). In the same vein a polarising lens might too.
But a hood will definitely help. I have a Canon 50mm f1.2 which is a lovely lens though its front element looks as if it has been attacked with a Brillo pad and beach sand........... It is covered with scratches. I use a suitable hood and in most cases it works brilliantly though a little low in contrast in many situations. I avoid backlighting where possible. (Though I must admit I use it for digital not film as that is what I now shoot).

A few examples.....

Those Eyes - Color by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Modern Samurai in Training by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Market Cafe Brunch by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Those already look very low contrast and glowy in lighting conditions that pose no strain on a lens.