Zeiss T* coatings and UV filters

[Out to Lunch]

A question for the optical connoisseurs: the Zeiss T* coatings supposedly allow maximum light transmission and low susceptibility to reflections. Other than protecting the lens, would UV filters still be beneficial, especially when using film?

 

[Benjamin Marks]

I'd think it would depend on your shooting conditions, although I stopped using UV filters as a default years ago. The classic example photo is landscape shooting across a distance, showing light scattering due to haze. At least that's what the example photos always are on the B&H site and others:

B&H UV Filter Page

I don't shoot a lot of landscape; I doubt it would make much difference when shooting a portrait. Just another glass-air surface to produce diffraction (if dirty) and flare.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I've found the Leica M9 and M Monochrom are very sensitive in the UV region, using a UV filter cuts down on the "Purple Fringing" that some complain about on lenses such as the 50/1.1 Nokton and others. Film is also sensitive in UV, "purple fringing" is not as much of an issue as people cannot pixel-peep to find flaws.

I would suggest doing your own test with a less expensive UV filter for your lens and film favorites.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

I rather doubt that there's any visible difference with B&W film. With color, you might see a noticeable difference, depending on the film. For example, Ektachrome E100 is a nightmare compared to the Velvia 100 I used to shoot. It can take on a very blue cast in shadows in some situations. Additionally, some color films present bluish casts when shot at higher altitudes where the UV is stronger. Where I live, all of my shooting is done at least at 7,000 feet; a UV filter is a must, and I'll often go to an 81B to correct the blue cast.

 

[Dogman]

From my meager research, UV filters don't have much if any effect on digital images but are beneficial with film.

Personally, I use clear, neutral or UV filters for protection on all my lenses, including my Zeiss lenses. I never noticed a quality UV filter actually doing anything beneficial or detrimental to my film photos when I used film.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

This is interesting. It's short and the best part is near the end.



All the best,
Mike

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

The sunshine around here can be (often is) really harsh. It's bad enough that it can make some of my images unusable. It's very frustrating.

Out of frustration I started using Zeiss T* coating UV filters on a few of my lenses. I have not done any serious technical side by side comparisons of images with & without the Zeiss UV, but I do think that it is helping.

Am I crazy or stupid to think I'm seeing positive results from using a Zeiss T* coating UV filter on a digital camera? Is it a placebo effect? Yes, no, maybe so?

Anyway, I'm using a Zeiss UV and I'm happy with the results.

All the best,
Mike

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Worth using a UV filter?
Depends on whether you see a difference between the left and right side of the UV lamp shining onto the piece of paper.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Dear Gents, Many thanks for your generous feedback. I recently bought some film that I plan to shoot in Vietnam where the UV index is always high and since I've recently also got a new Zeiss lens, why not put a Zeiss UV T* filter on it -to be honest, I did not know Zeiss made them. Cheers, OtL

 

[Retro-Grouch]

View attachment 4837909
Worth using a UV filter?
Depends on whether you see a difference between the left and right side of the UV lamp shining onto the piece of paper.

Thank you for settling that argument!

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

Anyone know where the Zeiss filters are made? Are they made by Cosina like the Zeiss lenses?

 

[Freakscene]

Anyone know where the Zeiss filters are made? Are they made by Cosina like the Zeiss lenses?

The cases say made in Japan. Zeiss does have their own manufacturing capacity in Japan, but it might be outsourced. If Zeiss supply the glass spec, coating technology and do the qa/qc it doesn’t matter where they are made.



Marty

 

[Out to Lunch]

You'll see Zeiss's phone, fax, and email address in Marty's post. Ask them! I don't care where stuff is made, as long as it's made well. Cheers, OtL

 

[Kai-san]

Why Zeiss filters? Heliopan filters have Schott glass, just like your Zeiss lens.

 

[Freakscene]

Why Zeiss filters? Heliopan filters have Schott glass, just like your Zeiss lens.

The T* coatings are arguably better than the Heliopan or B+W coatings, although the SHPMC and MRC coatings are nothing to sneeze at. I buy Zeiss UV and Polarising filters, but they don’t make UV/IR block filters or colour filters for black and white, so most of my filters of those types are Heliopan SHPMC.

 

[DownUnder]

A few entirely personal comments here...

I have Nikon C (clear) filters on all my Nikon lenses. I also keep a couple of Nikon UV filters for when I'm up high the the sky, like photographing in the Bromo Valley of Indonesia.

TBH, I've not noticed any differences between images made with either the Cs or the UV's in high-altitude places like Bromo.

What I do have problems with, however, is flare. With my Fuji XE2 and Fujinons, as good as those lenses are, they throw up a huge amount of flare compared to my Nikon Ds. I cope with it, sort of, by setting my exposures to -.03 or even -0.7 or -1.0 (the latter when I'm at the beach) but it's still a problem, and I find all the post-processing tricks I'm used to doing don't really deal adequately with the problem.

Next trip I take to Indonesia in June (I'm in Australia now, early winter is here and harsh lighting is no longer a problem in our dismal dark, dreary, wet days) I will be taking a couple of polarizers with me, to try to deal with this annoying and, TBH, image-affecting phenomenon.

Interestingly, on those very limited occasions when I nowadays shoot film, my Contax G (made in Japan) lenses with T coatings, all with a UV filter on them, never show these problems. Nor did my now ancient Nikkor F mount lenses on my Nikkormats in the days when I used those in place of the newer Nikon DSLRs I now prefer. IT may be of interest to some that as I used mostly Ilford B&W films in the 'mats, often I had a Nikon B&W filter on the lens, and I don't recall ever having any UV related problems with the images I did with those.

These are my thoughts, for what they may be worth to anyone.

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

Anyone know where the Zeiss filters are made? Are they made by Cosina like the Zeiss lenses?

The cases say made in Japan. Zeiss does have their own manufacturing capacity in Japan, but it might be outsourced. If Zeiss supply the glass spec, coating technology and do the qa/qc it doesn’t matter where they are made.

View attachment 4837935

Marty

Thanks for the reply Marty.