Filters for Protection?

fishfish Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
edited February 2, 2004 in Cameras
There are so many religious issues in photography. In fact, other than religion itself, I think only motorcycling has as many religious issues as photography.

One of these religious issues is about whether to keep a filter on your lens to protect it. Do you keep a glass filter on the end of your lenses all the time? Which is it? UV, UV warm, skylight, clear, multicoated?

What's your take?
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." - Edward Weston
"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson

Do you practice safe shooting? 16 votes

Yes, I keep a filter on all of my lenses for protection
43% 7 votes
No, I think filters detract from the quality of the image
18% 3 votes
Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't
37% 6 votes

Comments

  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,904 moderator
    edited January 28, 2004
    Uv.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • cmr164cmr164 Registered Users Posts: 1,542 Major grins
    edited January 29, 2004
    fish wrote:
    There are so many religious issues in photography. In fact, other than religion itself, I think only motorcycling has as many religious issues as photography.

    One of these religious issues is about whether to keep a filter on your lens to protect it. Do you keep a glass filter on the end of your lenses all the time? Which is it? UV, UV warm, skylight, clear, multicoated?

    What's your take?
    It degrades the shot Pissed.gif .... On super wides with shallow shades, I sometimes do. Mostly I do not like to. (exception on windy days when dust and sand and salt spray are potential issues)
    Charles Richmond IT & Security Consultant
    Operating System Design, Drivers, Software
    Villa Del Rio II, Talamban, Pit-os, Cebu, Ph
  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited January 29, 2004
    I would say no. I fall on the side of the fence that I do not want anything between my lens and subject that does not have to be there. I don't use one on my Canon, Hasselblad or Large Format lenses. That said I do carry a 77mm UV just in case I get into a really bad situation where I know the lens will get something on it, but I cannot remember the last time I used it. I will usually just be very careful and clean the lens first chance I get.
  • zero-zerozero-zero Registered Users Posts: 147 Major grins
    edited January 29, 2004
    I often work in shipyards and other industrial plants where it's easy to walk into welding sparks, or have a faint cloud of paint blown around one from the guy spray painting 30 meters downwind. I like to use a high quality UV filter there, and a lens shade not only for glare but for additional front-element impact protection. I like B+W or the Hoya ultra-thin series, which are multicoated and much thinner than normal ones, although friggin' expensive. I'll never stack them (the Hoyas don't even have a front thread), and I'll take them off in some lighting situations where glare or loss of contrast is a risk.

    In the studio, they all come off, and I try to filter the light sources instead of the lens.

    Roberto.

  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited January 29, 2004
    Like many novices, I succumbed to buying a cheap UV the day after my 300D was delivered. I think it was more of an impulse buy cause "now I have an SLR, I need accessories!". Since then, I bought a better lens than the bundled 18-55 EF-S and I've decided that it doesn't make sense to put a $15 piece of glass in front of my $400 piece of carefully designed glass.

    I still keep it in my bag, think I used it once when it was snowing real hard. Shot came out crappy anyway.
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • jimfjimf Registered Users Posts: 338 Major grins
    edited February 2, 2004
    I'm still of the camp that says that replacing a cheap filter beats replacing an expensive lens. If the shot quality is really important I'll take it off, or if I want to swap a polarizer on and off quickly (why the hell can't they make a quick mount for a polarizer?) but by and large I leave it on.

    'Course I am probably less careful with my lenses than a lot of people.

    I have historically used skylight filters, but mostly UV now.
    jim frost
    jimf@frostbytes.com
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