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09/12/2005 03:18:59 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Read the article here at Luminous Landscape. If you want to use a filter all the time, go ahead, but realize what you're giving up. |
And this is from the same article that states that glueing the corner off the sticky part of a Post-It note on the front of your lens won't hurt image quality - but a good multi-coated filter will.
I don't always use filters, but when I do I use good ones. There is a difference. And the coating on a lens can at times help cut glare. Maybe not so much on L glass that already has several coated elements, but with lesser glass with only one coated element the filter can make a positive difference.
As far as how the article states how hard it is to scratch the front element of a lens, I say from experience it is a whole lot easier then that. |
It says the post-it doesn't affect the image, but the filter causes FLARE; two different things. If you had a post-it, made of glass or similar material, that could refract light, the post-it might cause flare.
While I don't have L glass, I don't have crap lenses either, maybe adding a $200 filter to the front of a bargain basement lens will help, but probably not as much as getting a decent lens to begin with.
The article does mention that you should use a hood and if conditions dictate, you SHOULD use a protective filter.
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09/12/2005 04:19:58 PM · #27 |
I'm weighing in with the "no filter" crowd, with the caveat that in harsh environments, e.g. beach, blowing dust or smoky interior venues, I will use a UV. In normal shooting, I rely on the lens hood to provide a buffer so that the front element does not get bumped. I've not yet had a front element damaged for lack of using a filter. I agree with the Luminous Landscape article, and it squares with my experince.
By way of example, I recently shot the annual AirVenture event at Oshkosh, and was shooting with my 24-70L, with hood and a B+W multi-coated polarizer. On one particular series of shots I was shooting with the sun about 20° out of the top of the frame and was seeing significant flare, noticeable in the viewfinder as reduced contrast. I removed the polarizer and the flare was reduced, though still noticeable. I had to shadow the lens with a hand in order to get rid of the flare.
Any glass element, no matter how well made, will subtly degrade optical quality. Think about how light rays pass through the filter and how they are bent. If they are perpendicular, they are not deflected and all is well, but if they are off-axis, then the refraction depends on wavelength, and things get messy. The wider angle the lens, the worse the off-axis problem.
With regard to flare, the effect the filter has on the total optical system depends not only on the properties of the filter but also on the shape of the front element, and thus how light is reflected between the filter and the front element.
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09/12/2005 04:31:37 PM · #28 |
eh my glass is already wrecked as it is (well some of it)... and I don't see any of it on the images. lol.
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09/12/2005 08:05:38 PM · #29 |
Originally posted by muckpond:
i'm hard on my camera, so i always use a uv filter. i know i'm giving up some image quality, but i'd be giving up image quality if i were to scratch up my lens too.
i'm positive having a UV filter (that i can just wipe down with a t-shirt or something if need be) has saved me some trouble. |
I agree. I also go as far as using s/h ones cos I _keep_ scratching them. lol. |
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09/12/2005 08:23:50 PM · #30 |
I've scratched filter and the coating on a filter is tougher then the coating on the front element of a lens. How do I know this? Because I have scratched the front element of a lens - too - several times.
If you work in a studio or keep your camera in the bag most of the time, I'd say why use a filter. I take my cameras to the beach, the race track, the softball field, in the woods, in the swamp, out on boats, around sticky children and around slobbering dogs.
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09/12/2005 08:56:49 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by alionic:
actually it makes sense really if one thinks about it. why would companies like NIKON and CANON go through all the trouble to perfect lenses so that we can bung an extra bit of glass on the end of it...
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Yes. Why would they even bother threading the end of a lens so that a filter will fit. How stupid of them. |
So you can fit a filter on when you NEED one, of course :-) Just because it's threaded doesn't mean you have to mount a filter all the time.
Thank you bear music... I rest my case.
R. |
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09/12/2005 09:43:29 PM · #32 |
I share bear_music's horror of putting cheap glass in front of a carefully engineered ludicrously expensive precision lens. The quality is my primary concern... having said that though... imo if you're retarded enough to bump your lens into things then you probably shouldn't be using glass you can't afford to replace anyway, and not only that, but your front lens element is not necessarily the first thing you should worry about either.
Also a lens hood cuts down flare a lot more than any filters ;)
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09/12/2005 10:56:47 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by alionic:
Originally posted by bear_music:
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by alionic:
actually it makes sense really if one thinks about it. why would companies like NIKON and CANON go through all the trouble to perfect lenses so that we can bung an extra bit of glass on the end of it...
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Yes. Why would they even bother threading the end of a lens so that a filter will fit. How stupid of them. |
So you can fit a filter on when you NEED one, of course :-) Just because it's threaded doesn't mean you have to mount a filter all the time.
Thank you bear music... I rest my case.
R. |
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I resurrect your case and raise you 20.
This from Canon.
 Consider using a Skylight or UV filter as full-time protection of your lens, shooting your pictures through it and removing it only when you're using another filter for special effect. And of course, don't forget to use your front and rear lens caps!
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09/12/2005 10:59:36 PM · #34 |
I resurrect your case and raise you 20.
This from Canon.
Consider using a Skylight or UV filter as full-time protection of your lens, shooting your pictures through it and removing it only when you're using another filter for special effect. And of course, don't forget to use your front and rear lens caps! [/quote]
OK OK OK ... I surrender
(runs to put all the filters BACK on my lenses) LMAO. |
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