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Slightly scratched UV filter - problem?


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I've bought some used UV filters recently that have some minor sracthes on them, when viewed under light. However I didn't see them affect the developed and scanned pictures in any way. So... Should I worry about these scratches or ignore them in the long run?
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Depends what you call a "minor" scratch.

 

If it can only be seen at an oblique angle in good light, and it's at the perimeter of the filter it's probably not going to show in the final image.

Any more than that and I'd just get a new filter or not use one at all.

 

UV filters are of little use except as lens protectors or transparent lens caps. I.e. to keep dust and marks off the lens. Better to frequently clean a filter than an expensive lens.

 

A lens with 6 elements or more probably absorbs more UV than the average UV filter. And with B&W film you'll see no difference with/without a UV filter - except the shots with a filter might be lower in contrast due to flare from the filter.

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The only use I've seen for UV filters is at heights where you may get a colour cast caused by UV light, and since you appear to shoot film, that could be a point with colour film (positive or negative; with digital it's easily corrected). Apart from this edge case, the real use of a UV filter is as answered above.

Easiest is to simply remove the filter when shooting, and avoid all risk that way.

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Do both! - Yes, life is complicated. IDK what you shot and how it got scanned. If you ever plan to shoot Pan F from a rock solid tripod or with powerful strobes to print billboards, remove these filters. - Also see them as an encouragement to use lens hoods.

For journalistic needs like 5x7" prints they might not matter enough, especially if your shutter speed isn't really handholdable. If you are into portraiture and dreamy landscapes your filters are surely nice to have to serve as home made softeners with a bit of extra smearing on them.

Yes, I have more or less fishy UVs & skylights on a lot of my lenses. I do remove them for critical studio work and I also read lensrentals.com's blog. - Look also at this. If somebody has the means to judge filters, it should be them.

My own film shooting is more like risking camera shake on pushed TMY 120 and being happy when 8x10"s look bearable. Feel free to call it Lomography. To judge a lens I'd mount it on a somewhat high resolving digital and peep pixels. I also recommend testing if it will flare when hit by a light source outside your sensor / film's FOV, if a filter affects that etc. OTOH: people took pictures with single element lenses crappy zooms and pinholes. And where is the sense in putting a 120 Euro/$ filter in front of a 2 pizza lens?

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Its going to depend on the exact volume & nature of the scratch(es). It may never be noticeable, or it may look like a neon lamp when the light catches it at a certain angle. All "damage" degrades performance to a greater, or lesser degree. The effect may be so minor that you never notice it.
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