24-105 lens filter issue, please help

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>My name is Nick and i just recently purchased the 5D Mark II kit and a 77mm filter with it, after placing the filter on the lens i realized there was a spot on it, i removed it and checked the lens and filter and there was nothing, after repeating this process a few times i realized that the filter was making contact with the lens glass its self, i am afraid now that 1 i have damaged my new lens, and 2 what do i do for a filter? Please help, i have never had this happen to me</p>

<p>Thank You</p>

<p>I'm not sure how that would happen, the filter should clear the lens easily. The front element of the 24-105 only barely curves outward. You're saying they're in contact when the filter is mounted properly?</p>

<p>Not sure I understand... what kit? The 24-105 lens? How can you possibly mount a filter to that lens so that it contacts the front element? Plus, the only one who can tell us if the front element is damaged is you... just look at it carefully under good light, if it's scratched you'll see it.</p>

<p>yes, screwed into the threads it makes contact with the lens for some reason that it beyond me, i removed it and placed it back on multiple times and continue to have the same problem, i dont know why, it makes a bubble looking pressure point in the center of the lens and i am afraid i have damaged it now as well</p>

<p>yes the 24-105, it doesnt appear to be damaged at all but im just worried that it could cause damage to the lens</p>

<p>What filter (brand and type) is it? A filter should NOT contact the front element of the lens (any lens) I can't really imagine how that could happen. The only lenses where contact with the front element would occur (e.g. the 14/2.8 ir 15mm fisheye) don't have any front filter threads. It would either have to be a seriously badly designed filter or a very defective lens.</p>

<p>The only way I could see this happening would be with something like an incorrectly assembled closeup filter using a meniscus lens inserted the wrong way around in the holder.</p>

<p>Its a Tiffen 77mm UV filter, i dont know what the problem is with it, i have checked it multiple times and it keeps contacting it, i dont see any problems in the pictures the lens produces, i mean if the lens was defective would it be noticable in the images it creates?</p>

<p>Apparently you are not the only one experiencing this problem.</p>

<p>Read here: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=34406623.</p>

<p>Wow thanks for the link and the help! Apparently it is simply just the filters then, i checked the lens and it does not appear to be damaged at all (thank God!) but now that i know this, does anyone have and good filter suggestions? just like a normal UV filter?</p>

<p>58, 72 and 77mm B+W; 82mm (slim) Heliopan; 72mm Hoya; 77mm Nikon; and 58mm Sigma filters work on my Canon lenses. But, I don't own the 24-105 and cannot guarantee their fit.</p>

<p>Wow, I've never heard of that...</p>

<p>I've used filters from Hoya and B+W on my 24-105 without trouble.</p>

<p>Wow thanks for all the help guys its great to have people that are willing to help you out! I will have to get myself a new filter</p>

<p>TIFFIN filters are junk. I am surprised they are still in business after all these years. Avoid at all cost.</p>

<p>Aloha, Nicholas! First, you bought one of canon's premier bodies, and also one of canon's premier lenses. There is a time to scrimp, and a time not to. I like a matched set, so why not stay away from kits and pick out carefully chosen pieces of OEM parts so that if there is a problem, canon can fix it. They could have fixed it anyway, but didn't you like put ford parts on a chevy? There is no substitute for quality. Have a nice day.</p>

<p>The more fundamental question: Why do you even need or want a filter on the front of (any) lens? It's pointless other than the use of special-purpose filters, e.g., polarizing, colored, graduated, etc. "The filter" for "protection" is basically nonsense other than in extremely nasty conditions (sand, salt water, etc.) but there again - protection for the all the rest of the equipment (and person) is even more important. "Filters" is a carry-over from the old days of film, when color-correction filters were of value. It's time to move on.</p>

<p>Cheap or not, may have very little to do. If the filter lens is recessed within the filter mount it could go deeper inside the filter thread of the 24-105.<br>

I have the 24-105 and the front element goes further than the begining of the filter thread.</p>

Fine on my 24-105, fairly sure it is a Hoya Pro filter from memory. I would avoid Tiffen in any event, they are not highly

regaded.

<p>Over the years (44+ years of shooting) I've discovered that the notion of a "protection filter" is just nonsense. The concept seems to exist just to open up a huge market for junk filters. Use a filter if you absolutely NEED it for effect such as a ND grad or a polarizer. In any case you're adding another glass surface (of dubious quality in many cases) to an optical design which was already optimized for use WITHOUT the filter.<br>

If you must use them, be sure that they're constructed of optical flat glass AND multicoated, which narrows it down to B&W and Heliopan, Singh-Ray for special effects.....note that Tiffen and Cokin are not in the list. And use the right lens hood.<br>

Occasionally I do use filters (B&W slim polarizers) on my 24-105 L as well as the 17-40 L. On the Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar, only a Rolleipol.</p>

<p>@Ed Okie: That one is a very old topic, and discussed throughout. I damaged premium 2 lenses (!) and a cheepo because i refused to use filters. Ever since the last one, a 50 1.4 nikon (or was it the 80-200 f/2.8) i simply realised that there is no alternative.</p>

<p>@OP: I am sorry to hear about your financial loss, i've owned several Hoya filters and never had a problem, either with the polarizers or the UV's.</p>

<p>"The more fundamental question: Why do you even need or want a filter on the front of (any) lens?"</p>

<p>Is it <strong>less costly</strong> to replace a filter or the front element of any lens? Shooting in or near salt water, or in a gritty place, the filter can take it fairly well. The front element of a lens? It is not worth the risk....unless you have a selecltion of old Vivitar glass that is not worth protecting.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Not to turn this into a filters for protection debate but I personally tend to use them on SLRs but not larger MF bodies. This is because I take my SLRs into quite adverse situations quite frequently and would rather replace filters than lenses. If you find that your filters do tend to get scratched or sand blasted than they are doing their job - if you find you never mark the front lens element or filter then they are un-necessary. If you buy them and want to use them on a high quality lens then obviously buy a good one (Hoya, B&W etc...). I find that mine need replacing every 5-10 years (depending on the lens and it's use) as they pick up minor surface scratches even though I am not someone who walks around without a lens cap (mountains tend to be a tough environment).<br>

The statement that Tiffin is junk is also not universally true (in my opinion). I would agree that their cheap screw on UV and Skylight filters are very poor quality but their 4x4 glass filters are very high quality and tend to be more neutral than some quite repected firms like Lee and Cokin. Indeed this is why their square filters are so expensive. I have only one 4 inch square Tiffin filter but is is much better than the Cokin Z pros I also use. <br>

If all Tiffin products are crap then how can Adorama charge $180 for a Tiffin 4x4 ND filter and $41 for the Cokin. Like all things you get what you pay for - as well as low quality consumer products tiffin makes top quality professional filters. Many people on this forum may not be aware of this since they are mainly used in the movie industry.</p>

<p>I see, i had bought the filter separately, i just bought the kit from canon with the body & lens, and was always under the impression that these were to be used for protection of the lens and its elements.... Thank You all for your help this is very great information! I still would like a graduated filter though, for the landscape work that i do and so on, something to help me catch bright skies, anyone have an idea?</p>

<p>The best solution for fraduated filters is a square system. The best value choice is probably Cokin P series. You will need a filter holder and a 77mm filter ring - an ND gread filter will come in 1, 2 or 3 stops and with a soft or hard edge. I find I use a 2 stop soft edge one the most. I rarely use the hard edge ones as i live in the mountains and thus most subjects have an irregular edge. If you shoot a lot of flat terrain, sea or large lakes where the sky meets the lake than a hard edge may be more use. I suggest the 2 stop as it works best for most bright conditions. After the two stop I find I use the 1 stop the next most and the three stop the least as it is rather extreme. The other thing that is useful is a circular polarizer - you can get these for Cokin but I find that I use the screw on type and just have one for each filer thread (52, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77, 82 and 95 in my case!). </p>

<p>I don't care to get into any filter debates, but do want to thank this forum for alerting me to the problem before I ruined my 24-105 with the Tiffen filter I thought would protect it. When I read this original post, I removed the filter, blew fog on the lens and quickly replaced the filter -- slowly screwing it down until, just before the threads hit bottom, a small dot appeared in the fog at the center of the lens element. Fortunately the filter was only kissing the lens glass, but that's way too close for comfort. The filter goes in the trash.</p>

<p>> If all Tiffin products are crap then how can Adorama charge $180 for a Tiffin 4x4 ND filter and $41 for the Cokin. Like all things you get what you pay for - as well as low quality consumer products tiffin makes top quality professional filters. Many people on this forum may not be aware of this since they are mainly used in the movie industry.<br>

People here are talking the regular TIFFIN filters being sold to the general consumers. How great their filters for the movie industries doesn't matter. It's like saying you bought a Corolla because Lexus is high quality. The truth is the consumer grade TIFFIN filters are way overpriced for the quality they offer. Any similar priced HOYA will put them in shame.</p>