Need a 77mm UV or Other Protective Filter

[hayward]

I just bought a Nikon 70-200 AFS VR and given the cost of the lens,

I'd like to put a filter on it to keep the fron element from

scratches, etc. I don't normally use filters other than the

occasional polarizer.

 

Any suggestions on which one to buy? I think the Nikn UV filter in

that size is $90, which seems a bit steep for a clear piece of

glass. I don't want to get something so cheap that it takes away

from the goog 70-200 glass, though, either. Also, is a UV the way to

go, or would something like a haze, sky, or 81a be better?

[vivek iyer]

How about a hood (while in use) and lens cap (while not in use) for protection?

[armando_roldan]

I agree with Vivek.

 

I used to place UV filters on all my lenses but then had to take them off to properly use other filters. And then again, I rarely used those other filters. I got a shoebox full of filters in different sizes plus step-up and step-down rings. A lens cap and proper hood is all you need. Unless you bang your lens into something hard but even then, the lenshood will stop damage to the front element. And who would place a nice lens with a protective cap in a camera bag to be jostled around?

[john schroeder]

You have invested a great deal in a professional level lens. Why would you then put a cheap piece of glass in front of all the good glass. Buy a Nikon UV, B+W, or Heliopan brand filters. You just spent $1500+ on that lens, don't be a cheap b@s$@%#! On telephoto lenses I prefer using a skylight filter to compensate for the slight cool effects caused by water vapor in the air.

[joseph_smith3]

I use B+W filters on all of my Nikon lenses. I just bought a 77mm KR1.5 Skylight filter for my 300mm AF-S f 4.0 lens. I bought the model that is MRC for about $77.00 from B& H Photo in NYC. The 81A costs the same. The choice is yours depending on what you shoot. Personally, I do not use any UV filters, just the KR series or 81A, B or C. Joe Smith

[joseph_smith3]

I also always use a lens hood, to help protect the lens and to keep out stray light. Joe Smith

[peter_ehrenpreis]

I Buy most of my filters from The Filter Connection, great service and prices, a 77mm B+W is about $58.00.

 

Here's a link

 

http://www.2filter.com/prices/BWfilters.html

[chris_leck]

I use UV filters (usually Nikon L37c) on all of my lenses. You'll find arguments for and against filters. I'm pretty careful with my equipment, but also engage in real-world photography.

 

Occasionally I've retired filters due to scratches or abrasion. OTOH, bright lights sources in the frame -- such as stage lighting -- tend to cause obvious and unwanted reflections when using filters.

 

Generally, I leave the filters on for protection. In some situations, I remove them because they will degrade image quality.

 

A good filter is not simply a clear piece of glass. A filter should add as little degradation as possible and that requires very high quality glass and multi-coatings.

 

I use UV filters because I shoot digital and don't want the filters to add any obvious color changes. I prefer to control color rendition with white balance or in Photoshop.

[Aoresteen]

I have used Hoya Sky 1B filters since the 70's and have found them to be very well made. From what I've been told, Hoya makes Nikon filters. You might want to give them a try. B&H sells them.

[stephen_fassman]

Hoya has a new Digital line of filters desogned dor DSLR's & P&S cams: The

Protector (clear glass), a UV due in May, and a Circular Polarizer, with others

ti follow. How they differ from "Film" filters ?? ... I couldn't even get the secret

from Hoya, as I was quoted the same ad gibberish that I read on 2filter.com.

When I pressed for specific answers, they couldn.t give them, as " that is all

the info we have."

 

Check out my orig Q and threads, and when you get the answer, let me know.

[chris_leck]

Hoya is the only company that I'm aware of that cautions not to use lens cleaning fluid on its coated filters. This seems to be an unrealistic limitation. The only filter that I've ever discarded due to a damaged coating was a Hoya, but I can't say if this was due to using lens cleaning fluid or not.

 

Nikon makes its own glass, or some portion of it. Why would they bother to sell Hoya filters? Nikon doesn't warn against using lens cleaning fluid. I've used lens cleaning fluid on my Nikon filters, so far without damaging the coatings. This leads me to believe that Nikon filters are not made by Hoya.

[Michael R Freeman]

<i>... From what I've been told, Hoya makes Nikon filters.</i><P>

You have been misled.

[stephen_fassman]

2filter.com sells a cleaning fluid designed for Hoya's multicoated filters.

[mark_jordan3]

I really like the B+W and Heliopan filters myself, they have brass rings that do not bind as often as other materials. The effects of UV, haze and skylight are so slight I don't think it would really matter...81A would be OK if you shoot under a lot of overcast conditions, it's also good for warming up strobe lighting.<br>

Generally I only use a protective filter when not using a tripod...I did have my F100 mounted 80-200 ED fall from a kitchen counter once...the (extended)lens hood popped right off and the snap on lens cap drove directly into the lens cracking the filter glass and bending its outer thread; it was a great feeling to be able to simply unscrew the filter and have no other damage to deal with!

[alex_lofquist]

From Nikon's lens diagram, it appears that the first element is a flint glass cemented to a crown (ED glass?) which would be very expensive to replace. I intend to buy this lens soon and you can be sure that I will often have a skylight (or some other filter) to give it some protection. Additionally I would also have the hood on it unless mounting neutral grads on the lens.

[john schroeder]

Oops! I forgot to add a winky to my comment. I was being sarcastic with the "cheap B@s$@*&" comment. #;)

[vivek iyer]

All of Nikon's long lenses have their ED elements in the front end (in addition to other places).

 

I wonder what one would do regarding the 200-400 f/4, 300 f/2.8, 400 f/2.8, 500 f/4, etc lenses for protection?

[ShunCheung]

Vivek, all of those Nikkor big guns have a built-in front protection element. Therefore, the ED element is not really at the very front.

[vivek iyer]

Bad choice of grouping.

 

Shun, The following zooms do not have that front "protective" (flat) element:

 

70-200 f/2.8 Vr, 80-200 f/2.8 Ed, 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 Vr Ed, 200-400 f/4 Vr Ed G, etc.

 

The 200-400 f/4 has a 52mm drop in filter similar to the "big guns".

 

The old 50-300 f/4.5 Ed zoom nikkor also has its Ed located in the front. This has a 95mm filter thread. While I have a 95mm filter from Pentax (from their 6x7), I do not use it as it does affect the performance. I use the hood all the time and it has done a splendid job so far.

 

It is more worrisome that due to knocks and mishandling, some of these elements may be misaligned (no front filter will help that) than scratches and the like.

[ShunCheung]

Vivek, the big guns you mentioned earlier, i.e. 300mm/f2.8 and longer, larger, all have the built-in front protective elements. Those lenses do not have filter threads in front so that you cannot add a protective filter, but Nikon takes care of that problem for you.

 

The smaller lenses such as the 70-200 VR and 80-200mm/f2.8 AF-S have filter threads so that you can add your own optional protective filter in front.

 

BTW, while it doesn't have a built-in front protective element, the very front element of the 80-200mm/f2.8 AF-S is not ED; only the 2nd and 3rd element from the front plus another one in the middle are.

[larry n.]

How about the 17-35. Does that need protection, and will a regular filter cause vignetting?

[ShunCheung]

I use a Nikon 77mm L37c filter to protect my 17-35mm/f2.8. In fact, that is what I use to protect all of my Nikkor lenses with 77mm threads. Since the Nikon L37c is a thin filter, I don't see any vignetting even on a film body at 17mm.

[lex_jenkins]

I've wound up removing protective filters from most of my lenses. It's just one more optical surface that contributes to the risk of flare. Judging from a couple of rather extreme test photos on Bjorn Rorslet's site, the 70-200/2.8 VR is already prone to pretty severe ghosting from backlighting.

 

I do keep one (a single coated Hoya or Kenko, don't remember which) on my 28/3.5 PC-Nikkor but remove it whenever there's backlighting or strong sidelighting. The hood for this lens is barely there - just a shallow, flared bit of metal that wouldn't offer any real effective protection. And there's one on my 105/2.5 AI Nikkor.

 

The only possible drawback I can see to the otherwise excellent Nikon filters is that multicoated filters can sometimes be a major pain in the neck to clean without leaving swirl marks.

 

I have one of these multicoated Nikon filters on my 105/2.5 AI and I worry as much about getting a fingerprint or smudge on the filter as I do on the lens. That's why I like the l-o-n-g clip-in hood that came with this lens.

 

I think B+W offers coated and multicoated versions. If my lens had an adequate hood to minimize flare, I'd probably get the single coated version.

 

My other choice would be Heliopan, same as other folks have already mentioned.

 

I forget whether it's B+W, Heliopan or both that offer brass ring filters, but that's what I'd prefer. So far in many years of photography I've had only a couple of steel or aluminum ring filters jam but it's a PITA. If you expect to swap filters routinely (protective filter for polarizers, graduated density, etc.) brass might be a good idea - less risk of jamming or cross threading.

[vivek iyer]

The owners of the 14mm lens and fisheye lenses go without any protection.

[alex_lofquist]

I believe that Shun is correct in that any Nikkor lens where the front element is ED glass, is protected by a clear plano glass. Unprotected lenses are either harder crown glasses or negative flint glasses.