Concerned about 39mm filters with 300mm F4 lens

[donald_kim_lewiston]

I just bought this lens (non-AFS) on ebay and since been reading about

the 39mm drop in filter. Excuse my naivity but I do have some

questions. Is the filter different than the filter holder?

 

Also, if you go to this link, this is what the picture of the lens

looked like that I bought on ebay:

 

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/3004af.htm

 

 

Is that the filter (or filter holder) above the "e" in "Rockwell"?

 

Thanks, sorry this was a big purchase and I'm kind of freaking out if

the filter isn't included.

[don_cooper]

Yes, that's the filter holder. It slides out and you can screw a filter into it. Haven't you taken it out and looked at it?

[ShunCheung]

Review by Thom Hogan: http://www.bythom.com/300lens.htm

[donald_kim_lewiston]

Am I wrong in assuming that the filter will be included with the lens since the filter holder is pictured with the lens on ebay?

 

Thanks.

[don_cooper]

It should be, but that doesn't mean it will be. When I had this lens I tried some tests both ways, with and without the filter, and could see no difference in image quality. Supposedly the supplied filter is figured into the optical formula, but I never felt it made a difference. I just wanted to get rid of one more glass surface that could get dirty and elected to shoot without it.

[donald_kim_lewiston]

That makes me feel a lot better. Does anyone else shoot this lens without using the filter?

[constance_cook]

Yes.

 

Conni

[ShunCheung]

Donny, when I bought this lens new (back in 1990), the 39mm internal fileter was part of the package. It should be included but it might not be.

[Michael R Freeman]

It is unlikely the filter has been removed. They were supplied with the lens new and there would be little reason to remove it and not replace it with something else. Even if it is missing the only difference you *might* notice is a very slight shift in the infinity position on the focusing ring (not a problem as this ED lens focuses well past infinity).

 

Nikon supplied a 39mm L37c UV filter with the lens. Additional filters are available from Nikon - I would say that the A2 (81A) is probably the most useful, followed perhaps by the L1Bc (skylight). The full Nikon line of warming (A), cooling (B), neutral density (ND) and three B&W filters (Y52/O56/R60) are/were available in 39mm. Nikon also made a 39mm drop-in polarizer for this lens (and others) - about $200!

 

To the best of my knowledge ONLY Nikon filters will fit this holder (I have a 400/3.5 that takes the same 39mm drop-in holder). The filter threads are on the OUTSIDE of the mount ring, as opposed to behind the mount ring as on standard filters.

 

You can mount standard 82mm filters to the front of the lens, but they can be expensive.<div></div>

[armando_roldan]

YOu must use Nikor 39mm filters. I once thought I got a bargain and got 6 different filters for $10 for 39mm. When I got them, I couldn't fit them on the NIkkor ( 300mm F/4 AF)..I gave them away here on photo.net

[donald_kim_lewiston]

Thanks Michael for the explanation and the pics of the filters.

[constance_cook]

The filter came with my lens but my experience is that you can't tell a difference with/without it.

 

Conni

[alex_lofquist]

There is a slight advantage to having a drop-in filter in place. It would tend to protect the rear elements from dirt or grime because access for cleaning them is difficult. Shooting without a filter (glass or gel) would have very little effect on the sharpness of the image, except for the slight focus shift which amounts to the difference in refractive index of the glass compared to air times the thickness of the filter. While the refractive index varies with wavelength (dispersion), this variation is insignificant once the lens is focussed for visible light. If glass filter use was very important, Nikon would have advised against using gels instead of providing a gel holder as a standard item! About the only filters that I use fairly regularly are either a "warming" filter or a drop-in polarizer.