Which filter brand without spending tons of $$$

[jennifer ann]

I need to purchase a 72mm filter for my lens. Does anyone have any experience

with the Opteka filters? I can get 3 for the price of 1 Hoya. I was also wonder

about the Digital Concepts, Adorama sells a kit of theirs for less also.

I am putting most of my money into my lens so I do not have much left over.

Thanks

[henryp]

My personal experience is that brand-to-brand variations are often slight. Look for multi-coated filters as they transmit more and reflect less light than single-coated filters do. <p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/Product_Resources/filters.jsp?cm_sp=RP-_-Resource-_-Guide_to_Using_Filters">Guide to Using Filters</a><p><a href="mailto:henryp@bhphotovideo.com">Henry Posner</a><br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com"><b>B&H Photo-Video</b></a>

[KenPapai]

Tiffen (I have six, 77mm Tiffen filters, one set of three is low profile for WA lenses). However I basically use only the CP filters; I think 99.7% of the time UV filters are worthless for DSLRs.

[tdigi]

Don't buy cheap filter especially if you are using good lenses. I like B&W 2X coated but you

get what you pay for especially with filters. Ever wear a good pair of sunglasses then put on a

cheap pair? same thing.

[tridakfoto]

I had the same dilemma when I spent most of my money on 2 bodies and lenses. To be honest when I was getting my glass I expected to get filters for each one because this is what we are "told" to do to protect the lens etc.

 

I believe if you have a hood for your lens then it is your best protection and you don't necessarily need a filter unless it is of special nature such as a circ polarizer.

 

I have not noticed ANY difference between my photos with my UV filters on or off my lens and now when I buy glass I don't even bother with the filters but I do make sure I have the hood for protection and flare.

 

And I have the top of the line B+W FPro MRC filters (slim and non slim)

 

My advice? Do you have the lens hoods for your glass? If so skip on the filters for now because if you do buy the cheaper brands then you will most certainly notice a difference in your photos as the cheap filters CAN and sometimes DO have a negative effect on your image!

 

If you want filters, save for the solidly built ones from Hoya or B+W etc. otherwise just save your cash for now and try it without the filters.

 

For myself ... the hoods and filters are nothing but protection in case I drop my lens or camera and chances are the hood or filter will be damaged and not my glass which is what I worry over. This had happened to me when I dropped my older XT and the Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens was on it. I had the hood on my lens at the time and the only damage was a mark on the hood and some scrapes on the battery grip.

 

Hope this helps a bit. Some say get the filters, some say don't bother ... it is all a personal choice you will learn all about soon enough ;)

[zml]

The quality of glass/resin is important (you know, adding a piece of window glass in front of a complex optical system won't improve it...) but so is the mount: I prefer screw-in filters with a brass mount which IME don't get stuck on the lens as much as the cheap aluminium mounts tend to do. (FWIW I use Heliopan and B+W filters, mostly CP but sometimes UV if I shoot in dusty or wet conditions.)

[jennifer ann]

I want it mostly for protection, along with the hood. Should i get the Skylight or the UV?

They both seem similar in what they do.

[jason_hall4]

I find that the Hoya Super HMC line of filters works well for me. I believe in useing them for protection of the front element from many enviroments. Some never use them. I don't want to start another brawl as this is a sensitive topic.

 

Bottom line is if YOU decide that YOU want/need a protective filter(UV or not), then get a multi-coated one at the very least.

 

I will go so far to say that a lens hood is also as important, to reduce lens flare both indoors and out. They do not, however, provide the type of protection that a filter does, so they are by no means a substitute. Sure they may cusion a fall, but water, fingers, or what ever tend to slip right by them.

 

So by all means use a lens hood, but do not think of it as protection.

 

Jason

[john_hanlon3]

The debate about the pros and cons of filters for protection has been raging for many decades and will probably continue until the sun expands to a red giant. If you feel more comfortable using one that's fine, it's entirely up to you. Just don't buy a cheap (eg Opteka) one, a Hoya SHMC would be my recommendation. I think expensive "high end" filters are a waste of money. Whether or not you use a filter, ALWAYS use a lens hood. The improvement in contrast is noticeable, plus you get protection as a side benefit.

[digitmstr]

EVen if you use it just for protection, you still shoot through it so, the better the glass the less chances you have for glare, bad colors, reduced contrast, etc...

[lindsay_dobson]

I use filters in some environments, for protection from breakage, dirt and grit, and also because it's a lot easier to clean a filter than the lens itself. I use Hoya Pro filters and I cannot see any degradation in image quality. And as others have said, lens hoods are vital.

[michaelging]

I think the best filters are Heilopan ,and B+W. For the cost , Hoya Pro muliticoated filters are also very good. I use them on all my best lenses.and I have had several lenses saved by filters. I usually use a skylight filter as this does help a little with color photography. If I am shooting at night with bright lights in the photo or just out of the scene , I will take the filter off.

[nic_brown]

The quality of the glass will make an imperceptible difference between filter brands.

Construction quality and multi coating are what you are looking for.

 

Cheap construction = filter rattle, not dust proof and thin glass. Hoya filters are quality

aluminium and B+W are Brass. If you remove filters a lot or are accident prone then

B+W are the better bet.

 

Multi coating is essential. Shooting towards a light source (cityscapes at night, the sun)

will result in reflections from the lens surface onto the filter being visible. This can mar

otherwise good photos.

[karl_lehmann]

The types of filters where quality seems to vary most between brands are polarizers and neutral density filters (GNDs especially) - the cheap polarizers are often very bad and the cheap "neutral" ones tend not to be neutral.

 

Otherwise, as Henry said, there's often little difference in optical quality between brands - except most of the cheap brands don't offer multicoated versions. And multi coating is always worthwhile.

[davyjo]

If you aren't going to spend big money on the B&W or Hoya pro and are considering the less expensive Tiffen, Canons or others. Check out the S&W filters available on Ebay. I have tested them for flaring against the Tiffen and Canon UV filters and there was considerably less flare. Not as good as the lens alone ( I used my 17-55mmIS and 70-200 F/2.8 IS as test lens) but significantly better than the others.

 

They are sold by "Americaneagle_camera" (99.8% rating) I just bought a 72mm for $11.45 shipped to me. It took 3 days to arrive. I own a couple of these and I'm quite impressed.

 

If there is any chance of flare I pull the filter but it's nice to have one on when there are children near with grubby little fingers that might touch a front element.

[douglas_vitello]

A standard multi coated Tiffen UV 0 will get the job done and won't break the bank.There are some real junk low cost filters out there that are about the same quality as window glass.Tiffen and Hoya are both high quality optical glass and are very affordable.

[sknowles]

Before you buy a filter, if you need one because as suggested a lens hood does a

good job in many situations, check the cleaning prodeedures for the filters. Each of the

middle to highend brand filters are made differently and some multi-coated ones have

special cleaning equipment and protocol to avoid damaging the coatings.

 

That said, Tiffen are glass sandwiching the coatings so they clean with ordinary lens

cleaning cleaner and papers. Except for a few B+W, many of my older filters (for film

cameras and lenses) are Tiffen because they're good and reasonably priced (if

damaged or destroyed). They tend to fog over time in filter holders and use, so I

routinely check and clean them.

 

And as suggested, unless you want a clear protective filter for some situations

(beach/sand, rain, etc.) all you really need is a polarizing filter and maybe a neutral

denstiy when you want to reduce the light uniformly. All the rest are optional.

[lester_wareham]

You get what you pay for with filters I am afraid, I really don't suggest putting a cheap filter in front of even a budget lens. Read this for some background on why it maters and not only what brands are good but what grades to look for in those brands.

 

http://www.zen20934.zen.co.uk/photography/LensTests/Flare/Protective_Filter_FAQ.htm

[peter_j2]

Part of buying a good lens is the almost forgotten part of adding a protective filter. I kept the Nikon L37C filters when switching from Nikon glass to Canon. Why? Because they work and they were not cheap. The other filter brand on my lenses are the B+W UV's. I had rented a Nikkor 17-35 a few years ago and it had a Tiffen UV filter. No problems with that filter brand either. All of the expensive filters mentioned are proven to be amongst the best.

[alan_myers]

Most of the time I use the very cheapest filter... None at all.

 

IMHO, a lens hood alone is a far better investment for protection, and adding filters to the front of a lens should be done only when they serve a purpose other than protection.

 

Exceptions: A protection filter can be a wise idea when shooting out in a sand storm, or in salt spray at the beach, or snapping shots of a wet-nosed dog or sticky fingered urchin.

 

When I do use a filter, it's a quality, multi-coated one to minimize the possible negative effects.

 

Among screw in filters, I use and/or recommend: B+W MRC, Heliopan SH-PMC and Hoya Pro. Polarizing, UV and Neutral Density are the most useful types shooting digitally. For portraiture, particularly feminine portraits, a soft net, black net or mist can be useful.

 

Rectangular filters are usually not multi-coated, so some extra care is necessary when using them. Lee, Tiffen and Singh-Ray are the main ones that come to mind. Graduated Neutral Density are probably the most useful type of rectangular filters, most often for landscape shooting.

[josephwalsh]

I recommend listening to that Henry feller up at the top.

 

He has quite a bit of experience with photography equipment. More than quite a bit.. ;-)

[arie_vandervelden1]

I like Tamron filters. Their CPLs are particularly good. Optically similar to B+W. The filter rings are aluminum, not brass as with B+W. Can be hard to find.

 

Avoid cheap Hakuba filters. I've got a CPL and it's got a very bad blue color cast. Flares badly too.