Why you shouldn't use UV filters as protection on your lenses

[rocky_g.]

<p>Forgive me if I missed this in the other responses, but it sounds like you have a bag full of pretty expensive equipment. I have had an expensive lens saved from a drop by a filter, but a fall is only one of the countless possible accidents that can destroy your equipment. Why not get your equipment insured? PPA offers free insurance with a membership that you can upgrade pretty affordable to cove the replacement cost of everything in your bag. It also covers theft. Now that I have insurance, I leave my equipment in my unlocked car with the windows open, let my 4 year old play catch with my 80L, and sometimes even use my 5D mark 3 as a hammer if I don't want to bother going to the garage. The peace of mind you have with insurance leaves a lot of stress of your back and cost less then fitting all lenses with B+W filters</p>

[savagesax]

Cool Vail! Glad you are all set up. Happy new year to you and your husband. Hope the lens situation works out in your favor.

[tavia_llando]

<p>I had the exact same thing happen to me. Though mine was more embarrassment hilarity - as I had just saw the president of epic games with todd howard (director of skyrim) in the booth where I was standing. Camera = drop. Had it been the tilt shift I wasn't worried, but it was the 85mm 1.2. I freaked out, luckily going to uni with a bunch of engineers one of them was able to take the bent filter off. Last time I dropped the camera with a 50 1.8, it broke the auto focus thing on the lens (and made the middle bit fall out). So lucky that the filter saved me $2000</p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>Sorry to hear about that Vail. I don't use filters unless its a ND or CPL. Even then, I take them off when that part is done. I do however us the hood for my lenses and it has saved me on more than on occasion. </p>

<p>Filters are a good thing in general, but there are a lot of times in a wedding where you have candles, fairy lights etc., and they will create odd reflections against the front element of your lens. If you know about it, you can plan accordingly, but otherwise, it will spoil a shot. Just FYI.</p>

<p>Hope your new cam works ok.</p>

[peter_baugh]

<p>Well, sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but I have always used a UV filter. Still use it on my Nikon P6000. Why? It has a small zoom lens, and not easy to clean. Every time you clean, you wear the coating or scratch the lens. Also the moving zoom can allow dust or pollution to enter the camera, degrading the photo sensor chip (I bought an adapter barrel to cover the lens and allow any standard lens filter to be used including polarizers). A UV filter helps to reduce wear on the lens and camera. But the most important reason for the UV filter, is that is does filter out UV (ultra violet radiation light waves that our eyes do not see much if any). Digital cameras CAN see this energy, and they can see Infrared wavelengths. Test your camera for this- shine an infrared remote control at your camera, repeat fire the remote while you shoot the camera or take a video. All my digital cameras see a bright blue light shining from the remote controller, yet my eyes can not see it. DUH. <br>

Another note- I attended advanced photography classed at a University... One of the FIRST things the professors ordered us to do, was to get a good UV filter for our lenses. Not just for protection, but for better overall color and contrast especially in sunlight. Removing the UV from the camera lens makes the photograph look more like the "Human" perception of the scene. And thus, much better pictures. More beautiful. But If you do not understand light theory, and the difference between human sight and the process of photography, digital or film, then do as you wish. Not using a UV filter will just make my pictures look a little bit more professional. <br>

I do agree that if you use a UV filter, get a good one. Do not get the cheapest thing from China. Even expensive UV filters are no comparison to the cost of a new or repaired lens. Happy shooting.</p>

[fotografz]

<p>Hi Peter. I think you may be confusing IR (Infared) with UV (Ultraviolet) light spectrums. These invisible spectrums are at opposite ends of the total light spectrum, one at the red end (IR) and the other at the blue (UV). </p>

<p>IR is used in remote camera control devices and as invisible triggers for some remote flash devices. Digital photographic sensors have IR filters to cut the effect that near IR spectrum can have on digital images: (for example, the Leica M8 digital camera's IR sensor filter was too thin/weak, and the result was that some artificial black materials like some tuxes and camera bags would exhibit a strong magenta cast ... so IR cut filters had to be used on the Leica M lenses).</p>

<p>UV is more case specific, as it it is not necessary in many photographic scenarios. In fact, today's modern multi-coated lenses are so effective most actually do not need UV filtration unless you are shooting at high elevations. If it was universally needed the camera companies would have included a UV element in every lens.</p>

<p>If you want a filter for protection on a modern lens, then consider a clear filter which obviously is a universal solution as it has no effect at all other than protection ... but only IF it something like the B+W XS-Pro Clear MRC-Nano 007 filter. Some high-end lenses already have such an element built in ... my Leica S optics all have a clear front MRC element which is account for in the element array.</p>

<p>Be aware that a filter added to a lens can cause a false reflection in certain circumstances. In dark situations with strong points of light the spectral light can reflect back like a mirror ... If you have ever had a chandelier in a image which showed some strange points of light at the bottom of the image it was the filter causing this. </p>

<p>- Marc</p>

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