To filter or not to filter....

[david_r._edan]

UV filters do very little to mitigate the effects of blue haze in landscapes. The haze is actually scattering from aerosol particles smaller than the wavelength of light. It is strongly polarized, and reduced greatly with a polarizing filter.

 

Totally agree, however, when shooting stitched panoramas a polarizer is usually out (sometimes it can be used but 90% of the time it will do more harm than good). A UV filter will help a little with cutting through some horrendous haze. I usually have a UV filter with me and I slap it on whenever there's a bunch of haze but only after I've already captured my pano without any filter and if I have the extra time. The improvement over unfiltered images is negligible at best but when the atmospherics are that atrocious - every little bit helps.

[2Oceans]

jakemaryniak,

One can use UV filters like and in addition to a lens cap. You can take the filter off anytime you want.

If you have it you can use it when you need it. They do protect the front element and to some degree the filter threads.

For panoramics all the auto features are turned off and the filters especially a polarizer are stowed.

As well, have never seen any published objective findings that high quality B&W filters made with schott glass

or any of the superb optical quality stuff manufactured in Japan degrade image quality.

Good hunting

[robert_bowring]

I keep uv filters on all of my lenses for protection. I have had several filters broken but have never had damage to the lenses. I have always been of the opinion that the less you clean a lens the better. A filter will keep it clean. I use Hoya filters and they seem to be of very good quality. I had someone pick up my camera once and he decided the lens needed cleaning. I caught him cleaning it with his dirty flannel shirt. He may as well used sandpaper. Luckily I had a filter on the lens and the lens was not damaged. The filter was shot but easily replaced. I also use metal lens hoods on all of my lenses.

[Vincent Peri]

...I had someone pick up my camera once and he decided the lens needed cleaning. I caught him cleaning it with his dirty flannel shirt. He may as well used sandpaper. Luckily I had a filter on the lens and the lens was not damaged. The filter was shot but easily replaced...

 

Hmm... did you kill him...?

http://bayouline.com/o2.gif

[stanley_sizeler]

I should also have mentioned again that a lens hood can often also serve as a cushion for hard knocks. If it fits the lens, it will have no detrimental effect at all -- quite the contrary.

I discovered that whenever possible, the best lens protction is a collapsible rubber lens hood, since in addtion to shielding the lens from aberrant light rays, it serves as a bumper, but can be collapsed to occupy less space in the camera bag. They are difficult to find , and must always be tested mounted on lens and camea to make sue they do not vignette.

Stan