 - Susan Eginton  Contact Susan Eginton Susan Eginton's Gallery |
Filters I was recently sold a filter to protect my lens, which I thought was a good thing to have. Recently I read somone comment that this type of filter is not really necessary and that the added glass may cause problems with photos. Would I be better off without it? What type of problems could it cause? I have an SLR Canon RebelG camera with a 55 mm lens.
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Mike Rubin |
I think the feeling is that any glass in front of the lens can degrade the image. This is an endless debate as is the debate on RAW vs Jpeg. Each person with an opinon on these topics defend it as if you are insulting their mother!
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anonymous |
I think the risk is worth it. Unless you have endless cash and can easily replace that $1000 lens that you accidently drop on its end.
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Mark Feldstein |
Greetings Sue ! There's kind of an ongoing debate about the value of using say a UV filter to protect the outer front element of a lens. My own view is it's basically useless and creates more headaches than it solves. In fact, I think the UV-lens protection theory is pretty much of a myth and I'd wager that most photographers in the A.P. press pool out of San Francisco would tend to agree with me. The reasons I say that are mainly because: Myth #1, repeated cleanings wear out a lens coating. If a UV filter gets glopped up, you've got to take it off and clean it. Does it wear out? That would take a LOT of cleanings. Most modern lenses have sufficient, hardened coatings to protect against UV AND repeated cleanings, so a UV filter is redundant AND they can withstand a little glop now and then and cleaning. I usually clean my Nikkors, made back in the 70's and 80s every time I use them and they seem nonetheless for wear. If moisture accumulates beneath a "protective filter" and the lens element, it could provide a healthy environment for mold or fungus to start growing and THAT could really damage the coating on your lens. A lens needs to breathe. Caps should allow for that, cases should have dessicant packs to absorb excess moisture. Myth #2, a UV filter will protect your lens against physical damage. Proably not unless you're cleaning off sand and rubbing it in with whatever you're using to clean it with. In that case, you aren't cleaning properly. In terms of damage sufficient to break the filter, if your UV filter shatters, chances are whatever cause it will be sufficient to shatter or at least damage the underlying front lens element anyway. Myth #3, a UV filter protects against UV. Well yes, but UV is generally only present at very high altitudes so why add an extra layer of glass you don't need to protect against something that isn't a problem at lower altitudes. Also, UV filters may cause flare/glare between itself and the front lens element depending on what you're shooting. Also, remember a UV filter isn't a polarizing filter or a warming filter like an 81A, 81B or 81C. The best protection for your lens is common sense and either a lens case or a lens shade of some sort which will also improve the quality of your images (regardless of your altitude) by shielding your lens from glare and flare. (But make sure it's the right size for the lens). And make sure too that you know the correct technique for cleaning a lens using a blower, a camel hair brush perhaps, and a piece of lens tissue with a drop or two of lens cleaner applied to the tissue never directly to the lens. If I'm shooting in a sand storm or very dusty conditions, I use a warming filter because it enhances my images.
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anonymous |
Mark, I dropped my camera while photographing the harbour bridge, the UV filter smashed, cause it fell on its end. My lens - was perfectly safe! I don't think I could say the same if I didn't have the UV filter on. For that - I am thankful I had the filter on.
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Mark Feldstein |
Greetings Natalie: Interesting. So let me get this straight: You dropped what kind of camera and it landed on what exactly to cause the UV filter to get smushed by landing how??? Are you saying it fell with the lens barrel front first? Lemme know. Mark
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anonymous |
Yep, I thought it was around my neck (as I always have it around my neck) so I physically let go of the camera and it went crashing down lens first to the wood ourdoor marine decking below (to a stranger it looked like I purposely dropped my camera). The UV filter smashed, and I had to pick the glass out. It is slightly dinted which means I cant get the ring from the UV filter off (but I am sure I could get someone to have a look at it). But if I didn't have the UV filter, who's to say the actual lens might not of smashed. A friend of mine also dropped his camera onto the top of a dining table chair, and the wood pierced the UV filter, lens was perfect.
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anonymous |
Sorry camera was my 350D with the standard 28 - 90mm lens on it.
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Mark Feldstein |
Ouch !!! But you know, quite honestly Natalie, the lens probably would have emerged unscathed with or without the filter. Why? UV filters, among others, are made of pretty thin optical glass whereas if you could see a side view of the front element of your lens, you'd find it made of rather thick, ground glass supported by rings, gaskets and other lens elements. So, it probably would have been fine. Call me crazy, but I'll lay odds our resident photo engineer, Alan Marcus could enlighten us on the subject of the physics of filter vs. lens thickness. Meanwhile, to get the ring free, you can try taking a piece of rubber innertube, wrap it around the exterior of the front lens ring and twist counterclockwise by hand. It should provide sufficient traction to get it free but don't use something like channel locks or it might compress it to the point of damaging the threads which might already be damaged by the filter ring. [Another reason why I don't like to use filters for protection]. Or, any camera repair shop should be able to remove it and check the lens for dislodged parts or electronics anyway since it seems to have taken a pretty good hit and that can knock things out of whack even if its not obvious yet. I was running to cover a conference once at O'Hare airport in Chicago and while trying to change lenses on the fly, dropped my 105mm/ 3.5 Nikkor down an escalator. It was awful !!! Went down almost the full length of the escalator, about 40 feet. Kathunk, kathunk, kathunk, clang !!! No filter but a metal lens shade. The shade looked like a truck hit it. The lens was fine. My point is, and of course reasonable minds would disagree, but I don't think filters are durable enough to handle a crash without themselves breaking whereas the lens behind them would be fine on its own. Take it light.
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anonymous |
OMG - you must of been so worried, and it would of happened in slow motion and you wouldn't of been able to do a thing about it! How horrible. I am pretty confident that the lens would of survived, my concern was scratches on the lens, from the wood at high spead rubbing against it. I'll give your idea ago on trying to get the ring free. Thanks heaps!!!
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Jane M |
Mark - I don't use filters on my lenses but always have lens hoods on them (yes, even my 35mm!). They offer great protection against fingers, brushing against things , etc but I always wonder how much protection they offer against drops?
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Sharon Day |
I don't use protective filters either. My lenses all have hoods and I find them to be as much protection as I need for bumps and fingerprints. Get insurance against breakage from your homeowner's insurance agent. It covers you dropping your equipment. Personally I wouldn't trust a filter or lens hood to keep my gear safe if it fell to the ground.
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Mark Feldstein |
Yeah Natalie, you've got that exactly right. I DO see it happening in slow motion with my arm reaching out to try and catch the thing while my buddy's hand comes up from behind me to snag my jacket and keep me from going ass over tea kettle after the lens. I still hear his voice...also in slowmo, saying "H-e-y Mark, d-o-n't t-h-r-o-w t-h-a-t lens away...I'll take it. ". Besides, I don't bounce well. More like a thud (with explatives deleted) LOL !!! Try an Optech strap. They have one that uses fabric loops to go through the camera eyelets and on the end of each of 2 loops, there's a plastic snap closure that's about impossible to open accidentally. It's called the "OpTech Pro Loop" Strap. The things are really great and comfortable too. I've got one on every camera body I have, small and medium format. Here's a link to them at B&H. Take a look. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=118283&is=REG&addedTroughType=search You know, like Sharon says, the only thing to protect a camera against a drop is a good insurance policy. Thre are just so many things that can get knocked out of whack when a camera takes a hit that I don't think anything will really protect it. In fact, I think the least vulnerable part of a camera is the external lens elements whereas the most vulnerable part, aside from the filter it might be wearing, are the body mechanics themselves. Especially electronic components with motors are subject to getting a small wire broken off, a gear shaft broken, solder connection cracked, a circuit board jarred partly loose. This is one reason why I shoot Nikon F-2s. Someone once told me that with an MD 3 motor drive (loaded with 8 AA batteries) you can use an F-2 to drive fence posts with. LOL !!! Be well kids.
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anonymous |
Oh Mark - that's the thing, I have a great strap that I use all the time, it was on the camera, it was connected and safe - I stupidly just didn't put the strap around my neck! (doh....) and as I ALWAYS put the strap around my neck, I didn't think twice about letting go of my camera (thinking it was going to just swing from my neck) and THUD - it hit the ground. It really did look like I purposely dropped my camera. All is well though.
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Mark Feldstein |
OK, so you just need to stop using your camera like an Argentine Bolo and put it back around your neck. LOL ! Although this wasn't a strap opening problem, what I do, Natalie, with those plastic snap-loks on straps including the Optechs, is to tape them with a chunk of black gaffers tape to prevent anyone, including me, from accidentally (or deliberately) opening them without removing the tape first. As for using your camera like a Bolo, I recommend slinging rocks instead. They're a lot less expensive. Be well Nat !!!
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