To use a UV-Haze Filter or not use a UV-Haze Filter, that is the question...

[Two23]

I don't think UV filters do anything if you aren't photo'ing at high altitude. I don't even own one. I do use polarizers, mostly on my Nikon equipment. I only use filters when I think it will help the image, so I do use ND filters some, and colored filters for b&w. As for "protection," filters don't really protect at all. The ONLY time I had a lens coating/front element was when a filter broke and the sharp edges destroyed the front element. This has happened to two other people I personally know. Filters are very weak and break. I use the lens cap when not actually taking a photo. I use lens hoods on all my Nikon gear. After over 30 years of outdoor shooting in often extreme conditions, the lens scratched lens I've had was because of a filter.


Kent in SD

[Two23]

1.The filter came in handy last week during light rain and/or mist from waterfalls -- I could compose and focus, then remove the slightly wet filter at the last moment.

2.Also filters can provide some protection if the lens is dropped -- threads on the lens are protected and one might crack the filter instead of the glass of the lens.

1. This is the only time I use a filter to protect--there is fine grit in the spray from many waterfalls. I'm generally using a polarizer anyway.

2, NO!!!! Drop the lens and the flimsy glass filter breaks. Nothing scratches glass like broken glass. It happened to me, and it's happened to two of my friends. Lens cap is designed to absorb some shock and those do NOT shatter and scratch lenses.


Kent in SD

[Vaughn]

2) True, lens caps are much better protection for both threads and glass, but you can't see through a lens cap. Generally the cap does not come off until the lens is on the camera.

A friend dropped my 72mm Hoya red filter recently -- it bounced down the rocks and the glass separated from the metal rim before taking the last 6 foot plunge off the rocks and onto the pavement. I put it back together and it is still usable. You never know...

[Larry Gebhardt]

The lenses also all had a step up ring to 77mm for some reason. (Any guesses as to why 77mm? The guy who sold me the lenses was selling it for his father and didn't know why.)

I put step up rings on my lenses so they all take the same sized filters. The previous owner probably had 77mm filters and wanted to use them on all his lenses. I find 67mm filters a better size for the LF lenses I own, but if I was sharing filters with some SLR lenses I'd consider 77mm. One other advantage is they act as a very crude lens shade, especially if you have a few stacked to get to the final size.

[Bernice Loui]

IMO, better to have a lens protector or UV filter for any lens that can be subjected to physical abuse. Trade off between serious to fatal lens damage -vs- minor to nil image degradation. Every non-LF lens use has a UV filter or Lens protector as small format camera lenses are subject to unpredictable events.. Much the same applies to view camera lenses that are used with field cameras that can experience unexpected physical trauma.




Bernice

[Drew Wiley]

Does anyone here shoot color film? If so, this is an important subject. And mere generic comparisons, like that "lenstip" one, are apt to be misleading in certain respects, because they don't tell you a damn thing about the relation between specific filters and specific types of film under specific conditions. If you just want general lens protection from the elements, that's a slightly different topic. Some color films are fairly sensitive to UV and color temperature issues, and you want the correct filter for the situation, not just any filter. Unfortunately, it can take a selection of filters and a degree of actual personal testing to get to the truth sometimes.

[Bob Salomon]

Does anyone here shoot color film? If so, this is an important subject. And mere generic comparisons, like that "lenstip" one, are apt to be misleading in certain respects, because they don't tell you a damn thing about the relation between specific filters and specific types of film under specific conditions. If you just want general lens protection from the elements, that's a slightly different topic. Some color films are fairly sensitive to UV and color temperature issues, and you want the correct filter for the situation, not just any filter. Unfortunately, it can take a selection of filters and a degree of actual personal testing to get to the truth sometimes.

Go to Heliopan.de and download their filter histogram, it will tell you the proper filter under any lighting conditio; for any color film

[HMG]

If you want to choose based on actual test measurements, read this:

https://www.lenstip.com/113.1-articl...ters_test.html

The results are not always intuitive if you think more $ = better filter.

For me it’s the bible on UV filters and they also have another review for Polarizing filters. Very much worth reading.

I would caution that the online article was written in 2009 and was reprinted from a 2007 article. With the penchant for some manufacturers to cheapen their products, I'd be careful about applying specific test result on today's filters.

[Kiwi7475]

I would caution that the online article was written in 2009 and was reprinted from a 2007 article. With the penchant for some manufacturers to cheapen their products, I'd be careful about applying specific test result on today's filters.

Unless there are newer measurements somewhere, I’d still follow this rather than a simple more $ is better approach.
Do you have any specific information about some of these companies in particular or is it just a generic concern?

[HMG]

Unless there are newer measurements somewhere, I’d still follow this rather than a simple more $ is better approach.
Do you have any specific information about some of these companies in particular or is it just a generic concern?

No specific information. Just a caution that things may have changed since those tests were done.