Lens Filter..
- Thread starter joycegian
- Start date
kei1309
Senior Member
the filter is for protecting the front element of the lens. it's worth the money spent especially if you do street photography.
some people will say that all you need is the hood. but what else does the filter do for you? it also protects your front element from scratches.
in the end, it's up to you whether to get it or not.
for me, i'm a staunch "no-filter" GWC. however, the only time i purchased a filter was when i lost my Minolta Lens cap for my Minolta lens... and the fact that Sony doesn't support Minolta repairs anymore scared the crap outta me and thank God my church is just above MS Color :bsmilie:
Yahlor ! ...especially if you do alot of shooting 'pple who talk loudly and spray you with their "blessings" !!!
saliva usually leaves a mark which microfibre cloth also cannot clean, you need to wash with soap and water !!!
edutilos-
Senior Member
Hi Joyce,
I don't know any good way to put it. Maybe I can try using an analogy.
A man buying a Ferrari says it's worth it. Another man looking at him buying says "siao, I only want a car to get from point A to point B, having that horse logo and paying so much money for it is not worth it".
In short, it's up to you. Cheers!
edutilos-
Senior Member
I see.
That's good to know. Thanks for correcting my misconception.
Come to think of it, I have also seen glass iPhone protectors being sold... (and we all know an iPhone with no touch-screen is useless since you can only turn it on, off and press the home button :bsmilie: )greenieadi
Member
For myself, I'll use a filter for outdoor walkabout as I find clipping on/off the lens cap is a hassle. I can live with a bit of degradation of image quality rather than having to always bear in mind to place my cam properly or suffer a scratch front element.
If there's flaring, I just remove the filter and screw it on after that. Not much flaring I've experience for my kind of photography, anyway.
A filter cost so little as compared to scratching my lens front element or degrading the IQ. I've no qualms of using one for the purpose of preventing scratches.
I won't go so far to be afraid of losing detail, contrast or other attributes of high IQ that I prefer to use a filter. I always ask myself how much detail do I require. I guess as a hobby not that high.
My expectation is not as high as some alpha/nex users here. To TS, get one if it gives you a piece of mind. Anyway, how much of an IQ can we get from the kit lens. IF so it degrades, remove it, retake that shot, screw it on afterwards.
If there's flaring, I just remove the filter and screw it on after that. Not much flaring I've experience for my kind of photography, anyway.
A filter cost so little as compared to scratching my lens front element or degrading the IQ. I've no qualms of using one for the purpose of preventing scratches.
I won't go so far to be afraid of losing detail, contrast or other attributes of high IQ that I prefer to use a filter. I always ask myself how much detail do I require. I guess as a hobby not that high.
My expectation is not as high as some alpha/nex users here. To TS, get one if it gives you a piece of mind. Anyway, how much of an IQ can we get from the kit lens. IF so it degrades, remove it, retake that shot, screw it on afterwards.
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Ouch.. not a good idea if you are new to the topics. Alan Photo has been reported by many to be misleading and luring people into spending money for things they don't need or generously marking up no-name products. Please go up to 6th floor, Orient Photo, if you need to buy in Sim Lim. And if you really need a filter get some quality glass. Brands like Hoya, Kenko, of course only multi coated (MC) models.
If you are careful it's not worth spending money on some funky piece of glass that is put in front of your quality lens glass and giving a false sens eof safety. Get a lens hood instead: it shields the lens from stray light and serves well as protector against most. Keep in mind: it is very rare that you get something flying straight onto your lens. Most bumps and knocks come from the side towards the rim of the lens. A lens hood will catch the energy, maybe it breaks, but the lens stays intact. Replacement costs a few bucks. A lens filter will transfer the energy straight to the lens rim, the filter glass might break - but definitely the filter thread will be damaged. This damage needs some more money to repair.
My lens hood caught a few bumps already, still serving me well
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kaixinxuan
New Member
I did not buy a filer for kits lens as its easier to clean if there is any dust. However bought one filter for my macro lens as the lens is deeper inside. So harder to clean. As kits lens will not extend out too much, a filter might not be needed. U can get better IQ without filter on. Just my two cents worth of comments
Velectron
Senior Member
Just to share what I think of filters on kit lenses - Use them selectively, when the situation calls for it.
No I do not mean special effect filters but there are situations where clear filters can be important to help protect your lens:
1. When you are shooting near the sea with lots of wind and spray.
2. When you are shooting in a very dusty or sandy environment, e.g. desert
In these situations, it would be better to accept a small amount of IQ degradation than to expose the front elements.
Why? When salt sprays dry out, they would not only leave behind a stain that is difficult to clean, but also numerous tiny salt crystals. When you try to clean them off with a microfiber cloth or other tools, these tiny crystals can abrade the coatings on your glass or cause scratches on your lens glass. Same for sandy environment where tiny sand particles can adhere onto your lens glass. A filter is not only easier to clean in these situations but also less costly to replace should you accidentally scratch it.
Other than the two special situations I mentioned above, I normally do not use a filter as there is no real need. But if using a filter would give you a sense of re-assurance and boldens you to shoot what you wanted to shoot, then why not?
No I do not mean special effect filters but there are situations where clear filters can be important to help protect your lens:
1. When you are shooting near the sea with lots of wind and spray.
2. When you are shooting in a very dusty or sandy environment, e.g. desert
In these situations, it would be better to accept a small amount of IQ degradation than to expose the front elements.
Why? When salt sprays dry out, they would not only leave behind a stain that is difficult to clean, but also numerous tiny salt crystals. When you try to clean them off with a microfiber cloth or other tools, these tiny crystals can abrade the coatings on your glass or cause scratches on your lens glass. Same for sandy environment where tiny sand particles can adhere onto your lens glass. A filter is not only easier to clean in these situations but also less costly to replace should you accidentally scratch it.
Other than the two special situations I mentioned above, I normally do not use a filter as there is no real need. But if using a filter would give you a sense of re-assurance and boldens you to shoot what you wanted to shoot, then why not?
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About the impact of front element scratches on image quality:
Dirty lens article
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2008/10/front-element-scratches
There is no need to clean and scrub the front element each time one comes home. Relax
albertri
Senior Member
Octarine said:About the impact of front element scratches on image quality:
Dirty lens article
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2008/10/front-element-scratches
There is no need to clean and scrub the front element each time one comes home. Relax
Seen this before it wont impact minor scratches to the IQ but sure will impact the value of your lens when its time to let go or sell: -)
Only for people who buy lenses for looking at the lenses.. instead of making pictures
Velectron
Senior Member
Only for people who buy lenses for looking at the lenses.. instead of making pictures
Not only these people you mentioned, but also those that are less-informed. We may know that tiny scratches or internal dust makes little to no difference to the final image, but for the usual layman, they would squeal when they see a tiny dust particle inside the lens or some tiny mark on the glass. Happened many times before and would continue to happen, like it or not
kei1309
Senior Member
Only for people who buy lenses for looking at the lenses.. instead of making pictures
reminds me of what my brother said when i borrowed his lens one day.. and removed the filter..
"why did you do that? now there's a few specks of dust on the lens...." to me i saw nothing on the lens... :bsmilie:
All I can say is "be practical".
If putting a filter in front of the lens can give you peace of mind and let u enjoy photography more, go ahead.
Use a Hoya HMC as a minimum and maybe Pro-1 or B+W if money is not an issue.
I have filters and hoods on all my lenses, so that I do not need to use lens cap at all.
Capturing the moment (which usually results in rough handling of equipment) is of the utmost importance, the slight degradation on image quality by the filter is trivial compared to getting the shot.
If putting a filter in front of the lens can give you peace of mind and let u enjoy photography more, go ahead.
Use a Hoya HMC as a minimum and maybe Pro-1 or B+W if money is not an issue.
I have filters and hoods on all my lenses, so that I do not need to use lens cap at all.
Capturing the moment (which usually results in rough handling of equipment) is of the utmost importance, the slight degradation on image quality by the filter is trivial compared to getting the shot.
TWmilkteaTW
Senior Member
Yea its subjective.. Personally i dont see any or hardly spot any image degradation too with my filter on. And i always had it on because i just feel better. Infact frankly speaking i once had the very cheap Emolux filter on (kit lens 18-55).. image degradation is very minimal but the flaring is big issue though.
On my CZ im using the CZ filter from Sony.
TS - Just go get 1 if you feel better/more comfortable having 1 infront your optics. : )
You could consider Hoya pro1 digital dmc uv ...its actually ranked first overall among 19 filters tested including some b+w filters o_0 ..best bang for buck i would say... Pictures are there to show quality with all tested filters...u might wanna judge for yourself =) pretty affordable too...cost just a little more then the hmc ...
www. lenstip . com/ 113.1-article-UV_filters_test_Introduction.html
*sorry cant post links so do join up the broken link yourself..
www. lenstip . com/ 113.1-article-UV_filters_test_Introduction.html
*sorry cant post links so do join up the broken link yourself..
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albertri
Senior Member
Only for people who buy lenses for looking at the lenses.. instead of making pictures
Not only these people you mentioned, but also those that are less-informed. We may know that tiny scratches or internal dust makes little to no difference to the final image, but for the usual layman, they would squeal when they see a tiny dust particle inside the lens or some tiny mark on the glass. Happened many times before and would continue to happen, like it or not
Well i think its better safe than sorry I buy lenses from fellow CSer of course as much as possible the glass should be clean we all know those scratches hardly affect the IQ... on the flip side filters specially the el-cheapo ones do affect the IQ like the below, you see the 3 blueish blob ghosting those are reflection of the 3 shop lights :-( and this was caused by lens filter. So to me I use filter when needed and as much as possible I try to aviod it but using those good filters I dont experience such ghosting effects even there's a strong light source in the frame.
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