UV & CPL filter

[pinholecam]

Certain brands are good for certain types of filters actually. IMHO, For ND so far haida is one of the best, better than b+w and Lee. Especially their 10 stop filter is unmatched in my opinion. For uv and protection filters, i go for kenko zeta for good value. For CPL, i find b+w too warm for my taste. I use both a haida and a kenko pro1d

+1, well summarized.
I have about the same usage/buying logic for the filters.
Haida for the ND (6 and 10 stop)
Anything decent enough for the UV (the Kenko and the Haida mainly)
CPL, still have an old one from from HOYA that has served me well.
Used a cheap Tianya polarizing filter before and it was a flare monster.

 

[Blur Shadow]

Wow. I should check out Haida someday...

The advice is to get the best I can afford, but for a first time buyer, that is also quite open ended...

...I'm getting it more for additional lens protection so obviously don't want a cheapie filter to degrade photo quality. If my budget was $30-$50 for a 46mm filter (for the 25mm f1.8 lens), is this a reasonable budget? What would you recommend?

If I were you, I'd settle for a Hoya / Kenko Pro 1D series of filters. I think they fit your budget and do the job reasonably well.

 

[Ted100]

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions. I will aim for the Kenko Zeta or Kenko/Hoya Pro1 series.

Personally, I would rather use a lens hood for protection. Serves much better than any filter. But I started with UV filter as well before I came to that conclusion.

There are 2 reasons why I want a filter:
1. I'm trying to get the smallest bag possible to carry the EM10 with 25mm lens. The hood might mean I need a bigger bag.
2. I have a kid at home so the filter is good protection against curious fingers =)

Small gripe. The default lens cap on the Olympus 25mm lens is not that easy to grip. The one on the 14-42 kit lens is even worse. I'm definitely looking to replace them with a centre pinch type cap.

 

[Octarine]

There are 2 reasons why I want a filter:
1. I'm trying to get the smallest bag possible to carry the EM10 with 25mm lens. The hood might mean I need a bigger bag.
2. I have a kid at home so the filter is good protection against curious fingers =)

1. I would be surprised to see a lens hood that cannot be reverse mounted. That means: the hood adds only a bit to the diameter of the lens, not the length.
2) Front elements are quite sturdy and coated to stand the elements. Finger prints are not an issue to clean. And it needs quite a dirty paw to create prints that show up in your images. To illustrate the effects of front element dirt have a look here: http://kurtmunger.com/dirty_lens_articleid35.html
On another note: plastic lens hoods can take a blow and knock quite well. Worst case: they come off or break, a damage of $30 maybe. But that also means: the hood has absorbed the energy of the impact, protecting the lens. A hard knock to the rim of your lens / filter can bend the filter threads. You will have a hard time to remove the filter and get it fixed. I haven't had anything coming straight to my lens, but two occasions of hard knocks against the rim.
But then, use whatever gives you the comfort feeling. Experience will do the rest

 

[Ted100]

1. I would be surprised to see a lens hood that cannot be reverse mounted.

But that also means: the hood has absorbed the energy of the impact, protecting the lens. A hard knock to the rim of your lens / filter can bend the filter threads.

Do you find it troublesome having to remount the hood every time you take it out?

Good point on the hood taking most of the impact on a knock vs. lens rim.

 

[Octarine]

Do you find it troublesome having to remount the hood every time you take it out?

Not at all, it's just a turn and click.

 

[catchlights]

Do you find it troublesome having to remount the hood every time you take it out?

Good point on the hood taking most of the impact on a knock vs. lens rim.

spending time looking for interesting angles, composing photos in appealing way is more troublesome than removing and attaching a lens hood.

 

[surasak]

Best for what? Please share a few more of your ideas. Also, it helps to define your budget.
For the time being please have a look at this sticky thread: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=803029

Noted

 

[pinholecam]

Do you find it troublesome having to remount the hood every time you take it out?

Good point on the hood taking most of the impact on a knock vs. lens rim.

I like to use (ebay )metal screw on hoods that can be capped over, so no remove and attach trouble.