UV Filters?

[Grumpy-Fan]

UV filters, Yay or Nay?

 

[ddbowdoin]

A lot of people will claim it will affect sharpness and while that may be true I could see it with really low grade cheap filters. B+W filters (brand) would likely not produce that issue

 

[wiigirl]

I say 'yay'.

 

[CP_alum08]

I think if you have tons of money invested in good glass I would probably invest a few hundred more for "insurance". I wouldn't put a $100 filter on a $200 lens though, to me it seems like overkill. However, if you're a naturally clumsy person or will be in situations where your lens could get bumped or scratched then I might reconsider. Personally I don't use them.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I agree with the above... I only have them on my pro level lenses

 

[wdwmagic]

I'm a yay, and B+W

 

[tahqa]

I'm a nay. In my opinion the benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks.

 

[WDI 1998]

An interesting thing I found with my UV filter. For night shots it works great as a starlight filter giving me great star burst effects on all lights. I forgot I had the UV filter on and this is what I got.


Disney 2012 (1 of 1)-4 by Doug McClentic, on Flickr

I added a starlight filter on top of that and got a mess of very strong star bursts for every light.

 

[WDWFigment]

^That's a result of your aperture, not the UV filter.

I don't use UV filters on any lenses. I use lens hoods for protection.

 

[CP_alum08]

An interesting thing I found with my UV filter. For night shots it works great as a starlight filter giving me great star burst effects on all lights. I forgot I had the UV filter on and this is what I got.


Disney 2012 (1 of 1)-4 by Doug McClentic, on Flickr

I added a starlight filter on top of that and got a mess of very strong star bursts for every light.

What WDWfigment said. Those bursts are a result of shooting at f/22, not the UV filter. I'm curious though, if you didn't know f/22 would produce those bursts why were shooting at f/22?

 

[WDI 1998]

What WDWfigment said. Those bursts are a result of shooting at f/22, not the UV filter. I'm curious though, if you didn't know f/22 would produce those bursts why were shooting at f/22?

Happy accident I guess. I was playing with different exposures / shutter speeds / ISO to get more experience with manual mode.

 

[WDI 1998]

^That's a result of your aperture, not the UV filter.

I don't use UV filters on any lenses. I use lens hoods for protection.

I guess you learn something everyday. Thanks for the info.

 

[thomas998]

^That's a result of your aperture, not the UV filter.

I don't use UV filters on any lenses. I use lens hoods for protection.

Agreed, I firmly believe that it would take less force to break a UV filter than a camera lens... and if that UV filter gets broken I'm pretty sure it will be from a outside force pushing in and that means the broken glass of the UV filter will be scratching the lens I was trying to protect.... maybe if they start making UV lenses out of gorilla glass it might be worth considering, but not until then.

 

[celticdog]

UV filter during the day, but I take it off at night to limit ghosting and light drop-off.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Always UV filter -- protect the lens, and cut down on haze. Occasional use of starburst filter. I use them on every one of my pro lenses. With good filters, there should be no noticable difference between using them or no in your photos, daytime or nighttime. But I don't use those cheapy 12.00 Best Buy filters either. Hoya Pro grade, or B+W for me.