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07-17-2012, 11:27 AM   #46
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LOL @ Doc.

07-17-2012, 12:41 PM   #47
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all I got to say is I destroyed two lenses already because of shattered filters. My A 50 1.4 was dropped on the CARPET with B+W uv filter on and the uv filter shattered and destroyed the front element of my lens, it was scratched to death. The same happened with my SLR magic lens I had for my Q same situation also a B+W uv filter. So since I have buttery fingers I tend to not bother with UV filters for protection.
07-17-2012, 12:59 PM   #48
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QuoteOriginally posted by bmonki Quote
all I got to say is I destroyed two lenses already because of shattered filters. My A 50 1.4 was dropped on the CARPET with B+W uv filter on and the uv filter shattered and destroyed the front element of my lens, it was scratched to death. The same happened with my SLR magic lens I had for my Q same situation also a B+W uv filter. So since I have buttery fingers I tend to not bother with UV filters for protection.
I have busted the glass out of a few old filters (to get the ring for another purpose) and have found them amazingly hard to break, but when they do shatter they really go -- it like they are pressurized. (If you ever do that, put the filter in a bag or under cardboard to protect you from flying glass).
07-17-2012, 01:37 PM   #49
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QuoteOriginally posted by vonBaloney Quote
I have busted the glass out of a few old filters (to get the ring for another purpose) and have found them amazingly hard to break, but when they do shatter they really go -- it like they are pressurized. (If you ever do that, put the filter in a bag or under cardboard to protect you from flying glass).
ya when it cracked it made a popping noise like it was pressurized...

07-17-2012, 02:46 PM   #50
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pioneer Quote
I feel bad about your lens and I know how I would feel if it had happened to any one of mine.

The UV filter issue is always good for a long and involved thread and nothing ever seems to be resolved by the time it peters out. I am not going to add to the chorus, whether I use a UV filter or not is my decision. But I can say that I made that decision by doing some testing on my own lens, doing the type of photography I enjoy doing. And that is what each of us should do. Put it to the test. If you can see that the filter has degraded the quality of your image in a way that you are not happy with, by all means take it off. And another thing, don't expect a cheap, $20 UV filter to enhance the image quality on any lens, let alone one that cost several hundred dollars. The manufacturer put a lot of effort into building your lens so that it would work properly and then you slap a cheap, little piece of window glass on the front of it that was made by a company that won't even be around next month. If you are going to use one, use a quality filter, they are not that expensive. And for crying out loud, keep it clean! Dirty lenses and dirty filters probably cause more image degradation in a given day then any scratch or smudge.

I gotta get a life! Time to go take some pictures.
Thing is that many many filters are made by companies that have been around for decades or more. B+W filters for example are owned by the same company that has been making large format high quality lenses for more than a century. The arguement for or against filters should be based on facts not on dismissivie baseless claims. Nor is it window glass or the companies making the expensive or specialized ones would have been out of business years ago. I have them on some lenses and not on others, mostly on lenses used on film cameras. But people should base their decision on if the filter is good or not for their photography not based on claims that companies with over 100 years and makes filters for scientific purposes as well as photographic ones (at least three of the filter companies make them I believe).
07-17-2012, 04:23 PM   #51
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even if it won't affect the images, a knick will definitely affect resale value. for some people this is important.
07-17-2012, 05:08 PM   #52
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Hey, this is exactly why I wear a bulletproof vest at all times, even in the shower. You never know when someone might try to shoot you!

07-17-2012, 05:53 PM   #53
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I've got to say I'm confused why there are discussions of hoods when talking about filters. I use hoods on all my lenses all the time except one (FA 100mm, which has a front element so recessed it doesn't need one). I like contrast in my photos, so why would I welcome light into my lens that won't directly hit my sensor? That light can't help, period. In fact, I would pay money for adapters to make all my full-frame hoods into APS-C hoods. I wish all those hoods were deeper. When I buy an old lens that doesn't come with a hood, I buy a hood for it. When I buy an old lens with an insufficient sliding built-in hood, I buy an appropriate hood for it.

I was in the museum at the International Center for Photography in NYC last week (good Weegee exhibit there), and they had a poster up in their cafeteria advertising their student classes, with a picture of some students in action taking photos. None of them had hoods on their lenses. That certainly didn't sell me on their classes! Hood use should be in photo 101, and doesn't belong in a discussion about filters of any type.
07-17-2012, 06:07 PM   #54
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I use filters for protection and as a thermal buffer. The protection arguments I agree with. What I don't hear, are mentions on the thermal buffer. Living in Florida, there are many times where I go from an air conditioned space, and step out into hot humid air. Immediately, a front filter will form condensation, while the lens element immediately behind it will not. I can let the lens settle a bit, and when I think the temp is about right, I have no problems wiping the heavy condensation off a cheap filter without worrying if I have a clean cloth without any grit available. There are times when I will take the filter off to take a shot, but those are rare. I have peace of mind having that added safety of the front element protected by a filter.
07-17-2012, 06:11 PM   #55
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QuoteQuote:
Hood use should be in photo 101, and doesn't belong in a discussion about filters of any type.
Many people see them both as a form of protection, hence they show up in every discussion.

Truly, if you are not wearing a helmet, the rest is irrelevant.
07-17-2012, 09:20 PM   #56
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
Living in Florida, there are many times where I go from an air conditioned space, and step out into hot humid air. Immediately, a front filter will form condensation, while the lens element immediately behind it will not. I
Living in tropical Manila... yeah, I can attest to this.

Last edited by Alizarine; 07-17-2012 at 09:27 PM.
07-17-2012, 09:40 PM   #57
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
I use filters for protection and as a thermal buffer. The protection arguments I agree with. What I don't hear, are mentions on the thermal buffer. Living in Florida, there are many times where I go from an air conditioned space, and step out into hot humid air. Immediately, a front filter will form condensation, while the lens element immediately behind it will not. I can let the lens settle a bit, and when I think the temp is about right, I have no problems wiping the heavy condensation off a cheap filter without worrying if I have a clean cloth without any grit available. There are times when I will take the filter off to take a shot, but those are rare. I have peace of mind having that added safety of the front element protected by a filter.

If you have to worry about your cleaning cloths having grit on them then you are in serious trouble I keep mine it little plastic bags.

Shanghai where I live, is further South than Florida and suffers from very high humidity (similar to that of Manila I'd guess), so condensation (moving from cold air-conditioned homes/hotels/restaurants etc.) is a daily occurrence. Once the lens temperature has equalised it is simple to just wipe it down with a lens cloth and you're good to go (keeps the lenses clean too of course). If you don't want to do that then put it in a vac-loc plastic bag until the temps have equalised.
07-17-2012, 11:49 PM   #58
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QuoteOriginally posted by bmonki Quote
all I got to say is I destroyed two lenses already because of shattered filters. My A 50 1.4 was dropped on the CARPET with B+W uv filter on and the uv filter shattered and destroyed the front element of my lens, it was scratched to death. The same happened with my SLR magic lens I had for my Q same situation also a B+W uv filter. So since I have buttery fingers I tend to not bother with UV filters for protection.
This is exactly why I prefer a hood over a filter. A hood wouldn't have destroyed the front element of your lenses. Moreover, a hood improves IQ, whilst a filter degrades IQ.
07-18-2012, 03:31 AM   #59
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QuoteOriginally posted by Frogfish Quote
Once the lens temperature has equalised it is simple to just wipe it down with a lens cloth and you're good to go (keeps the lenses clean too of course). If you don't want to do that then put it in a vac-loc plastic bag until the temps have equalised.
I used to do that too but I keep losing the resealable bags... so I just put lots of dessicant in the bag. I used to wipe the front element a lot too but I noticed that with all the dust in Manila, a blower does the job better (or maybe I should buy better microfibre cloths?)
07-18-2012, 08:30 AM   #60
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I should add that just last week that I had a fall in which my lens may have been saved by its hood. Some relatives had gone past a cordon and wanted me to take their photo before someone shooed them away. I ran up some two-foot stairs and slipped on the top one, coming down mostly on my left arm and leg, but my camera in my right hand also hit the ground. I got a nick on the corner of my K-5, but a lot of force hit the hood on my Tamron 24-135 SP. If that hood hadn't been there, it could have been the front element taking the blow.
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