[pimpim]

First of all a confession: I am a lens filter user. I tried the "no filter" purism, but having young kids and visiting places like the beach etc I decided to just use filters as much as possible and leave my lens cleaning worries behind.

the UV protections in filters aren't really needed anymore as far as I understood, so I try to go for the protector filters first, and for a UV if it's a cheap deal and has a good coating.

Now for the question: do the filter users among you try to match the filter coating with the lens coating?
I guess for Pentax HD that means the Hoya HD?

I got a Hoya HD for my 18-135, now ordered a 16-85 and will try a Sigma Ceramic that was in discount.

I am planning to get a 16-50 SMC for my k5iis at some point, should I match it with an SMC coating from the era, with the goal to embrace the flaws and get a "classic" look?

Also have a Zeiss lens, wondering if it's worth to get the T* filter or when it comes to a protector lens the transmission should be neutral anyway?

[newmikey]

I don't think it would make a shred of difference TBH

[AfterPentax Mark II]

First of all a confession: I am a lens filter user. I tried the "no filter" purism, but having young kids and visiting places like the beach etc I decided to just use filters as much as possible and leave my lens cleaning worries behind.

the UV protections in filters aren't really needed anymore as far as I understood, so I try to go for the protector filters first, and for a UV if it's a cheap deal and has a good coating.

Now for the question: do the filter users among you try to match the filter coating with the lens coating?
I guess for Pentax HD that means the Hoya HD?

I got a Hoya HD for my 18-135, now ordered a 16-85 and will try a Sigma Ceramic that was in discount.

I am planning to get a 16-50 SMC for my k5iis at some point, should I match it with an SMC coating from the era, with the goal to embrace the flaws and get a "classic" look?

Also have a Zeiss lens, wondering if it's worth to get the T* filter or when it comes to a protector lens the transmission should be neutral anyway?

Ricoh/Pentax HD speaks a different language from Hoya HD. The thing that really makes a difference is when you decide to go for cheap as you stated. There are lots of sub quality filters on the market, so if you insist on using filters think along the line of B+W filters. Made in Germany must do the trick for you .
The filters with SMC coatings are not that cheap and I rarely see them second hand nowadays.
If I were you I would buy a point and shoot if you go to the beach or let the children play with the camera. In all other cases: be a purist...

[Bob 256]

The filter coating has to do with reducing inter-surface reflections. Matching coatings is like matching the color of your car to that of your house. You have some happiness in that the colors match but it doesn't have anything to do with the performance of your car. So, the answer is no, matching serves no good purpose. Just get a filter which has good performance unto itself in terms of its coatings (don't use a cheap filter), and all will be well.

[pimpim]

Thanks for the replies!

I had some super bad experiences with analog-era filters but I guess as you all say with modern coatings it shouldn't matter. Will try out a few brands of protector for the different lens sizes to see which also have best dust-repellent features etc. (read that the Hoya HD gold is actually hard to clean, have a Hoya UV and a B+W already and now trying Sigma WR)

I think point and shoots are expensive for what you get, colors are often not nice, and not interesting for my kids, they play around with a smartphone as well, doubles as a camera so no added value for a point and shoot there. I even went all the way, got a used Nikon AW1 to see if it would be a good camera for kids to play with, but oh my this is not a camera for me, even at 1 inch the iso sensitivity is nonexistent, with the aperture of the lenses for it you can only make photos in the middle of the day in summer. It has a glass protection in front of the sensor that seems to mess up exposure at the slightest of confusing light, and the electronics of the zoom are crap often completely dark or light pictures at the upper and lower limit of the zoom. Will put this back on the classified ads where it came from, and hopefully there is someone who has a use case for this weird contraption

A K5 and 18-135 combo can be had for next to nothing, so I don't worry about my kids breaking it, my oldest of almost 2 has a great time pressing the buttons and hear the mechanics work, so it can be used as a distraction when needed, and most importantly the images it makes are great.

[zapp]

Cheap and filter never works.
Get quality MC filters. Hoya, B+W, Heliopan… UV filters should not introduce any coloring. Different manufacturer lenses can do so.