Originally posted by Sandy Hancock I have always assumed the front elements of quality lenses are curved and coated in a way to optimise their optical performance. Putting a lump of flat glass in front doesn't make much sense to me when a hood provides similar protection and *improves* image quality.
This is 100% my philosophy. After two years of adventurous outdoor photography, including 12 months of shooting in Afghanistan during combat operations, the only time I had an issue was when I was shooting a landing helicopter at close range with my K-5/DA*60-250. For something like that, a UV filter would have been preferable, and yet no scratches to the lens objective.
You will never ever never find me shooting with a UV filter, just like you will never ever never find me shooting without lens hoods.
To me, the ubiquity of UV filters for digital photography is nothing more than an incredibly successful scam.
-Heie