We all have been in that situation at the camera store where the salesman asked us if we want to add a protective filter to protect the front element of the expensive lens that we have just bought.
And the argument of the salesperson sounds plausible at first. The front element is exposed the most to the elements and most at risk to be damaged. But here are a few points from my experience that should have you think twice about buying and adding one to your lens:
Do you really want to put an inferior piece of glass in front of you top grade optical lens glass? The extra piece of glass can cause unwanted reflections, flare, loss of contrast and slow down AF. You may be able to catch those unwanted reflections as “ghost lights” if you take a picture of your lit Christmas tree. And those are hard to cure in post processing.
Many lenses will have the front element slightly recessed behind the filter thread. If the lens ever touches a flat surface such as a wall, it’ll most likely damage the filter thread part first. And (wide-angle) lenses where the front element sticks out you can’t add a filter in front anyway.
I have been photographing for more than 30 years. And I have never damaged a front element so far. What has been most effective for me is using the lens hood in situations where the lens could take a beating. And you have the added benefit of increasing the image quality and contrast of the lens by cutting out stray light from hitting the front element, too. Win-win :)
Those are the reasons why I don’t use any “protective” or “skylight” filters for any of my digital cameras. I only use filters for special purpose such as ND or polarizing that give me a real benefit of an effect that I can’t get in post processing.
Wishing all of you all a Merry Christmas without unwanted reflections from “protective filters” and Happy Holliday’s!
I constantly touch my front element accidentally, when the camera is in my bag. So I use a high end protective filter, for $100.
I’m a normal tourist, and that filter got scratched like crazy when I was caught up in a sandstorm in a region where you would not have expected it. Replacing a $100 filter was way quicker and cheaper than sending my $5k+ lens in for repairs for a few weeks.
So thanks for the suggestion, but that protective filter stays on.
Which lens are you using that costs $5k? I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re degrading it optically even at $100 but if you feel strongly about it you should do it. In 42 years I have never damaged the front of any of my lenses.
Ronato, you are free to do what ever works for you best. I work with lens caps in the bag and sometimes with lens hoods on the street. And I for my part have not damaged a front element in 30+ years.
If you’ve worked as a photographer (in my case as a news photographer) for decades and you’ve never damaged an unprotected front lens element, you have been very, very lucky. My experiences are different. But then not everyone works under identical conditions so it’s not really a fair argument to condemn use of protective filters. I’ve had gear destroyed on jobs that should have been cake walks. You have to prepare for the unexpected. After 40+ years of replacing scratched and scuffed (and occasionally shattered) clear and UV filters I can attest that my lenses have been saved more than… Read more »
If you’ve worked as a photographer (in my case as a news photographer) for decades and you’ve never damaged an unprotected front lens element, you have been very, very lucky. My experiences are different. But then not everyone works under identical conditions so it’s not really a fair argument to condemn use of protective filters. I’ve had gear destroyed on jobs that should have been cake walks. You have to prepare for the unexpected. After 40+ years of replacing scratched and scuffed (and occasionally shattered) clear and UV filters I can attest that my lenses have been saved more than… Read more »
I constantly touch my front element accidentally, when the camera is in my bag. So I use a high end protective filter, for $100.
I’m a normal tourist, and that filter got scratched like crazy when I was caught up in a sandstorm in a region where you would not have expected it. Replacing a $100 filter was way quicker and cheaper than sending my $5k+ lens in for repairs for a few weeks.
So thanks for the suggestion, but that protective filter stays on.
Which lens are you using that costs $5k? I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re degrading it optically even at $100 but if you feel strongly about it you should do it. In 42 years I have never damaged the front of any of my lenses.
Ronato, you are free to do what ever works for you best. I work with lens caps in the bag and sometimes with lens hoods on the street. And I for my part have not damaged a front element in 30+ years.