Does UV/Clear filters makes a difference?


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mebius

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Jan 4, 2008
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I am using Kenko DMC UV/Clear filters that costs about $80. I have seen Tokina UV filters that costs about $20+. Since the main purpose for the use of the UV/Clear filters is to protect the lens , does a cheap & expensive one make a difference?
 

not much, more for protection for the lens. However, need to get a good filter also as lousy filters will not give you good pictures through your lens.
 

The better made filters use better materials, coatings etc, and IQ degradation will probably be lesser.

But if u r abit more careful, no filter is as good as what ur lens gets.

Ryan
 

The premium pays for better/more coatings, materials etc, that will be less prone to reflections, flares etc.
 

This is like asking, does a race car driver put on the cheapest tires they can find, when racing on the track? The answer is No. Cheap filters reduce your image quality but the question is, how much of an image degradation is acceptable to you?
 

ya .. i begin to see scratches on my sunblitz UV filter and i never even touch it / bang it on anything.. jus clean with microfiber cloth before keeping in the dry cabinet.
dunno abt hoya but i feeling to get a better filter rather than waste money on cheapo filter again...
 

ya .. i begin to see scratches on my sunblitz UV filter and i never even touch it / bang it on anything.. jus clean with microfiber cloth before keeping in the dry cabinet.

Dust seems to be small - but nevertheless it's hard enough to scratch a filter as you can see. Use a blower first and clean the cloth from time to time. As long as it's just dust no need to wipe anything.
 

dont fuss over small things.
 

UV filter is mostly used for protection of the lens.
It does not have much effect.

However, the more coating it have like the B+W UV filter, it may even be able to reduce minimal reflection.

The higher the price, the better the quality.
 

I am using Kenko DMC UV/Clear filters that costs about $80. I have seen Tokina UV filters that costs about $20+. Since the main purpose for the use of the UV/Clear filters is to protect the lens , does a cheap & expensive one make a difference?

I don't believe at first... but seeing is believing after i used a Hoya Standard filter and it reduces like 3/4 of a stop of light as compared to w/o filter on. After that, it's Hoya Super HMC for all my lenses.
 

I don't believe at first... but seeing is believing after i used a Hoya Standard filter and it reduces like 3/4 of a stop of light as compared to w/o filter on. After that, it's Hoya Super HMC for all my lenses.

Are you sure that this was a "UV filter"? Sure you didn't got any ND filter? 3/4 stop is obvious, nobody can sell this as 'protector' ...
 

Are you sure that this was a "UV filter"? Sure you didn't got any ND filter? 3/4 stop is obvious, nobody can sell this as 'protector' ...

Lolz... yes, its a UV :)

To be exact... this incident happened to only 1 of the 2 lenses i have at that moment of 'test'.
 

Test have been done and have prove that the more expensive filters that is multi coated; more coating etc. reduce flares and provide better pictures than the cheaper single coated ones...

The next thing to note is the quality of the glass its made off and also the build quality...

You paying for all of that...

Its like comparing a normal Seiko watch with a Rolex... hehe :p
 

one of my lens i bought 2nd hand came with some tokina filter. sometimes will kenna light ghosting which is annoying.

im a BW filter user across the board so i can really see/feel the difference.

if you think there is no difference using a cheaper filter, good luck to you when you come across a 1/1000 opportunity shot comes along and some unintended light ruins the picture.
 

I am using Kenko DMC UV/Clear filters that costs about $80. I have seen Tokina UV filters that costs about $20+. Since the main purpose for the use of the UV/Clear filters is to protect the lens , does a cheap & expensive one make a difference?

yes, in terms of image quality degradation.

i suggest you don't go for unknown crap brands like octopus or jellyfish (or god knows what).. minimum price you should pay, if you MUST buy one, is hoya normal, and hoya thin version if you might get vignetting for that lens.

i myself, i don't use any filters. after all, the glass was designed without filters in mind, it will perform best without. of course, i also acknowledge the risk i take when i shoot outdoors. close to 3 years now, and nothing's happened. but that's a choice we all have to make ourselves. :)
 

yes, in terms of image quality degradation.

i suggest you don't go for unknown crap brands like octopus or jellyfish (or god knows what).. minimum price you should pay, if you MUST buy one, is hoya normal, and hoya thin version if you might get vignetting for that lens.

i myself, i don't use any filters. after all, the glass was designed without filters in mind, it will perform best without. of course, i also acknowledge the risk i take when i shoot outdoors. close to 3 years now, and nothing's happened. but that's a choice we all have to make ourselves. :)

I do that too, only for my cheapo lenses like the kit lens and the 50mmF1.8. But then, I still go around with the hood on - that offers pretty good protection.:thumbsup:
 

weather sealing?
 

This is like asking, does a race car driver put on the cheapest tires they can find, when racing on the track? The answer is No. Cheap filters reduce your image quality but the question is, how much of an image degradation is acceptable to you?

Actually, putting a filter on is not akin to putting tyres on rims. It's actually better if there is no filter on the lens (unless you're using the filters for artistic purposes). Thus a better metaphor may be condoms (pardon me if any fellow CSers feel offended). For protection sake, what is enough? How much 'feel good' degradation is acceptable?
 

weather sealing?

Nope... it does not offer tat kind of protection...

Forget it if you're going for the cheap ones, the light you're impeding is gonna make the image quality worse....
 

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