Is a filter necessary for Canon EOS 550D 18-55 mm lens?

[wizz747]

Hi everyone. I just bought myself my 1st DSLR, a new Canon EOS 550D with 18-55 mm lens (Kit I).

Question is: Is a lens filter necessary? The salesman told me it's not necessary for this 18-55 mm lens. He said it's usually recommended to buy a filter only for those super-expensive lens. Is what he said true?

And is a lens necessary for the Canon 18-55mm lens?

 

[night86mare]

it's down to personal preference.

most people can debate whether having:

1) increased chance of flare
2) increased chance of ghosting, especially at night
3) slightly degraded image quality, not really visible if you ask me, unless you buy cheap filters

is worth the supposed protection that the filter brings.

also do note that if you use other filters you should remove the uv filter before using them.

protection wise, i suppose if you have a habit of charging at a pile of durians with your lens and camera in front of you, yeah, it will save your lens from scratches. if you are quite careless and swing your camera anyhow against sharp things, yeah.

if you drop your lens, camera, etc, then suffice to say, sometimes the uv filter can shatter and cause scratches that might not have occured if it had not been there.

it's a gamble, whether you put it on or not. whatever floats your boat, really. as you can already see from my post, i don't believe in filters. if you take good care of your gear (not to the point of handholding it and wrapping it in cotton wool gauze everywhere you go like a baby), i.e. you watch out for potential dangers and keep out of them.... then you won't really need a filter, imho.

contrary to popular belief, as some people will profess sooner or later, buying expensive filters and using them DO NOT result in improved image quality. tsk.

 

[wizz747]

Thanks for the input! Waiting for other responses!

 

[9V-Orion Images]

Hi everyone. I just bought myself my 1st DSLR, a new Canon EOS 550D with 18-55 mm lens (Kit I).

Question is: Is a lens filter necessary? The salesman told me it's not necessary for this 18-55 mm lens. He said it's recommended to buy a filter for those super-expensive lens. Is what he said true?

And is a lens necessary for the Canon 18-55mm lens?

That was rather honest of the salesman IMHO. He could have gone the other direction and chopped you into purchasing either one of those German sounding (Steinzeiser) or "Japanese made" (Vitacon) local branded worthless filters but chose not to.

 

[Peter Petrelli]

well, kudos to that salesman.

 

[shaoken]

Those cheap UV filters are used as another layer of "protection" from dust, for me.

 

[skyymanz]

Sorry to hijack this thread...

For this 18-55mm lens will it be better to buy UV filter or CPL filter?

Thanks.

 

[ahbian]

Sorry to hijack this thread...

For this 18-55mm lens will it be better to buy UV filter or CPL filter?

Thanks.

It depends what you need the filter for, UV filter and CPL filter are for different uses.

 

[Rashkae]

Sorry to hijack this thread...

For this 18-55mm lens will it be better to buy UV filter or CPL filter?

Thanks.

Learn about filters, how they work and what their purpose is.

 

[engrmariano]

who ever that salesman is, i salute him.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

to TS, i have the same combo as yours. i dont use filter on it coz, hmmm... i just dont feel like.

btw, im using B+W on my L's:devil:

 

[skyymanz]

It depends what you need the filter for, UV filter and CPL filter are for different uses.

I know CPL filter reduce glare and can have nice shoot for object behind glass. It also have better outdoor shoot?

Does these filter reduce image quality?

Sorry i am new..

 

[ahbian]

I know CPL filter reduce glare and can have nice shoot for object behind glass. It also have better outdoor shoot?

Does these filter reduce image quality?

Sorry i am new..

For CPL, "better shots outdoors" in the sense that for some cases, you can eliminate unwanted reflections and saturate colours (sky, vegetation, etc). Its difficult to replicate in post processing, so if it helps you get the image you want, then yes, it "enhances" your image quality.

As for UV, there are many debates on using it. The more costly ones will not reduce the quality much. For me, if we have to save costs and get a lousy one, than it would be better not to use a UV filter at all.

 

[skyymanz]

For CPL, "better shots outdoors" in the sense that for some cases, you can eliminate unwanted reflections and saturate colours (sky, vegetation, etc). Its difficult to replicate in post processing, so if it helps you get the image you want, then yes, it "enhances" your image quality.

As for UV, there are many debates on using it. The more costly ones will not reduce the quality much. For me, if we have to save costs and get a lousy one, than it would be better not to use a UV filter at all.

Hi.. thanks for the explanation.

so for indoor shoot i should remove the CPL?

For filter, is Hoya a good brand? any brand to recommend?

thanks.

 

[Rashkae]

Hi.. thanks for the explanation.

so for indoor shoot i should remove the CPL?

For filter, is Hoya a good brand? any brand to recommend?

thanks.

Do a search for "recommend filter". You'll get lots of answers.

 

[Rashkae]

Do a search for "recommend filter". You'll get lots of answers.

Ah, search is not turned on yet. Sigh. Yes, Hoya is a recommended brand.

 

[tunge]

Sorry to hijack this thread...

For this 18-55mm lens will it be better to buy UV filter or CPL filter?

Thanks.

ur qn is akin to asking "for my size 10 feet is it better to get slippers of shoes?"

u see UV filters and CPL filters serve totally different purposes, so cannot answer.... u must first know/read more abt filters

 

[horizon_grazer]

Just get a not too bad Hoya to protect your lens if you are one who is fussy about scratches on the lens front element, also if you are going to stick with this kit lens for a long time..

 

[night86mare]

Ah, search is not turned on yet. Sigh. Yes, Hoya is a recommended brand.

use google.

 

[wizz747]

who ever that salesman is, i salute him.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

to TS, i have the same combo as yours. i dont use filter on it coz, hmmm... i just dont feel like.

btw, im using B+W on my L's:devil:

What do you mean by:

'im using B+W on my L's'?

And I bought my DSLR from SLR Revolution. Got nice service from them. The guys at SLRR are a COMPLETE departure from those ******* salesmen I've encountered at Sim Lim Square.

And I know the name of the salesman who advised me not to buy the filter. Do I have the right to mention his name here on CS?

 

[ahbian]

B+W is a brand of filters

L's is a selection of Canon lenses. Eg. 135mm L.

Both costs relatively higher among comparable equipment.