Balance between cheap & good filters?

[GlenWXQ]

Hi all,

just got a new lens with 67mm lens diameter, looking at the mass sales section, most UV filters costs a bomb, well over $50, and way out of my budget. I looked at the hoya catalog and realised that there are several types of UV filters such as UV(C) and UV(O), super coating and many other descriptions, much of which i cant really tell the difference in terms of functionability. then theres other brands that seem extremely cheap (kenko, divipower vitacon all those) Would any kind pentaxian recommend me a reasonably low cost / useable filter? I heard somewhere that there is a range of hoya filters around the $20+ range but im not sure about that

many thanks

 

[night86mare]

suggest you buy at least hoya.

there are cheap filters, but they tend to affect image quality visibly. you'd be better off not using any filter at all, which is what i do for all my lenses.

 

[woonsin]

suggest you buy at least hoya.

there are cheap filters, but they tend to affect image quality visibly. you'd be better off not using any filter at all, which is what i do for all my lenses.

Agree with night86mare. I got some funny images after shot with cheap filters.

If you want better images and can afford budget, go for good quality brand. But understand you are under tight budget, can go for cheaper filters but you need to adjust AWB.

 

[GlenWXQ]

suggest you buy at least hoya.

there are cheap filters, but they tend to affect image quality visibly. you'd be better off not using any filter at all, which is what i do for all my lenses.

thanks for your reply, roughly how much are the basic hoya filters? i meen not those super power ones with 99.9% transmission light etc

 

[night86mare]

thanks for your reply, roughly how much are the basic hoya filters? i meen not those super power ones with 99.9% transmis:ion light etc

hi, maybe you can check the "price guides" section, and cold call shops like cathay, orient photo, tk foto, etc to check the price... i haven't bought circular filters for a long long time. last time i bought one was probably a year ago, and it wasn't a uv filter.

67mm filter will cost slightly more than the usual small small kit lens filters (52mm), because you must remember, you're paying for the glass, and a lot more glass is required to make 67mm versus 52mm.

kenko is fine, actually, just get the multicoated version. if i'm not wrong it's about the same price as a normal hoya.

can always call OP to ask, 6339 1035. that's the only shop whose number i have in my phone, because i usually get my stuff from them.

 

[GlenWXQ]

hi, maybe you can check the "price guides" section, and cold call shops like cathay, orient photo, tk foto, etc to check the price... i haven't bought circular filters for a long long time. last time i bought one was probably a year ago, and it wasn't a uv filter.

67mm filter will cost slightly more than the usual small small kit lens filters (52mm), because you must remember, you're paying for the glass, and a lot more glass is required to make 67mm versus 52mm.

kenko is fine, actually, just get the multicoated version. if i'm not wrong it's about the same price as a normal hoya.

can always call OP to ask, 6339 1035. that's the only shop whose number i have in my phone, because i usually get my stuff from them.

icic, thanks so much for your help

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

I remember buying 67mm Hoya Pro1d protector filters from Alan Photo some time ago for less than $40. The glass has no UV-cut properties (which are unnecessary anyway) just good anti-flare multi-coating which serves the purpose instead of making me pay for unnecessary functionality. OP also sold these but they are branded as Kenko Pro1d but I think it's exactly the same, though Hoya will probably have better resale value. (Resale value on UV filters? LOL)

I don't really like Hoya HMC series filters as I find that the coating on it makes it really hard to clean without leaving streaks. The reviews were good but I think it's a pain in real world shooting.

Anyway, I think the general advice is if you want to put a UV filter on your lens, at least get a good one than compromising with an average filter, as you're just wasting your money on a lousy filter and ruining your pictures. Might as well buy a cheaper lens and use it without as much fear of scratches on the lens since it's less expensive

 

[GlenWXQ]

I remember buying 67mm Hoya Pro1d protector filters from Alan Photo some time ago for less than $40. The glass has no UV-cut properties (which are unnecessary anyway) just good anti-flare multi-coating which serves the purpose instead of making me pay for unnecessary functionality. OP also sold these but they are branded as Kenko Pro1d but I think it's exactly the same, though Hoya will probably have better resale value. (Resale value on UV filters? LOL)

I don't really like Hoya HMC series filters as I find that the coating on it makes it really hard to clean without leaving streaks. The reviews were good but I think it's a pain in real world shooting.

Anyway, I think the general advice is if you want to put a UV filter on your lens, at least get a good one than compromising with an average filter, as you're just wasting your money on a lousy filter and ruining your pictures. Might as well buy a cheaper lens and use it without as much fear of scratches on the lens since it's less expensive

haha yea, maybe ill take a look around the bns section for resale hoya filters? lol

after more reading i realised the expensive part comes in the multicoating of the filters as compared to single coat (standard ones), hoya mc pro 1 (if i remember the names) are 3 layed while shmc ones are like around 6-8 layered

well i guess ill have to get at least a 3 layered one to ensure minimal transmission loss of light as i heard too much may result in ghosting n flare lol

 

[fengwei]

Cheap and good usuall dont come along together. If you want a good quality filter, it's not gonna be cheap.

If you want to use a cheap filter, I'd suggest you not to use a filter at all.
If you still want to use a slightly cheaper fliter, then at least go for a Hoya/Kenko Pro1D protector. It only costs around $30 to $35 for a 67mm one.

 

[aaron80]

Hey guys, after reading this thread, I got a noob question. Is the Pro1D protector the best in Hoya lineup or the Super HMC UV filter?

 

[GSiGuy]

Cheap and good usuall dont come along together. If you want a good quality filter, it's not gonna be cheap.

If you want to use a cheap filter, I'd suggest you not to use a filter at all.
If you still want to use a slightly cheaper fliter, then at least go for a Hoya/Kenko Pro1D protector. It only costs around $30 to $35 for a 67mm one.

personally, what would you use to protect the 18-135mm? thats 62mm

 

[xtunbox]

Hey guys, after reading this thread, I got a noob question. Is the Pro1D protector the best in Hoya lineup or the Super HMC UV filter?

I don't know, but if i am to based on price alone... I will line up Hoya Pro1D filter & Hoya HD as the best in Hoya Line up. :dunno:

 

[aaron80]

I am using a 62mm Hoya Super HMC to protect the 18-135mm.

personally, what would you use to protect the 18-135mm? thats 62mm

 

[fengwei]

personally, what would you use to protect the 18-135mm? thats 62mm

No filter for this lens It's already protected by SP coating

 

[fengwei]

Hey guys, after reading this thread, I got a noob question. Is the Pro1D protector the best in Hoya lineup or the Super HMC UV filter?

No, Pro1D protectors are not the best filters from Hoya, but they are value for money. Optically they are probably as good if not better than B+W MRC filters, but they are quite a bit cheaper.

http://tech.sina.com.cn/digi/dc/2009-10-30/14483552527.shtml

 

[GSiGuy]

No filter for this lens It's already protected by SP coating

i think i btr protect mine though... go hoya i suppose

 

[GlenWXQ]

haha just to follow up i heeded the advice from all of the helpful pentaxians [really thanks for the discussion ] and bought a hoya hmc from the B&S section,

one last question.... can someone recommend me an efficent method of cleaning the filter? seems that everyime i wipe my cloth (i use those kind of spectacle cloth) the stain marks just gets smudged all over and if i use a damp tissue to graze the surface, it just leaves water marks

checked again online for the remedy and coudnt find much help, just came to a conclusion that hoya hmc coatings are known to be harder to clean

ps: anybody knows the difference between UV(C), UV(O) and UV(N)? i realised mine is a UV(N) and im starting to feel that it is inferior to the others from other discussions on the net about someting with normal glass (N) vs optical glass (O) although there are many different interprietions about what the N and O stands for

 

[felixcat8888]

haha just to follow up i heeded the advice from all of the helpful pentaxians [really thanks for the discussion ] and bought a hoya hmc from the B&S section,

one last question.... can someone recommend me an efficent method of cleaning the filter? seems that everyime i wipe my cloth (i use those kind of spectacle cloth) the stain marks just gets smudged all over and if i use a damp tissue to graze the surface, it just leaves water marks

checked again online for the remedy and coudnt find much help, just came to a conclusion that hoya hmc coatings are known to be harder to clean

ps: anybody knows the difference between UV(C), UV(O) and UV(N)? i realised mine is a UV(N) and im starting to feel that it is inferior to the others from other discussions on the net about someting with normal glass (N) vs optical glass (O) although there are many different interprietions about what the N and O stands for

Invest in a Lenspen. :thumbsup:

Should have bought the Pro-1 Digital version . . . or . . B+W (The BEST!!)

 

[aaron80]

Agree, get a Lenspen asap (think its $10-$15) and also a good microfibre cloth.

Invest in a Lenspen. :thumbsup:

Should have bought the Pro-1 Digital version . . . or . . B+W (The BEST!!)

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

haha just to follow up i heeded the advice from all of the helpful pentaxians [really thanks for the discussion ] and bought a hoya hmc from the B&S section,

one last question.... can someone recommend me an efficent method of cleaning the filter? seems that everyime i wipe my cloth (i use those kind of spectacle cloth) the stain marks just gets smudged all over and if i use a damp tissue to graze the surface, it just leaves water marks

checked again online for the remedy and coudnt find much help, just came to a conclusion that hoya hmc coatings are known to be harder to clean

ps: anybody knows the difference between UV(C), UV(O) and UV(N)? i realised mine is a UV(N) and im starting to feel that it is inferior to the others from other discussions on the net about someting with normal glass (N) vs optical glass (O) although there are many different interprietions about what the N and O stands for

I mentioned earlier that Hoya HMC is a hard to clean coating. Try breathing warm breath on the lens surface and wipe, see if that helps. Or get a proper lens cleaning solution which is less likely to leave residue.

If you get lens pen to clean your filter try to get the digiklear version which has a flat pad rather than a concave pad. Concave pad is better to clean the lens front element, while flat pad is better to clean filters.

Pro1D is good also because it has a slim profile which makes it suitable for wide angle lenses as it will not vignette. I remember seeing someone showing off his Pro1D CPL filter at some Pentax outing and it was really slim!