Protective 'filters'?

[rafikiphoto]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Do you put protective filters on your lenses? If so which brand?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[richfx]

If you search the Forum, you'll find a great deal of discussion and recommendations on your question.

My personal preference for front element protection is B+W's 007 (clear) MRC filter.

Best,

Rich

[Fgcm]

I generaly do not use filters

 

Under heavy rain, or in windy days I use a Leica UV filter

 

Take care of reflections of bright lights at night.

 

Franco

[jdlaing]

I used to use them with fanaticism. Since using Leica lenses I do not. I rely on hoods for protection. I'd rather not have another piece of glass on the front.

[01af]

Do you put protective filters on your lenses?

No.

[Jeff S]

Not for protection, but I use UV/IR filters on my M8.2s for best b/w (and color) results, except under night lights. I noted similar benefits from UV/IR filters on the M9 I tested, and others report likewise for the M, since each has less internal IR filtration than provided by an external filter.

 

I wouldn't do this if protection were the issue; a hood and common sense suffice.

 

Jeff

[jaapv]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Do you put protective filters on your lenses? If so which brand?

No

I do use colour filters, polfilters, ND filters, UV/IR filters, etc. but only when the serve a specific purpose.

[CaptZoom]

I use B+W clear filters when shooting at the beach and when my gear is in transit (relocating etc). Otherwise, no filters.

[sm23221]

No.

[rafikiphoto]

I used to use them with fanaticism. Since using Leica lenses I do not. I rely on hoods for protection. I'd rather not have another piece of glass on the front.

 

 

Which brand do you use?

[pfhrased]

Yes. Leica filters. I use them mostly when I'm taking shots near the ocean - it's very windy here, and I don't want to have to wipe another layer of salt from the front of my lenses

[rafikiphoto]

Yes. Leica filters. I use them mostly when I'm taking shots near the ocean - it's very windy here, and I don't want to have to wipe another layer of salt from the front of my lenses

 

In southern Spain fine dust from some of our unmade roads and, at times, fine Sahara sand raining on us can be a problem. I take precautions but it would be nice to be confident that lens cleaning wasn't in danger of doing long-term damage too often.

[250swb]

Yes, I use them, generally B+W MRC UV filters. I don't use lens caps except for storage (they slow things down and get lost), a filter means you can quickly clean the dust and fingerprints off without it turning into a ritual, and a good one will have no impact on image quality 99.9% of the time (there are plenty of other things to think about that degrade an image more than another piece of glass will). Be aware of oblique reflections from bright light sources, but that is all, be aware, they will not always cause a problem.

 

You will eventually get the 'I paid so many $ for Leica glass, I'm not going to put a filter on it' type of comment, which I guess supposes complete perfection is always expected. But all in all weigh up if you are taking a photograph to demonstrate the utter perfection in a Leica lens, in which case you need a tripod and cable release as well, or if you want to keep the camera as ready as possible to capture a perfect moment quickly and without fuss. The first case you can leave off the filter, the second you can use a filter for it's overall efficiency.

 

Steve

[jdlaing]

Which brand do you use?

 

When I did use them I bought Heliopan or B&W Schneider.

[Orient XI]

Have you noticed that most of the people who deride the use of "transparent lens caps" are in the fortunate position of not having to buy the lenses they use?

[CaptZoom]

Have you noticed that most of the people who deride the use of "transparent lens caps" are in the fortunate position of not having to buy the lenses they use?

 

On what grounds do you make this assumption?

[earleygallery]

I used to use them with fanaticism. Since using Leica lenses I do not. I rely on hoods for protection. I'd rather not have another piece of glass on the front.

 

Interesting that on the S standard lens Leica have a built in protective filter.

[wildlightphoto]

Have you noticed that most of the people who deride the use of "transparent lens caps" are in the fortunate position of not having to buy the lenses they use?

 

I paid for every one of my lenses and I don't use 'transparent lens caps'. Neither do I deride those who prefer to use them.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[jaapv]

Interesting that on the S standard lens Leica have a built in protective filter.

 

Yes, Leica started the trend for a neutral first element with the 280-4.0 APO. The reason was and is the price of the "real" front element, making a damaged lens less expensive to repair, but the flat front element is part of the optical formula, as opposed to a screw-in filter

[wildlightphoto]

Yes, Leica started the trend for a neutral first element with the 280-4.0 APO. The reason was and is the price of the "real" front element, making a damaged lens less expensive to repair

 

That's the theory however when I accidentally dropped my 280mm f/4 APO the "real" front element chipped and the protective plate was undamaged. And jaapv is correct, the "real" front element is expensive to replace.