Conventional glass or ceramic filters to protect your lens from falls?

[jrp]

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I had a 35mm SL Summicron fall out of my bag onto concrete.  It had its reversed lens hood on and, miraculously the lens survived with only cosmetic damage, while the (Leica!) filter is a complete write off.

On other lenses I have a ceramic filter which is much less susceptible to breaking than conventional glass.  But it occurs to me that my lens might have suffered more of a shock if I'd had a ceramic filter on it.

Anyone had any experience one way or the other?

[jdlaing]

2 hours ago, jrp said:

I had a 35mm SL Summicron fall out of my bag onto concrete.  It had its reversed lens hood on and, miraculously the lens survived with only cosmetic damage, while the (Leica!) filter is a complete write off.

On other lenses I have a ceramic filter which is much less susceptible to breaking than conventional glass.  But it occurs to me that my lens might have suffered more of a shock if I'd had a ceramic filter on it.

Anyone had any experience one way or the other?

The glass isn’t what’s screwed to the lens. What is the ring on a ceramic filter made of?

[jrp]

Dunno.  Aluminium or brass, I expect. 

[jdlaing]

2 hours ago, jrp said:

Dunno.  Aluminium or brass, I expect. 

Then they will transfer the same shock as other filters. There may be less chance of glass breakage with a ceramic filter.

[Photoworks]

33 minutes ago, jdlaing said:

Then they will transfer the same shock as other filters. There may be less chance of glass breakage with a ceramic filter.

ceramic was promoted as more resistant to impact.

[jrp]

Yes, indeed, but if it transfers more of the shock to the lens, I will be damaging the lens as well as the filter. jdlaing argues that it's the metal ring in which the filter is encased that makes the difference, rather than the glass.

[jdlaing]

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8 hours ago, Photoworks said:

ceramic was promoted as more resistant to impact.

Agreed. The glass part.

[jdlaing]

6 hours ago, jrp said:

Yes, indeed, but if it transfers more of the shock to the lens, I will be damaging the lens as well as the filter. jdlaing argues that it's the metal ring in which the filter is encased that makes the difference, rather than the glass.

Almost. If the lens is dropped the filter ring is more likely to make contact. That’s what would transfer energy to the lens barrel no?

[jrp]

Well yes, but if the glass is stiffer, it would, presumably, transfer more energy to the lens barrel.  The lens shade may, however, make more difference.  We can continue to speculate, but I'd be interested in others' (hopefully rare) experiences.

[Anbaric]

I've seen it claimed (by a manufacturer that uses them!) that aluminium alloy filter rings may be better in an accident than brass as they will deform on impact and so transmit less of a shock to the lens (though of course you may then have trouble removing them - they are more likely to bind than brass at the best of times). I'd guess that ceramic is better than glass, and hardened glass like Hoya HD is better then regular optical glass, simply because broken shards can scratch the lens. But 'protective' filters aren't really designed to offer much impact protection - it's more about keeping grit and dirt and spray off the front of your lens, and having something you can clean in the field without worrying about the front element of your lens (if you think you need this). Hoods may do a better job of providing a bit of impact protection, but that isn't their main job either. Your best chance would probably be with a rubber or plastic hood, or an alloy hood that will also deform on impact (deployed not reversed).

[jaapv]

I found (🫣) that in general a seriously dropped M lens may suffer damage to the filter thread or mount but not damage the front lens element. The serious damage will be to the helicoid which will deform and lock up and sometimes decentered elements. No filter can prevent this. The sole function of the filter glass is preventing dirt and scratches. The ring may help minimize filter thread damage during a drop but it will need attention for deformation anyway. 
 

This means that the main damage to L lenses will be internal as well. I found that with a TL lens. (55-135) I dropped it on sand (!)  and the lens fell apart in four rings. The internal construction with little screws etc that kept  the lens together was irreparably broken. There was no damage to glass or the outside. Not even the hood or filter. 

[Stuart Richardson]

This will sound more flippant than I probably want but the best filter is probably a comprehensive insurance policy. As Anbaric said, filters are more about protecting a lens from dirt, sand and spray than about protecting an element from falls. Since a dropped lens is a totally unpredictable affair (as you have seen), it is extremely hard to say what it will do. You may get lucky and it provides protection. You might be in another scenario where it cracks and the glass from the filter itself is what scratches and damages the lens. In my own experience of owning lenses, I have found a good hood is usually the best protection, as it provides a larger barrier between the lens elements and whatever the lens might hit. If they break, they tend not to hurt the lens as they don't shatter like glass and are not sharp. But still, the best solution is to try to minimize scenarios in which you could drop the lens, but if you do, have an insurance policy that will cover it. It might even cost less than the filter, depending on what filter you get and how much your insurance company charges.

[David Wien]

On 11/19/2023 at 12:59 AM, Anbaric said:

I've seen it claimed (by a manufacturer that uses them!) that aluminium alloy filter rings may be better in an accident than brass as they will deform on impact and so transmit less of a shock to the lens (though of course you may then have trouble removing them - they are more likely to bind than brass at the best of times). I'd guess that ceramic is better than glass, and hardened glass like Hoya HD is better then regular optical glass, simply because broken shards can scratch the lens. But 'protective' filters aren't really designed to offer much impact protection - it's more about keeping grit and dirt and spray off the front of your lens, and having something you can clean in the field without worrying about the front element of your lens (if you think you need this). Hoods may do a better job of providing a bit of impact protection, but that isn't their main job either. Your best chance would probably be with a rubber or plastic hood, or an alloy hood that will also deform on impact (deployed not reversed).

My Canon 5D got knocked on the floor with a substantial EF17-40 lens on it. Following Murphy's Law the front of the lens hit the ground heavily. The Hoya protective filter broke and its rim (aluminium?) did indeed get badly deformed. But I was able to remove the dead filter with pliers and replaced it easily. The filter took the impact and neither the lens, nor the camera were damaged. Of course, I wouldnt test this deliberately!

David

Edited November 29, 2023 by David Wien

[huwm]

Have had a similar experience 

It was really difficult to get the broken filter off

[jrp]

I’ve let Leica do it. They seem to have a tool for it. The lens is in Germany being tested for any hidden faults.