Leica UV lens Filter.

[Skyerocket]

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I have just bought into the SL system and have coupled my SL3 with the Leica 24 -90 Medium Zoom.  The zoom was purchased used from a reputable dealer and to protect it I have added a Kase Revolution filter which compliments my filter kit .

On occasion I have noticed that  some  images  have not always been sharp as expected. I have read on the web that only a Leica made filter should be used with Leica lenses. At £300 plus  for a Leica filter this is quite a huge pill to swallow. I mainly shoot with auto focus though can will  manual when necessary and I have noticed this lack of sharpness in both focussing modes. It is a rare occurrence and I wonder if any other members have any thoughts on this. I mainly shoot landscape so there is little movement to confuse the focus choice.

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Skyerocket

[Chris W]

1 hour ago, Skyerocket said:

I have read on the web that only a Leica made filter should be used with Leica lenses. 

 

Who states such things? I have Leica filters, plus B&W and Heliopan. I can't see a difference in the final results. As long as the filter is professional quality.

Maybe shoot for a couple of weeks without a filter. A lot of people don't use lens protection at all. As long as you have a lens cap and don't abuse your kit you should be fine (for at least a couple of weeks). See if the soft focus is still happening.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Chris W

[Photoworks]

2 hours ago, Skyerocket said:

I have just bought into the SL system and have coupled my SL3 with the Leica 24 -90 Medium Zoom.  The zoom was purchased used from a reputable dealer and to protect it I have added a Kase Revolution filter which compliments my filter kit .

On occasion I have noticed that  some  images  have not always been sharp as expected. I have read on the web that only a Leica made filter should be used with Leica lenses. At £300 plus  for a Leica filter this is quite a huge pill to swallow. I mainly shoot with auto focus though can will  manual when necessary and I have noticed this lack of sharpness in both focussing modes. It is a rare occurrence and I wonder if any other members have any thoughts on this. I mainly shoot landscape so there is little movement to confuse the focus choice.

 

what you can expect from a filter is some protection, but you don't need a leica filter. In any case, they are not made by leica in japan. 

You can introduce reflection, softness, and color shifts with filters. But in most cases, they work well.

I use some of these filters https://breakthrough.photography/collections/all

, but in some situations I will remove them before I shoot, in the Studio over a white background, or when shooting into a light or sun to avoid double images.

The 24-90 is a lens that has hard front glass with Dura Coding for dust and water repellent.
In any case, I would check the technique of focusing; the 24-90 has a tendency to miss focus, and that happens in various situations. This can be your issue, too.

It is not a defective lens, I had a few of these lenses over the years.

[Stuart Richardson]

Unless your filter is visibly damaged or opaque, it is unlikely to produce any softness. It is not part of the optical system in that sense. I expect you are experiencing more like camera shake or shutter shock, rather than unsharpness from the filter. Or just the natural unsharpness of zooms, no matter how expensive. The 24-90 is very good, but it is not very good in the edges and corners wide open, for example. 
The combination of handheld images with stabilization and mechanical shutters at lower speeds can cause some strange unsharpness at times. Keep in mind that lots of things are moving: the camera body itself, the optical elements in the lens, and the sensor inside the body. They are all trying their best to cancel each other out, but it is not always perfect. Combine that with the vibration of the shutter itself and the movement of the focus mechanism and it is a small miracle it works as well as it does. 
The best way to get a sense of the real performance is to put the camera on a tripod, turn off stabilization, turn on the electric shutter only and set a self timer for 2 or 12s and see how it performs. Pretty sure you will see the filter has no effect unless it causes flare or ghosting with strong light sources. 

[Photoworks]

There are Lenses where a filter is not recommended.

The Noctilux 0.95 with a filter introduces drastic chromatic aberration wide open.

On the other hand, the older Vintage lenses had a softer front glass, and cleaning would mark the glass over time.

[LD_50]

Provide example photos with description of settings and technique. There’s exactly nothing here to suggest a filter is an issue. 

[Skyerocket]

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Okay thanks everybody I will take on board what has been said and review .