Which everyday filter for outdoors?

[Yorkshire_Jon]

My lenses are:
- 100mm f2.8 L Macro
- 24-70 f2.8L
- 70-200 f2.8L

All lenses currently have B&W UV filter permentantly attached. I also have circular polarizers for the non-macro lens.

Problem is this:
Photos have a tendancy to suffer blow outs when only using the clear filter. I nearly always use the lens covers (dont know if thats the right term - black plastic bit that attaches to end of lens to stop stray light entering glass).

To use the circular polorizer I cant use the lens cover although this eliminate the blow outs but when the kit is in the back of the landy within easy reach the lenses are vulnerable without the cover on.

I am wondering if there is a suitable filter that will tone the brightness down a tad that will still enable me to use the lens cover?


What do you guys use when away travelling?

Jon

[AJSLRD]

Jon,

I have started to keep the clear filters off the lens I use, but depending on the environment they go straight back on to protect.
When you screw a circular Polarising filter onto the clear filter you can get dark patches in the corners of the image.
Since I started leaving the Clear filter off my images have also become slightly sharper.
A friend of mine brought an expensive lens, took a couple of shots, found they weren't that clear as expected, sent it back to Canon after the retailer agreed there was an issue.
Canon returned the lens with a report of the testing they conducted saying that there is nothing wrong with the lens and suggested not to use the UV filters on the lens.
He has had remarkable results since...

Allen

[Marmoset]

I don't use one as a cover all situations filter. I just use a circular polarising for outside use if it's bright and the lens alone if it's duller or indoors.

If you getting a lot of blow outs then perhaps try bracketing the exposure and take a few shots each time to see what suits best, once that's figured out you should get a better feeling as to under expose a shot or not. Do you use the histogram on the camera playback? I find that extremely useful if I'm not sure what to do.

[s7000]

Filters do not protect your lens. They break first because they are the weakest link however there's always a very strong chance they'll scratch your lens because of the broken filter glass being thrown into it.

If you want to protect your lens you're better off getting a lens hood.

The coating on lenses is extremely strong and it'll take a big knock to scratch that or effect the first layer of glass.

On top of all that it adds a layer of uneeded glass which knocks back the quality of your image.

To tone down the brightness you can use an ND filter. however if you're not metering properly then this wont do much good. If you're getting blown out skies etc in your landscapes you might need to look at getting a gradual ND which is a half half type lens. The top will be toned down with the bottom half being clear. This will give an even exposure over the frame.

There's hundreds of filters made for every situation, so there's no one size fits all solution to your problem. You just need to find what's gonna work for you.

[vnx205]

Filters do not protect your lens.

They keep the dust off though don't they?

I was under the impression that a lot of damage to lenses was caused by heavy handed attempts to wipe dust from the lens.

[Yorkshire_Jon]

Thanks guys for the input.

The for's and against of filters is one that will go on forever! I can see both sides and have chosen to use the best quality UV filters I can, thus minimising the amount of distortion and maximising protection. I will say I have personally seen a big difference between cheap filters and expensive ones in image quality.

I say maximising, on 2 occasions now :twisted: I have lept out of the defender with camera in hand and knocked the front of the lens on the edge of the door (dont ask me how, i dont know!) and smashed the filter. That damage would have been the lens were it not for the filter.

As for lens hoods (that was the term I couldnt remember yesterday), all my L series lenses come with them so I have one for each. When I dont use the CP filter the hood is always on, but as I said before, one gets in the way of the other :(

I will however investigate using the CP filter without the UV and see what happens.

If I have time to set the shots up properly I can usually adjust everything so there are no blow-outs. Its the quick, snap 'n catch'it shots that tend to be the problem.

One particular area of diffuculty seems to be horse trials - brightly lit sand & grass combined with shaded areas and a fast moving horse are a challenge to get right everytime. I will try hood less and UV less with CP this weekend and see what happens!

Thanks
Jon

[s7000]

They keep the dust off though don't they?

I was under the impression that a lot of damage to lenses was caused by heavy handed attempts to wipe dust from the lens.

Well, sure, they'll keep the dust off, but the lesnes are coated with a strong coating. If you use the proper cleaning cloths, you wont damage them while cleaning.

I've had my lenses (both L and standards) for a few years and haven't done any damage from semi-pro use for both jobs I've done and personal projects.

I don't use filters unless they're used for a reason as they degrade your image quality. As said below, the argument for and against will go on forever. :lol:

[Chucaro]

I only use the protection filter when shooting on the waterfront with a lot of salt in the mist.
I can be a bit rough in the cleaning of the filter if I am in a harry during the critical light.
Some times I do not have a choice but to do a lot of cleaning during PP

[superquag]

When I had lots of brown hair on top... Skylight filters were all the rage.- UV plus a tiny hint of 'warmth' was great for distant scenery shot on reversal... You know, "slide filum".:confused::confused: :p

Even then, conventional wisdom only suggested them for altitude work or long distance (to horizon).
The advice to leave 'em on to protect the lens was more based on the relatively horrendous price of and fragility of then-optics.
As has been mentioned, modern coatings are tougher.

Personal preference for lens protection is lens hoods working on the premise that keeping Sharp & Hard Things away from the lens surface is the better policy, and every piece of glass - no matter how well coated - is a point of degradation.

Another point that's lost on the latest generation of snappers...is that image sizes on film were so much bigger than on the smaller digital sensors of today... So any and every defect will, in effect, be magnified. Best not introduce any unsharpness or distortion.

My two pence worth...:p

Luddite James in Gosnells

Kiev 6x6 rollfilm SLR, Speed Graphic 4x5, and numerous Pentax Spotmatics etc etc