topic Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter in Camera Accessories

Hood and filter recommendations for EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Kolourl3lind — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:28:43 GMT

just got canon 1.8 85mm. can some recommend a decent hood and filter?

Re: Hood and filter recommendations for EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

ScottyP — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:30:26 GMT

Spring for the real Canon lens hood. It is only 10 bucks more than the generic, and you will have one that fits tightly and is shaped to do the job right.

Skip the filter. A good quality one would be too much for a bargain lens, and a bad one could hurt image quality.

Here's the hood:

Good luck with the lens. I have one, and it does a fine job.

[Commercial link removed per forum guidelines and replaced with screenshot to serve as visual aid.]

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

diverhank — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 04:48:04 GMT

I normally do not buy non-OEM parts but in this case I opted for an Opteka ET-65 III hood which fits the 85 1.8 perfectly and it's only $6. I second the recommendation not to use a filter.

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

Kolourl3lind — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 11:56:41 GMT

OK thanks guys!!!!

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

ebiggs1 — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:26:16 GMT

Now for a third opinion, get this filter.

I have yet to see anyone, except pixel peepers, show me a protective filter harms a photo. You have a decent lens so is it worth it to you to add a small amount of insurance for $28 bucks?

Of course, being a die hard Canon user, I recommend you get the real Canon hood, also.

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

Kolourl3lind — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 01:47:24 GMT

Well I did get some filters that degraded the kit lenses. But I am open to anything that protects my lens?

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

ebiggs1 — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 14:16:44 GMT

Oh, I did not say it was not possible to get and use a crappy filter. The one I suggested for you is a very good filter.

Although I no longer support myself with a camera, I never had a person say to me, "If only you hadn't shot that with a filter on your lens."

That filter is cheap insurance. Even if it only serves to keep the front element clean. And on the same plane, a hood is one of the least used but one of the items that has the biggest effect on your pictures.

Use both!

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

Kolourl3lind — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 03:26:37 GMT

what about the tulip hoods everyone has?

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

amfoto1 — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 06:28:12 GMT

Tulip hoods are not needed for a short telephoto prime like the 85mm. They are used on wide angle and zoom lenses mostly. Especially steer clear of the "generic" tulip hoods. They screw into the lens using the filter threads and are easy to misalign, and won't give as good coverage of the lens. They just "look cool".

Get any of the available correct ES65 III hoods. They fit and work well.

As to the protection filter, well IMO you could just save your money. Actually, I do have "protection" filters (mostly B+W and Hoya) for all my lenses. But they stay in my camera bag unless I'm shooting something that actually requires protection, such as out in a sand storm, right at the edge of a race track, paint ball, etc.

I do not leave a protection filter on my lens all the time. I have seen many examples of the problems they can create. Heck, I've had to deal with the issues they caused at times when second shooters used filters without me being aware (I try to remember to check their lenses and ask them to remove them).

If you want a filter for occasional use, or if using it all the time makes you feel better and you don't mind some compromise in image quality, get one.

But, sorry Canon, I'd skip that one. Their filters are decent glass, but not multi-coated and tend to be quite overpriced. I would guess they're outsourced from Kenko or Tiffen. You can get a single coated or uncoated 58mm UV filter from either of them for about $16.

If you must, I'd recommend to get a high quality 58mm UV or Clear multi-coated Hoya Pro 1, HD, HD2 or HMC; or a B+W Pro MRC or Pro MRC Nano; or a Marumi multi-coated (EXUS, I think); or a Heliopan SH-PMC. Those are all high quality and multi-coated, that I'm familiar with. I'm sure there are some other good quality, multi-coated.

But keep in mind that any filter has some effect on your images. It can be very little with a quality filter under good conditions, or it can be a lot when there is strong specular light striking it, and a thin piece of glass really doesn't offer much physical protection. The nice, deep hood offers more physical protection than any filter ever could. In fact, when using a filter it's even more important to use the lens hood, to protect filter and lens from both oblique light and hard knocks.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

Kolourl3lind — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 10:25:26 GMT

Ahhhh so the filter drama thickens. What a good read. I will get a hood and look out for some cheaper filters for protection.

Alway a pleasure to hear from experience photographers. Thanks to all of you.

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

ebiggs1 — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 15:01:14 GMT

"What the optimum strategy with respect to using UV filters as a protective element depends on what the photographer is shooting.

If he is working largely without a strong light source in the frame, and assuming the lens hood is effective then a good quality filter is unlikely to have any detrimental effect even if the subject is heavily back lit; he may thus elect to fit protective filters and only remove them if including a strong light source.

Someone habitually including strong light sources in the frame may find it prudent to not fit a filter unless he finds himself working in a hostile environment.

My personal situation is the former where the value of a protective element fitted by default covers 99% of my photography.

Finally it should be noted that any lens is likely to flare if the luminance difference between a light source and the scene is large enough."

Conclusion from an extensive test done by The Holding Tank

In reality, as PP has been elevated to where it is today, filters are really a thing of the past. The two remaining exceptions are the CP and protective filters.

Now you have two differing views, cheap insurance and reduced cleaning of your front element or sans filter and hope for the best.

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

amfoto1 — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 18:23:24 GMT

Or...

Ssans filter unless it's actually needed, means no risk of image degradation at all, in any situation, and always use a lens hood for real protection. Or semi-permanently stick a cheap, thin piece of glass (that might get broken and actually cause damage to a lens) between you and your subject and hope that the loss of image quality isn't too great.

The perspective depends upon which side of the fence you are standing on, doesn't it?

Me, I spent a lot of money on lenses in hopes of taking great photos with them. I try to compromise as little as possible. Particularly with digital (where a UV filter serves little purpose, unlike it did with film), my lenses go filterless most of the time, and somehow those lenses have survived for many years. So far they've never melted down or exploded from lack of a pertekshun filter!

I do use filters.... when they are actually called for. Now shooting digital almost exclusively, C-Pol, UV (protection) and Neutral Density are all I carry (Thank heaven! I used to carry more than 200 filters when I was shooting film). Well, I still have some Graduated ND in my kit, too... though I'm not sure why. I almost never use them any more.

In find I use a C-Pol filter far more often than I need to use a "protection" filter. So I'd put my money into a C-Pol, before blowing it on a protection filter.

But it's a never-ending argument... to filter or not to filter, that is the question.

Just be aware of the "risks" both ways, if you do decide you want ot use a filter be sure it's a good, multi-coated one, conduct some tests for yourself, and then do what makes you happy.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

mglotspeich — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 22:31:36 GMT

Hello ebiggs1! I have always purchased a filter for my lenses. Not for protection, but because I do not want to clean my expensive lens element regularly. With the new digital cameras I purchase clear filters instead of UV. Great advice from you!

Re: 85mm 1.8 Lens and filter

ebiggs1 — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:25:47 GMT

Very old thread but you are certainly welcome and I agree protecto filter is a real good idea on expensive lenses. Make sure the filter quality is equal to or comparable to the lens.

Re: Hood and filter recommendations for EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

zakslm — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:30:11 GMT

Kolourl3lind,

You have rekindled the never-ending debate regarding protective filters - yes or no? FWIW, I always have a protective filter and hood on my lenses because it gives me peace of mind to do so. Photography is my hobby and not my livlihood. Since I may not be the luckiest or most graceful amatuer photographer, I think a protective filter and lens hood has saved or protected my lens from damage more than a few times.

With regard to a hood, since I always use one, my preference is either a "used" official Canon hood or a new JJC brand hood (from Amazon). When I bought used lenses from KEH, I've bought the matching Canon hood (and a used name brand multi-coated filter) from them at the same time. They have not disappointed me even if the hood is described as in "Bargain" condition. However, with shipping charges, it may be impractical to purchase a hood only from KEH, so I've went to Amazon.

I am very pleased with the JJC brand hoods I bought on Amazon. They are reasonably priced, seem as sturdy and mount and function as smoothly as the Canon brand hoods. The only problem is that Amazon doesn't alway have a JJC hood that I need so I've tried other brands and they are not as good as JJC hoods. I recently bought an Opteka hood because Amazon did not have the a JJC hood I needed and was disappointed with the qualty (thinner plastic) and imprecise fit (extremely snug fit) of that hood, but it will do.

Good luck!

Re: Hood and filter recommendations for EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

mglotspeich — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 21:15:17 GMT

Thanks LZ!