@ebiggs1 wrote:
...I am in the camp of using them on every lens that can use them. There really is no downside....
I'm in precisely the opposite camp! 😀 And I see several down sides.
While I have high quality, multi-coated UV filters available to fit my lenses (well, at least all the ones that accept screw-in filters), I ONLY install them when the filter is actually needed... .which isn't very often.
I used them a lot more when I was shooting film way back in the 20th century. A lot of film was overly sensitive to UV light, so the filters were needed. But today with digital there's little to no concern about UV. Sometimes this type of filter can be useful in scenic shots, when there is a blue haze in the distance. But most often they're now just used "for protection".
Instead of "protection filters", I rely upon lens hoods (almost always when shooting) and lens caps (always when stored). I think it's pretty silly to think a thin piece of glass will provide any meaningful "protection" to a lens.
In fact, lenses are a lot tougher than most people think. In most cases, it takes a lot to damage them. What would shatter a filter will leave the lens unscathed. However, I have seen used lenses damaged by broken filters... when sharp shards of glass were driven into the front element. I've also seen filters stuck on lenses, with the frame bent so badly the filter had to be removed with a saw or a Dremel.
Some people think a filter means less cleaning. I think it means more. I bought a used lens from a guy who swore the UV filter had been on it since brand new, never removed! It was about 6 or 7 years old. After I removed the filter there was a haze that needed cleaning off both the front element of the lens and the rear surface of the filter! Adding a filter means three surfaces to keep clean, instead of one. Granted, the rear surface of the filter and front of the lens won't need as frequent cleanings... but still will need them occasionally.
Will filters effect image quality? Usually good, multi-coated filters won't. But there are exceptions. I was shooting an event where there was a lot of strong back lighting and had several photographers helping. Knowing the venue and what can happen, I asked them to remove any filters from their lenses. One guy ignored me... The result was 1200 images with significant flare problems! Often it was veiling flare and a green tint in parts of his images. I retouched some in Photoshop (should have made him fix them), but ended up having to trash most!
Besides that, there's a downside of cost. I have five or six different sizes of filters in my kit. It adds up when you need that many.. And, no, step rings are not an option. They preclude using most lens hoods, which become even more necessary when a filter is installed (to protect the filter 🙄}! Because they were lower priority for me, I gradually added UV over the years rather than buy them all at once.
In addition, I don't like stacking filters any more than necessary.... It can cause vignetting issues. So when I go to use a Circular Polarizer (a MUCH more useful filter with digital) and there's already a UV on there I have to remove it first. Same if I want to use an ND filter (the only other type I carry now... though only in sizes for certain lenses because they're pretty specialized). .
Yes, I install filters occasionally "for protection"... when it seems appropriate. But I don't often shoot paintball battles, volcanic eruptions or go out shooting in sand storms! Probably the most common time I use them is when shooting at the shore, because "salt air" is hard to clean off of optics. I'd rather wash it off a filter than off a lens!
It's a hot topic on all the photography blogs... whether to use filters or not. There really isn't much proof one way of the other... little to show a filter was effective "protecting" a lens... and it is mostly only low quality filters that have negative effect on images, should be avoided. Few people have really done any testing.... but it can be interesting... or good for a laugh... when they do:
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Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2), EOS M5, some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR
Danny
