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Will Canon "protect" lenses hurt image quality ?

mangurian
Rising Star

Canon sells these and says they can be left on all the time.   Is this a high quality glass ?

 

Any info on how they effect image quality appreciated.

45 REPLIES 45

For myself I have a plethora of bags that have, or have not worked for various purposes or equipment.  When I am taking large DSLRs (they all have battery grips) for a day shoot I usually have one holster (either Think Tank or LowePro) which will fit the bulkiest combination of body and lens and then just switch cameras between hand and holster.  Often I just have the other body in my hand ready to go.

 

I have done some longer hikes with my much loved Kata Bumblebee 222, external frame pack - sadly no longer made. It's super light, has huge capacity and fits like a glove.  It can take up to 3 DSLRs with big lenses, with capacity for a water bladde or laptop, and side pockets for other gear.  It also has capacity for a tripod.

 

When I am multi-day hiking I am likely to take smaller units such as the EOS M5's one with a wide angle tele and the other with the normal to wide.  They fit into a much smaller bag - I was using the ThinkTank Mirrorless Movers until my cameras flooded, and I now use Tenba bags instead.  On some day trips I can take one of the Tenba messenger bags with 3 bodies (EOS M, and 2xM5's) with lenses, along with other gear not necessarily related to photography.

 

Finally, when I want to go ultra-light, I can take the Powershot g1XMkIII, G3X and/or G5X bodies.  the G1X has an APS-C sensor while the others are all 1".  They are all great cameras when space and weight are critical and I can fit them in a small Tenba messenger bag or a couple of very small pouch bags.  The G3X has a super zoom and I added the optional EV to it (although that makes the bulk a bit awkward).  It will be interesting to see what the new G5X will behave like.  I actually like the DSLR format of the current G5X, but the new one will be even less bulky.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris


@Tronhard wrote:

For myself I have a plethora of bags that have, or have not worked for various purposes or equipment.  When I am taking large DSLRs (they all have battery grips) for a day shoot I usually have one holster (either Think Tank or LowePro) which will fit the bulkiest combination of body and lens and then just switch cameras between hand and holster.  Often I just have the other body in my hand ready to go.

.


Amen to that, once again.  I do almost the same.  This old man needs to have two free hands.  I do not see very well, so I need handrails on stairs, etc.  I carry one camera in a Lowepro holster, and one camera one a Black Rapid Sport.

--------------------------------------------------------
"Enjoying photography since 1972."

Lumigraphics
Contributor

I often carry two bodies and seven lenses (16-35L, 24-105L, 70-200L, 18-135, 50, 35; my 100-400L may or may not stay home) and change lenses all the time. I'm not going to let worries about dust stop me from using the lens I need.

And I've been shooting in almost every environment imaginable for the past 36 years. As a working pro, you maintain your gear but there is no need to baby it.

I've never bothered with protective filters over several different systems including 35mm, 645, 4x5, and DSLR. A good quality filter probably won't impact image quality that much, regardless.

" I'm not going to let worries about dust, rain, snow, etc, stop me from using the lens I need."

 

This is the big difference between a working pro making a living and a hobbyists.  My gear does what I want it to. However, when I was working I sent it in for a C&C regularly. Over the years I have had gear damaged.  It happens if you are putting it to hard work for you. Filters have saved me on some occasions and failed on others but their use is so simple it is silly to not do it. They are mandatory on some Canon lenses, keep that in mind.  Have an issue with one in a certain situation, remove it.  Still very simple.

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.


@ebiggs1 wrote:

... My gear does what I want it to. However, when I was working I sent it in for a C&C regularly. ...


Me too. I'm retired now; but I'm still a CPS member, and old habits are hard to break.

 

But Canon has closed the Jamesburg NJ repair facility where I used to drop my gear off!! I guess I'm going to have to start sending it in, like (I suppose) most of the rest of the world. Any advice for me about what shipping companies are good, what to do about insurance, etc., etc.? Dammit, I feel like a newbie.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA


@Lumigraphics wrote:

I often carry two bodies and seven lenses (16-35L, 24-105L, 70-200L, 18-135, 50, 35; my 100-400L may or may not stay home) and change lenses all the time. I'm not going to let worries about dust stop me from using the lens I need.

And I've been shooting in almost every environment imaginable for the past 36 years. As a working pro, you maintain your gear but there is no need to baby it.

I've never bothered with protective filters over several different systems including 35mm, 645, 4x5, and DSLR. A good quality filter probably won't impact image quality that much, regardless.


I started my working career just a shade earlier than you, but I have a different ethos and that's absolutely fine.  For me, most of my work was done well away from civilization so having equipment fail was unacceptable.  I learnt that in the military when we were taught to keep our M16's really clean - they never failed us, but we came across the bodies of US and ARVN soldiers who had not and their weapons were half stripped as they tried to get them working under fire. (That was one thing the AK47 had: you could dump it in mud and it would still work).  Old habits die hard...

 

I am always dubious about advice that is absolute: e.g. you MUST have a filter, or you MUST NOT etc.  We are all different in our habits, working environments and, perhaps most importantly of all, our preferences, values and biases.  How we use language to express that, especially those of us with experience, has consequences for others seeking advice.

 

Hence if I was making your statement I would have said, "as a working pro I maintained my gear, but personally felt no need to over-protect it".  My comments were made on my own experience and were identified as such: I worked underground in coal mines and tunnels, in the outback of Australia in dust storms; live volcanoes in Indonesia and NZ, salt water, concrete dust and hot steel, in operating theatres - I had blood sprayed over myself and my gear once.  As I said, it really depends on the individual experience - I don't know yours but I respect that what you do has worked for you.   I am just happy my gear has never faltered or needed repair (well, except for my brand new Canon 5DIV, the buffer of which failed on my first shoot, but that was a manufacturing fault).

 

Because of my nomadic lifestyle, carrying multiple extra lenses was never an option for me: I was selective in using just a few - one for each body, plus a spare with different focal range.  As I have got older and time has taken its toll on my physical abilities I am especially selective when I do multi-day hikes (no way I'm carrying 7 lenses on one of those).Smiley Tongue

 

 


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

"I am always dubious about advice that is absolute: e.g. you MUST have a filter, or you MUST NOT ..."

 

How about when Canon says you must use a protecto filter if you want weather sealing on one of Canon's own lenses. Smiley Happy

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.


@ebiggs1 wrote:

"I am always dubious about advice that is absolute: e.g. you MUST have a filter, or you MUST NOT ..."

 

How about when Canon says you must use a protecto filter if you want weather sealing on one of Canon's own lenses. Smiley Happy


Fair point Ernie - that is a requirement from the manufacturer, and I totally respect that as an absolute - although I suspect there are some who will ignore that anyway.   I was referring to people giving absolutist advice based on their experience.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

" Any advice for me about what shipping companies are good,..."

 

I have always used UPS. UPS has a basic insurance.  In Kansas where I live a camera sent in for a C&C usually takes a week total.  Canon is extremely good about overnighting it back to me. I know I probably sound like a Canon commercial but I do wish all companies were as good as Canon CPS. They are that good. I can't say about Nikon today but in the past (16+ years ago) they were not even in the running vs Canon for CS and support.

 

CPS you can send me a check later! Smiley Very Happy

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

" I was referring to people giving absolutist advice based on their experience."

 

It seems they are in unlimited supply.  I love your motto, BTW, "Take care of your gear and it will take care of you."

 

PS. I am very familiar with the M16 and AR variants.

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.
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