07-09-2011, 08:29 AM
[quote name='vickylou' timestamp='1310195971' post='9836']
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. For me I know if I scratch the lens I can't afford another one so maybe I should get one, i will look at the ones you have suggested and see where is the most reasonable in the UK to get one. I thought in the future I may get a 60mm macro lens and in that case I probably will get one as I will be closer to branches etc to more likely to scratch it in my error.
Thank you for the links I will read them.
[/quote]
It is super hard to scratch a lens, vickylou... You need something HARDER than the coatings/glass of the lens to scratch, and then also enough pressure.
There are two (three and a half) downsides to "protective" filters:
1. They will give ghost lights mirrored through the optical axis when you have bright lights in the frame with night time photography.
2. Certain lenses can start to focus very badly, even with high quality UV filters. usually seen with longer teles, though.
3. The thin sheet of glass that is the filter can easily break (front element of the lens is almost impossible to break). The resulting shards of glass do have the ability to actually scratch the front element/coatings.
3.5: Filters are a little bit harder to clean than front elements (due to the flatness of the filter and the bulging nature of the lens element). You do need to clean either one anyway, filters do not protect from finger smudges as the smudges still are in the optical path.
What you need in any case, whether it is to clean filters or the front/back element::
- Soft lens brush, to brush off dust and sand particles before cleaning.
- Good lens cleaning fluid.
- Microfiber lens cleaning cloth.
The best thing to use to protect the lens against impact is the lens hood. And of course the lens cap, when the lens is not in use.
It does not matter much whether you get an UV filter or clear filter, as far as I know, what matters most is the quality of the coatings. These will minimize reflections.
On the 60mm macro lens with exposed front element: Best protection is a lens hood. But even without: branches can only dirty a front element, not scratch it. They are not harder than the metal coatings.
Personally, I do not use filters for protection purposes, as I do not think a thin sheet of glass is well suited for protection of anything relating to impact. I have 3 Canon lenses, 1 Sigma lens, 1 Tamron lens, 1 Tokina lens, 8 Nikon lenses, no protective filter and no scratches on any of the front or back elements.
I can see the use of protective filters under certain conditions to be of value:
- shooting in the rain, where the filter effectively seals the front of the lens to water
- Shooting under conditions where sand is blowing around
I would then take the protective filter off when it is not needed anymore, especially with night photography.
A funny, yet informative youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzOLbMPe0u8
One more thing about scratches.. if you do happen to get a shard of glass or hard sand corn to make a scratch, no need to get a new lens. A scratch will not impact the optics, it will not show up in photos.
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. For me I know if I scratch the lens I can't afford another one so maybe I should get one, i will look at the ones you have suggested and see where is the most reasonable in the UK to get one. I thought in the future I may get a 60mm macro lens and in that case I probably will get one as I will be closer to branches etc to more likely to scratch it in my error.
Thank you for the links I will read them.
[/quote]
It is super hard to scratch a lens, vickylou... You need something HARDER than the coatings/glass of the lens to scratch, and then also enough pressure.
There are two (three and a half) downsides to "protective" filters:
1. They will give ghost lights mirrored through the optical axis when you have bright lights in the frame with night time photography.
2. Certain lenses can start to focus very badly, even with high quality UV filters. usually seen with longer teles, though.
3. The thin sheet of glass that is the filter can easily break (front element of the lens is almost impossible to break). The resulting shards of glass do have the ability to actually scratch the front element/coatings.
3.5: Filters are a little bit harder to clean than front elements (due to the flatness of the filter and the bulging nature of the lens element). You do need to clean either one anyway, filters do not protect from finger smudges as the smudges still are in the optical path.
What you need in any case, whether it is to clean filters or the front/back element::
- Soft lens brush, to brush off dust and sand particles before cleaning.
- Good lens cleaning fluid.
- Microfiber lens cleaning cloth.
The best thing to use to protect the lens against impact is the lens hood. And of course the lens cap, when the lens is not in use.
It does not matter much whether you get an UV filter or clear filter, as far as I know, what matters most is the quality of the coatings. These will minimize reflections.
On the 60mm macro lens with exposed front element: Best protection is a lens hood. But even without: branches can only dirty a front element, not scratch it. They are not harder than the metal coatings.
Personally, I do not use filters for protection purposes, as I do not think a thin sheet of glass is well suited for protection of anything relating to impact. I have 3 Canon lenses, 1 Sigma lens, 1 Tamron lens, 1 Tokina lens, 8 Nikon lenses, no protective filter and no scratches on any of the front or back elements.
I can see the use of protective filters under certain conditions to be of value:
- shooting in the rain, where the filter effectively seals the front of the lens to water
- Shooting under conditions where sand is blowing around
I would then take the protective filter off when it is not needed anymore, especially with night photography.
A funny, yet informative youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzOLbMPe0u8
One more thing about scratches.. if you do happen to get a shard of glass or hard sand corn to make a scratch, no need to get a new lens. A scratch will not impact the optics, it will not show up in photos.
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