Robertl594 wrote:
...My question is, my 400mm uses a 46mm drop in filter just in front of the camera, not in front of the front element, will the sun damage the elements and coatings in front of the filter? I did not want to take the chance of damaging my lens, so I did not use it. I have ordered some sheet filters large enough to cover the front element in the future...
I seriously doubt that solar exposure would damage your lens coatings. After all, you go out and about with your lens frequently. What does it matter whether you are pointed at the sun or not. The sun light falls on your lens unless you are pointing away from the sun.
The only way that damage would be likely is if the solar disk were focused on a part of the lens. Otherwise, normal exposure to sunlight will not affect it.