which filters: Just having received a t3i camera, I would like to protect the front lens as best as I can of the kit lens that came with it. I gather from this forum that kit lenses...

wilbur

Just having received a t3i camera, I would like to protect the front lens as best as I can of the kit lens that came with it. I gather from this forum that kit lenses are somewhat looked down on , but I would still like to preserve it. So, having said that ,what would you folks suggest that I get for a filter to protect this lens?
I 'm not a reckless person, but I would appreciate you advice. As always, thanks for your considerable responses.

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

B&W Pro mrc nano are the very best UV filters brass casing does not bind to the lens thread like Ali frames do.Not an iten to go cheap on the cheap ones do degrade the image

wilbur

Thanks breck. I'll look it up.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I'd go with the clear from B&W rather than the UV. The kit lens will be an EF-S that can mount only to a digital camera where the UV benefits of the filter are relatively unneeded.

wilbur

Thanks CHG canon. Your responses are always to the point and courteous .

Teacher Loc: Alabama

Most folks say the only filters you really need are CPL or ND filters. But, I've had issues with tree sap falling on my lenses while shooting in the woods. All trees drop liquids from their leaves and this oily stuff can me very difficult to get off a lens so I use clear filters except for macro shots. Any filter will degrade your image on certain lenses. You have to try them out too see. A lot depends on what you shoot, where you shoot, and how demanding you are about your image quality. Lens protection may or may not be an issue. For many, a lens hood offers a lot of protection while not sacrificing any quality. Hope this helps and good luck.

wilbur wrote:

Just having received a t3i camera, I would like to protect the front lens as best as I can of the kit lens that came with it. I gather from this forum that kit lenses are somewhat looked down on , but I would still like to preserve it. So, having said that ,what would you folks suggest that I get for a filter to protect this lens?
I 'm not a reckless person, but I would appreciate you advice. As always, thanks for your considerable responses.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

wilbur wrote:

Just having received a t3i camera, I would like to protect the front lens as best as I can of the kit lens that came with it. I gather from this forum that kit lenses are somewhat looked down on , but I would still like to preserve it. So, having said that ,what would you folks suggest that I get for a filter to protect this lens?
I 'm not a reckless person, but I would appreciate you advice. As always, thanks for your considerable responses.

Congratulations on the new camera. Please be sure to submit some photos for us to look at on UHH. As for filters there are some great makers out there to look at. I have come to like B&W myself.

I wanted to make a quick comment on what you said about kit lenses. Some people on the forum do seem to look down on them but in my experience with kit lenses they have all taken exceptional photos. The only thing I see different is they are generally made using some plastic parts rather than metal parts. The kit lenses also don't have the waterproofing that a professional quality lens would have. If you are a professional photographer the kit lenses probably won't hold up to many 1000's of shots. But for the average photographer the lenses will hold up admirably well.

Dennis

wilbur

Thanks for your answers.

olcoach Loc: Oregon

Are we talking about B+W filters?

amehta Loc: Boston

wilbur wrote:

Just having received a t3i camera, I would like to protect the front lens as best as I can of the kit lens that came with it. I gather from this forum that kit lenses are somewhat looked down on , but I would still like to preserve it. So, having said that ,what would you folks suggest that I get for a filter to protect this lens?
I 'm not a reckless person, but I would appreciate you advice. As always, thanks for your considerable responses.

There is not uniformity here about using a clear protective filter or UV filter. It is one of the "UHH Top-10 Dogmatic Discussion Topics" (TM). :-)

I think a good Hoya or Tiffen filter would be fine, and a B+W would be a little better. Getting one which is multicoated would be good. Within those brands, I think that price does correlate to quality, but you also don't need the best filter. Spending $20-50 should be fine.

wilbur

Thanks amehta .wilbur

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

If you want to use a "good" quality filter and you have the money to spend, go ahead and put the filter on. But, for the ultimate in "protection" you may want to keep the lenshood attached 24/7 and cap it when not in use also.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

You are right about the lens hood. I learned the hard way and I thank my lucky stars that when my tripod head failed and my camera followed it down I had my lens hood on. The hood broke but the camera wasn't damaged. I have a solid head now.

imagemeister wrote:

If you want to use a "good" quality filter and you have the money to spend, go ahead and put the filter on. But, for the ultimate in "protection" you may want to keep the lenshood attached 24/7 and cap it when not in use also.