Question on Best Lens Filters
Nov 18, 2020 10:51:28 #
RT113
Loc: Tennessee
Hello, it has been many years since I have purchased new camera equipment. I am buying a new camera (Canon R5 w/lens). I plan to add a 77mm filter for the lens. I have not kept up with filter brands and quality. Which brands or product lines are now considered the go to? Thanks
Nov 18, 2020 10:55:24 #
Nov 18, 2020 11:56:58 #
RT113 wrote:
Hello, it has been many years since I have purchased new camera equipment. I am buying a new camera (Canon R5 w/lens). I plan to add a 77mm filter for the lens. I have not kept up with filter brands and quality. Which brands or product lines are now considered the go to? Thanks
Top Quality B&H
Next lower quality Hoya
Consider Clear for protection.
Nov 18, 2020 13:26:14 #
Breakthrough Photography is a favorite for anybody who has tried them. They make great CPLs and ND filters but probably a bit pricey for a protection filter.
Nov 18, 2020 14:16:18 #
RT113 wrote:
Hello, it has been many years since I have purchased new camera equipment. I am buying a new camera (Canon R5 w/lens). I plan to add a 77mm filter for the lens. I have not kept up with filter brands and quality. Which brands or product lines are now considered the go to? Thanks
When I periodically rent equipment from LensRentals.com, they send it with a B+W Clear XS-Pro filter attached.
Nov 18, 2020 14:49:03 #
I have "tons" of filters that I no longer use, most of which have to do with colour correction, colour compensation and conversion with various colour films. Nowadays, of course, all of these requirements can be addressed by your white balance setting in your digital camera and fine tuned, if necessary, in post-processing. In most cases, Skylight and UV filters are no longer necessary to avoid the bluish cast that oftentimes occurred in colour films.
The only filters I still use are Circular Polarizerizers, neutral density, a few coloured filters for black and white panchromatic and contrast control and a clear protection filter when workg on industrial sites and when shooting food where splatter is a possible peril.
I use mostly B+W, Zeiss and a few Hoya brand filters. I am sure there are many new brands on the market that are good, however, the aforementioned brands are the ones I have first-hand experience with and can recommend.
I am a big fan of the B+W line- great glass, precise and solid metal rims, no unwanted colour shifts or other anomalies that sometimes occur with poorly crafted filters.
The general rule is that you don't want to put anything on your high-performance and costly lenses that will diminish their image quality, increase the potential for flare or cause mechanical problems such as cross-threading or the rim becoming deformed and getting stuck on the lens and thereby causing damage.
If you have been away from photography for a while, you may not realize that, especially on forums like this one, that filter usage is becoming "controversial". Some will say they are OK and others will insist that they badly decrease lens performance. Technically speaking, anything- even the finest filters, that you place on your lens has the potential of degrading the image quality, cause some degree of optical aberration or reducing contrast via flare. High-quality filters minimize the ill effects which may be minimal or infinitesimal and only may become apparent in high degrees of enlargement, if at all.
In practice, I use filers only when necessary. In my commercial work and portraiture, however, I have made extremely large prints from files where filters were employed with absolutely no issues.
Keep your filters clean and treat the same as your fine lenses. Use a good lens shade with and without filters to avoid flare. A clear protection filter will defend your lens against abrasive particles in the air, dust, sand, dirt, water droplets, splatter inclement weather etc., but they ain't "bulletproof". A serious or sharp impact can shatter them and cause chards of glass to injure the lens- be careful out there and good luck.
Welcome back to photography and the forum and I'm sure you will enjoy your new digital camera.
The only filters I still use are Circular Polarizerizers, neutral density, a few coloured filters for black and white panchromatic and contrast control and a clear protection filter when workg on industrial sites and when shooting food where splatter is a possible peril.
I use mostly B+W, Zeiss and a few Hoya brand filters. I am sure there are many new brands on the market that are good, however, the aforementioned brands are the ones I have first-hand experience with and can recommend.
I am a big fan of the B+W line- great glass, precise and solid metal rims, no unwanted colour shifts or other anomalies that sometimes occur with poorly crafted filters.
The general rule is that you don't want to put anything on your high-performance and costly lenses that will diminish their image quality, increase the potential for flare or cause mechanical problems such as cross-threading or the rim becoming deformed and getting stuck on the lens and thereby causing damage.
If you have been away from photography for a while, you may not realize that, especially on forums like this one, that filter usage is becoming "controversial". Some will say they are OK and others will insist that they badly decrease lens performance. Technically speaking, anything- even the finest filters, that you place on your lens has the potential of degrading the image quality, cause some degree of optical aberration or reducing contrast via flare. High-quality filters minimize the ill effects which may be minimal or infinitesimal and only may become apparent in high degrees of enlargement, if at all.
In practice, I use filers only when necessary. In my commercial work and portraiture, however, I have made extremely large prints from files where filters were employed with absolutely no issues.
Keep your filters clean and treat the same as your fine lenses. Use a good lens shade with and without filters to avoid flare. A clear protection filter will defend your lens against abrasive particles in the air, dust, sand, dirt, water droplets, splatter inclement weather etc., but they ain't "bulletproof". A serious or sharp impact can shatter them and cause chards of glass to injure the lens- be careful out there and good luck.
Welcome back to photography and the forum and I'm sure you will enjoy your new digital camera.
Nov 18, 2020 14:50:42 #
Could be an UHH record: Only five response before the first unrelated reply about the risk of 0.3% less transmission of light as a potential impact of a filter .... The last thing a valuable lens needs is less protection.
Nov 18, 2020 15:08:57 #
Strodav
Loc: Houston, Tx
Here is the URL for the most comprehensive discussion on UV / Protective filters I have ever seen on this electric topic: https://backcountrygallery.com/all-about-uv-filters/
Personally, I use Hoya protectors [ https://hoyafilter.com/catalog/?p[12]=PROTECTOR ]. They have a few different types, take your pick. The only reason I use them is because they are easier and safer to clean than touching the front element especially in dusty or drizzly or muddy or salty conditions.
Personally, I use Hoya protectors [ https://hoyafilter.com/catalog/?p[12]=PROTECTOR ]. They have a few different types, take your pick. The only reason I use them is because they are easier and safer to clean than touching the front element especially in dusty or drizzly or muddy or salty conditions.
Nov 18, 2020 15:47:46 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
Could be an UHH record: Only five responses before the first unrelated reply about the risk of 0.3% less transmission of light as a potential impact of a filter .... The last thing a valuable lens needs is less protection.
Yup! Now we are up to 8 and counting. I did not quote any figures about light transmission. Since the OP mentioned that he has been away from photography for a while, I just thought I would bring him up to date on current opinions. After all, back in the olden days of film, folks used more filters and there was little or no discussion about filters causing image degradation. Light transmission? Yes- they were called filter factors. Most folks knew not to buy super-cheap plastic filters. Back in the day, many photographers placed skylight filters on the lenses and left them there forever. I never implied that protective filters are unnecessary. I have lenses that have never left my studio and are used for portrait photography and product shoots- no filters! On hazardous locations- factories, welding shops, construction sites, beach fronts, etc- filters all the time.
Waht's unrelated?
Nov 18, 2020 15:52:48 #
RT113
Loc: Tennessee
Thank you everyone. I will definitely buy the B +W or Hoya clear filter. I have not been "away" from photography, as I shoot 100+ images per week. It is just that my Canon 60D is starting to act up at times and I have decided to treat myself to an upgrade. I have always used a protective filter on my lens, going all the way back to about 1976 with my Canon FTb, and it has saved me at least once when I dropped a 7-300 zoom which hit filter first. I have also seen someone else drop a camera and the only apparent damage was a shattered filter.
Nov 18, 2020 15:56:54 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Yup! Now we are up to 8 and counting. I did not q... (show quote)
Anyone that's tried to sell a lens with a scratch knows the importance of protective filters. Hopefully, photographers also understand the difference in 0.3% transmission of light.
Nov 19, 2020 06:48:44 #
B+W is my personal choice.
Additionally, keep in mind that when you put a filter on the front of your lens, it becomes part of the optical system. Therefore, don't make your choice based on price. You didn't when you purchased your lens.
--Bob
CHG_CANON wrote:
B+W XS-Pro. Consider a Clear rather than UV for protection purposes.
Nov 19, 2020 06:59:38 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
Could be an UHH record: Only five response before the first unrelated reply about the risk of 0.3% less transmission of light as a potential impact of a filter .... The last thing a valuable lens needs is less protection.
Yes and nobody told him to buy a Nikon or a Sony, etc.
Nov 19, 2020 07:19:01 #
RT113 wrote:
Hello, it has been many years since I have purchased new camera equipment. I am buying a new camera (Canon R5 w/lens). I plan to add a 77mm filter for the lens. I have not kept up with filter brands and quality. Which brands or product lines are now considered the go to? Thanks
I have and use "Canon Protect Filter"
https://www.adorama.com/ca77uvn.html?origterm=canon+77+mm+protect+filter&searchredirect=true
Smile,
JimmyT Sends
Nov 19, 2020 07:19:44 #
rmalarz wrote:
B+W is my personal choice.
Additionally, keep in mind that when you put a filter on the front of your lens, it becomes part of the optical system. Therefore, don't make your choice based on price. You didn't when you purchased your lens.
--Bob
B+W is my personal choice.
Additionally, keep in mind that when you put a filter on the front of your lens, it becomes part of the optical system. Therefore, don't make your choice based on price. You didn't when you purchased your lens.
--Bob
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