Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Unfortunately, you are in a dilemma, in the days of film photography a UV filter was a valuable asset to add to your camera bag, it helped to bloc the blue haze caused by Ultra-violet light. In today's modern digital cameras the image sensor has a UV coating in its surface (no need to add a UV filter on the end of a lens).

The only effective use for a UV filter on a digital camera is to protect the surface coating on the Objective element of your lens. There are many other filter types that can be used on the lens (skylight, warming, star, etc), but the high quality ones will have a UV coating.

Stacking filters onto a lens can cause many undesirable problems; smudges between filters, dust, fingerprints, moisture, and cross threading. The more prevalent problem comes with Wide Angle (28 mm) lens and vignetting at the four corners of the frame.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, a Cokin filter system comes with lens protection. The filter holder comes with a lens objective cover that is removed when capturing an image, and replaced between captures. If you are shooting outdoors in broad daylight you can leave a Polar filter installed and cover that filter with the objective cover. If you are shooting different effects you can change filters by sliding different filters into place, and you can use two filters staked together if necessary.

The Cokin filter holder acts like a lens protector to prevent physical damage due to its construction.


In short you do not need a UV filter stacked onto a Polar filter, Your digital sensor has one built in, and a high quality Polar filter will have a UV coating on the surface of its glass.

Michael G

pappy0352 Loc: Oregon

I keep a UV filter on for lens protection but take it of when using filters.

Pappy

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

UV's are useless, protect your lens with a lens hood. IMHO

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

I use to have a uv on all the time. Now do not. Use my lens hood to protect front of lens. Use cpl for specific situations only, do not keep on lens all the time. Hoya and a couple other filter manufacturers make a clear filter for lens protection if you feel you need one. Just remember you get what you pay for. In other words, don't buy a cheap filter.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

Take the UV off when you put on the polarizing filter. Don't keep the polarizer when you don't need it because it does eat light.

Mousie M Loc: Coventry, UK

I don't think he meant to say that they are the same thing, rather that the polariser is also a UV, so you don't need both.

Mousie M Loc: Coventry, UK

That sums it up! The argument about keeping a filter on the front for protection will go on for ever. It sounds as if the OP is using one, and I would not disagree, I do.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

UV is mostly for protection of the lens face. Most people can't see any beneficial difference in the photo from using one and some claim a UV filter causes deterioration of image quality. Polarizing filter is a great thing for glare, water, blue sky depth, snow, etc. but it cuts down the amount of light coming into your lens so isn't good for indoors or low light at all. It will also throw off your flash's calculations of how much fill light to create based on TTL information from the hot shoe.

You don't want to stack them because the total depth may cause vignetting of your photos at the shortest length of your zoom lens (darkened corners making the photo round instead of rectangular) and you don't want that.

watchwinder Loc: Churubusco, Indiana

:thumbup: :thumbup: