When should I use/not use a lens hood? (Page 9): Its much easier to scratch or crack a thin flat filter than a lens. Lenses are much more robust than filters and far more resistant to...

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

GreenReaper wrote:

I have ALWAYS put a UV filter on my lenses for protection. Cheaper to replace a scratched filter than having to repair a scratched lens.

Its much easier to scratch or crack a thin flat filter than a lens. Lenses are much more robust than filters and far more resistant to damage than many filter advocates believe they are. I would be much more worried about the shards from a broken filter scratching my front element's coating than anything else. I have almost a dozen lenses without a scratch after years of use, with no filters!!

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

hi,
we have a stack of shattered filters in our repair facility that have saved the front element of the lens. we also have a stack of front elements which did not, sadly, have a filter on them.

while i will never say never, we rarely do not recall any front element damage brought into us caused by a destroyed filter.

my associate has been in the photo tech business for 45 years and has seen a lot of everything.

again, it's a personal thing as to whether a person wishes to use a filter on the lens. as for me, i've been in many situations where the filter has saved my lens and find it good insurance for myself.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

It really comes down to - which do you value more - your equipment or your images ??

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

nikonshooter wrote:

The lens hood serves its primary purpose fighting the flare from the sun.......indoors, this is USUALLY not the case as flags and gobos are used to control studio light. The fact the hood can protect the glass is secondary to it's primary purpose....but a good one at that. Also, on-camera flash with a wide angle lens plus hood can introduce dark shadows in the image caused by the hood.

Bingo! :thumbup: :thumbup:

nekon Loc: Carterton, New Zealand

GreenReaper wrote:

I have ALWAYS put a UV filter on my lenses for protection. Cheaper to replace a scratched filter than having to repair a scratched lens.

cheaper to use lens cap and lenshood-than to buy a useless filter

nekon Loc: Carterton, New Zealand

joer wrote:

Bingo! :thumbup: :thumbup:

not if you use the right hood

James Tolliver

I turn my lens hood around so it is always handy when I wand to use it. Then I just turn it around to get it out of the way when doing a lot of zooming.

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

Woops - in the middle of getting a great shot and you stumble on a tiny object - no balance because you have both hands on the camera and concentrating on the object - BAM you go down but let go of the camera and brace your hands for the fall - wow lucky I had that UV filter on that lens because my tulip hood was on backwards.

nekon wrote:

cheaper to use lens cap and lens hood-than to buy a useless filter

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

The hood is there for a reason. I never mount it in the reverse direction when I'm shooting. Even when I store the camera, my holster case allows me to keep it in the right position.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Harvey wrote:

Woops - in the middle of getting a great shot and you stumble on a tiny object - no balance because you have both hands on the camera and concentrating on the object - BAM you go down but let go of the camera and brace your hands for the fall - wow lucky I had that UV filter on that lens because my tulip hood was on backwards.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

What happened to the filter?

Was it broken or scratched?

Well, it IS after all, just a thin piece of cheap glass.

Something your front element IS NOT.

And TRUST ME... anything capable of damaging your front element WILL NOT BE STOPPED BY THAT THIN PIECE OF GLASS. ;)

Meanwhile... that UV filter WILL degrade image quality. That's what they are DESIGNED to do. :mrgreen:

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

Thank you for a voice of hands on experience in amongst the opinions WJ.

wj cody wrote:

hi, br we have a stack of shattered filters in our... (show quote)

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE.

I know a guy who ran a camera shop for 30 years after being a pro for 12 who says UV filters are BUNK. A RIPOFF.

And since I KNOW him personally, I actually BELIEVE what HE has to say. ;)

nikon_jon Loc: Northeast Arkansas

When they film movies on an indoor set where they have strict control of the lighting, they use some big honkin' hoods on those cameras. I can't think of any reason anyone would take the hood off his lens just because he is shooting indoors with controlled lighting.

At the 'shoot out' did anyone think to ask why the hoods were removed?

And too much is being said about the use of the hood as a protector for the front of the lens. That is NOT its intended purpose. It may have some value in that regard but is much more valuable as a tool to keep extraneous light from striking the front of the lens and causing lens flair. That is what it was designed for.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

CHOLLY wrote:

ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE.

I know a guy who ran a camera shop for 30 years after being a pro for 12 who says UV filters are BUNK. A RIPOFF.

And since I KNOW him personally, I actually BELIEVE what HE has to say. ;)

Yep, anecdotal evidence for me and for you.
But for wj its first hand experience.

Your raving here is anecdotal opinion.
But you keep getting your knickers in a twist about it if you like, we don't really care.

And yep, keep them capital letters rolling through.
Its a really interesting study in psychology and how the mind works sometimes.
Its akin to those blowhards that try to win an argument by bullying and standing over people and raising their voice.

The thing is, I know that if I have a protective piece of glass on the front of my lens at all times, that the front element of my lenses will be in better condition in five years time, than if I don't do it.
And the only study that I have seen to actually test for the IQ in these circumstances, proved that if the filter/glass quality is good, then any detrimental effect on the image is non-existent.

Lets see how that bunches your panties up.

nekon Loc: Carterton, New Zealand

lighthouse wrote:

Yep, anecdotal evidence for me and for you. br Bu... (show quote)

Crap! Some of you will never learn, because you read the wrong people-instead of Brian Peterson-read Moose Peterson,and Tom Ang , Rick Sammon- (People who know what they are talking/writing about) by the way, your panties are bunched up more than anyone else's.Putting a uv filter on your lens for protection, is like wearing two condoms at a time, which is just as stupid!