That is a frequent question and everyone answers that personally. UV-filters come from film photography. Film had decreased sensitivity in the near UV. You saw this mainly when photographing distant landscapes on sunny days. The filter helped a little to increase the distant detail. Today's sensors block the UV so an added filter is not necessary.

As for protecting the lens, it may help sometimes. And sometimes the bump may go all the way through to the lens. A priori, you just do not know. I prefer the lens hood because it protects the lens for a greater distance while also blocking any extraneous light. Rather than having your lens bump into something, the lens hood does.


If you opt for the filter solution, then buy a clear one if it is cheaper.

In the end, like everyone else, you will decide which one you prefer.

In the last 2 or 3 weeks I have read here on the Hog of at least 6 broken cameras/lenses. Some leaped to their death, still others drowned themselves! :lol:
Strangely, in none of those cases did I EVER hear the word STRAP mentioned.
I know many pros say they don't use a strap, for whatever reasons. Maybe it's just a COOLNESS factor, or maybe it actually has a purpose. Some use a wrist-strap, while others strap themselves into a 4 point harness(NASCAR style) and hang a camera from it.
This is not so much about the favorite strap you use, but why you use that strap at all. I assume that in the case of these recently broken cameras, NO strap was being used since it was never mentioned?

So, do you use a strap because you truly believe it will save your camera/lens, or it actually has? Or is the first thing you do is throw the strap away cause it just gets in the way?
Are straps just for beginners that don't know any better or just want to advertise?? :lol:
What about the times your camera has actually hit the ground? Strap or strapless??

I say if your camera is NOT tethered to you in some way, it WILL eventually hit the ground! It's not a matter of how, but WHEN!!
Hogs, what say you???????

Bob, I found 3 fee paid instructors in the Austin area to supplement my efforts to succeed in developing skills quickly with dslr photography, post processing and print production. On top of that I subscribed to Lynda.com and KelbyOne for video lessons and tutorials. It's also hard to count the books I have purchased and read. Plus all the questions I had posed here on UHH. Then I went out and made more than 10,000 photographs. Today I am confident with what I can do with a camera and how I can produce a final product. All methods helped but the one-on-one tutoring paid off in a big way. Professional photographers and teachers from a local college or university are your best bets, in my opinion. I'm 71 and I felt like I was short on time. Good luck.

Based on my experience with Photoshop and not using it daily is it is so complex that you forget the complex things you learn. What I do is when I want to do something specific I search for tutorials on the subject. I prefer videos. There are hundreds if not thousands available for free. Then I bookmark the best ones. That way in a few months when I want to apply a specific technique again and can't remember all the steps I can go back and look at them again.

I agree that one on one instruction is the best but it is usually expensive from a pro. Finding a college student who wants to earn a few bucks would be cheaper. Doing so would probably be a good thing for learning the basic things you use almost every time you use Photoshop but if you're like me you will forget how to do the complex things you only do occasionally and unless you also take great notes then you will have wasted time and money.

Here is an example. I don't do a lot of masking but when I do I use a few simple techniques I have learned and remember. Occasionally I need to do some more complex masking involving hair so I refer back to this video because I don't use the techniques described often enough to have learned and mastered them. http://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/advance-hair-masking/ These techniques can also be applied to masking tree, bushes and other complex subjects.