Protect Your Lens!

The lens is the part of your camera that you need to protect against scratches, impacts, dirt, and more. You can protect your lens using a lens hood and a UV filter. Choosing a lens hood is simple, but what about the UV filter? Which brands are good, and what do the more expensive UV filters offer, when they’re “just a piece of glass?”

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AuthorMajo Elias

I’ve been taking pictures since 2004. When I was starting out, I photographed almost everything. Later my style solidified and I began photographing people almost exclusively. At the moment my main genres are fashion and advertising.

Comments (3)

  1. A UV filter wasn’t to protect the LENS from harmful UV radiation but to counter a film’s extra sensitivity to UV radiation such that in colour transparencies, for example, distant scenic subjects would exhibit a bluish tint at high altitude and with b/w film a thin veil of fog. Digital sensors don’t, strictly, require UV radiation to be filtered as they do the job without the filter. Thus the word “protector” has come into vogue in better describing their main function with digital cameras today. This is my understanding.

    There is one point that you don’t raise, and from personal experience I can say is something that should be considered when deciding which UV (Protector) filter to purchase.

    In 2005, I purchased the Sony R1 and which was equipped with a superb Zeiss lens. The filter size is 67mm, so filters tend to be somewhat expensive from the top brands. So I thought I’d economise and bought a cheap one. When I was playing with the camera I was sitting at one end of my lounge and pointing the camera towards the far window to photograph some trees outside. I was very surprised to see a large degree of circular flare in the centre of the viewfinder. I took the filter off and it disappeared.

    It turned out the cheap shop-branded filter was not coated and the flare was caused by the rear of the filter reflecting the light hitting the front element of the lens back into the lens. I went back to the shop and returned the filter at the same time as ordering a B+W coated filter at over 4 1/2 times the price. But this worked, and didn’t cause any flare. Properly coated filters do work and are worth the extra.

    1. Thank you for your comment, Terry, it is very informative.

  2. Another important feature of the UV filter is to protect the lens thread from impact. Once the lens thread is damaged, it is very costly to repair. But a UV filter is cheaper to replace,

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