KankRat wrote:
Interesting. The Sigma is a bit out of the budget at almost $300 clams.
I have some K&F ND filters and they seem pretty good, but I don't own anything to compare. A friend let me try out his 300 PF which had a regular Nikon NC filter on it. I could not tell any difference with the filter on or off. Like ZERO.
That's what I am leaning towards.
Just for kicks, I'm half tempted to pick up the cheapest filter K&F makes and see just how bad it actually is.
I did have a crappy Tiffen or something filter from the provider on the 200-600 and it really was no good. Ultra wides and long teles seem to be more affected than normal lenses.
RoamingScott wrote:
A story of one incident is called anecdotal evidence. You packed your lenses element down and some cheap glass broke on impact. There are no larger conclusions to draw, nor any way to know what would have happened had the filters NOT been installed.
Now both of you kiss and move on.
there might be a million lenses out there that survived without a filter, but I bet there is a half a million that the front element would be in a whole lot better condition were there. :-)
I am not a beginner and have been shooting long enough to know whether or not I might want to put a filter on. I was hoping to avoid unsolicited advice on whether or not they are necessary. Thought I was clear with my wording and the question was pretty specific, in that it was intended for people that have experience using them. The idea of avoiding a debate (more like bickering) that would clutter up the thread. Admittedly those are pretty high expectations for the internet.
Treat protective filters like seat belts. When I am hurtling down the freeway surrounded by drivers of unknown skill, a seat belt might come in handy if I have an incident. Similarly, if I am shooting in an environment with blowing sand, salt spray or an industrial shoot with metal bits flying around, I screw on a protective filter of the highest grade my wallet can withstand.
If I move my car out of the garage to the driveway to give it a wash, I don't bother with my seatbelt. When I am shooting in the studio under controlled situations with no debris to be concerned with or a night shoot where internal reflections off the filter surface may add artifacts, then I leave the filter off.
The filter/no filter debate is not black and white, it is nuanced and depends on the environmental circumstances.
KankRat wrote: there might be a million lenses out there that survived without a filter, but I bet there is a half a million that the front element would be in a whole lot better condition were there. :-)
I am not a beginner and have been shooting long enough to know whether or not I might want to put a filter on. I was hoping to avoid unsolicited advice on whether or not they are necessary. Thought I was clear with my wording and the question was pretty specific, in that it was intended for people that have experience using them. The idea of avoiding a debate (more like bickering) that would clutter up the thread. Admittedly those are pretty high expectations for the internet. ...Show more →
Glad you figured that when you post a specific question on the internet you will get numerous replies that stray off your specific topic.
Your I bet there is a half a million that the front element would be in a whole lot better condition were there. also would include the use of lens caps and lens hoods.
Apart from varying degrees of loss of image clarity, there have been many verified cases just on this site that protective filters have negatively affected auto-focus. They remove their protective filters and voila! their AF improves.
The number one cause of damage to filters and/or the front elements is due to clumsy photographers dropping their gear.
AI Overview
Camera Lens Filters: A Beginner's Guide - 42West, Adorama
Using camera filters can degrade image quality by adding blur, flare, or ghosting, especially with cheap filters or wide-angle lenses, potentially creating unrealistic images or fostering poor self-image; they add cost and complexity, and while intended for protection, they might sometimes cause more damage than they prevent. Cheap glass disrupts lens design, increasing flare and reducing sharpness, while digital filters can distort reality and lead to negative self-perception.
KankRat wrote:
O.P. here. My question was not intended to start a debate on whether or not to use protective filters. I am not looking for an opinion on that, as it's been argued (generally with no physical examples)- ad nauseum on the web and elsewhere for decades.
Again, primarily looking for those that use them - what brands.
I travel to JP often. The Nikon NC filters are stupid cheap in JP. You used to be able to order them from Amazon JP but: 1) shipping charges (ex JP) are astronomical now, and 2) that pain may be compounded if you live in the US.
Braindrain232 wrote:
I travel to JP often. The Nikon NC filters are stupid cheap in JP. You used to be able to order them from Amazon JP but: 1) shipping charges (ex JP) are astronomical now, and 2) that pain may be compounded if you live in the US.
KankRat wrote: there might be a million lenses out there that survived without a filter, but I bet there is a half a million that the front element would be in a whole lot better condition were there. :-)
there might be a million images out there that were not visibly compromised by a filter, but I bet there is a half a million that show soft focus, reflections, slightly sharper dust on the more distant filter. :-
Imagemaster wrote:
Look at the threads where you can't see the photos because they were too blurry to post due to protective filters negatively affecting the auto-focus.
Maybe one should not use basement bargain filters.
I’ve never had issues with AF using my protective filters.
KankRat wrote:
Don't encourage it. They live for this sort of engagement, and it lives off getting a rise in people. If you ignore it enough, it may go away.
there might be a million lenses out there that survived without a filter, but I bet there is a half a million that the front element would be in a whole lot better condition were there. :-)
