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Does adding protective glass or Polarized filter causes loss in Picture Quality?


trcns
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Sigma make a range of reportedly very strong Ceramic Protector filters. I have one on my Batis 25, after the original Zeiss UV filter shattered on an impact, and scratched the lens element ... I decided to try something a little more robust.

 

Otherwise, the Zeiss UV filters are OK and the T* coating is fairly good.

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It really depends on how you're using the lens. I use Hoya HD filters, which are great but do add a little bit of flare if you're looking for it.

 

Personally I don't use them at all unless I know the front element is at risk. Eg I'm off to Venice soon and will keep a filter on for the boat journey from/to the airport because of the risk of spray, but otherwise won't bother. Likewise if I'm somewhere sandy (eg Egypt) I'll keep it on. For a to day protection, the hood will protect against knocks.

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Guest Jaf-Photo

The 2470GM is the general purpose lens, so you should get good filters for that one.

 

A protector filter is better than a UV filter. The protector is stronger and you don't need any additional UV filtration. The sensor does that for you.

 

If you take photos outdoors in strong sunlight, you'll find a CIR-PL and ND filter useful.

 

As to which brand, just avoid the cheapest ones. They will ruin IQ for sure. I've been using Hoya Pro filters for years and I find them to have a good price/performance ratio.

 

Don't buy them on eBay, there are a lot of fakes going there.

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  • 1 month later...

If you Google and examine some of the illustrations of color spaces that usually compare what the eye can see vs sRGB and adobeRGB you will notice that sensors are hard pressed to replicate green and blue. I agree that a polarizer can render a blue sky, for example, too blue sometimes. However, with practice one can achieve a nice sky while enhancing the clouds in a way that replicates what the eye can see. Also, I have noticed that using a polarizer to shoot landscapes with green foliage can bring your greens up to a level that looks nice. If you are shooting around water you get the added benefit of reducing unwanted reflections such that one can see through the water more like the human eye again. This allows a scenario where the water is more clear, and again comes closer to replicating what the eye can see.

 

An ND filter can be helpful in achieving slower shutter speeds for some pleasant effects that you might shoot for e.g. smoothing out moving water. A Big Stopper can allow long exposures in the neighborhood of two to five minutes.

 

These are just a few examples of how filters can be used to achieve results that can improve your landscapes.

 

A split ND can allow one to render a dark foreground and bright sky much better. Yes, one can use the split ND in post, but starting with a good exposure is preferable. Post can then be used to tweak your opinion of scene. You dodge the problem of decreasing your dark foreground areas by reducing shadows, and perhaps picking up some unwanted noise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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IMO unless you require some effect, be that use of a polarising filter or ND filters, I tend to fastidiously rely on using the lens hood.

Folks who throw the lens hood in the closet are welcome to their opinions and they have made them abundantly clear, however I pay attention to my lens usage and rely on the hood not only for protection unless I require some specific filter effect.

The reason I adhere to no unnecessary extra glass is that having extensively explored a back focus problem with a Canon 1D3 and several lenses but particularly with a Canon 24-70 Mk1 using a high end Hoya Pro Digital filter where no amount of MFAdjust resolved my problem, by eventually removing the filter, the problem disappeared.

For me hoods do what they are designed to do vis-a-vis extraneous light but are my choice for lens protection too. Clearly others here differ. 

I didn't buy expensive glass for my Sony A7rII to potentially degrade my images by using any extra glass - to protect the lens??? - Believe me my Loxia 21mm is very precious to me and why would I even consider potentially compromising what it can achieve by sticking another piece of glass in front of it, being a large outlay, I take care of it as I do my Batis 85, SZ 55mm and my little but lovely FE 28mm??

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If tests show problems with your filter, junk it 

and get a decent one. Lens hoods are often 

meaningless with modern lenses, especially 

cuz most users are zoom-addicted. But use 

a hood when it's needed. Test to find out. I'm 

downright amazed that my recently acquired 

high ratio zoom [10:1] is ridiculously resistant 

to flare, essentially immune to it. 10:1 zooms   

are not so petite and the hood added another 

50% to its overall length. I was verrrry happy 

to find the hood was 100% useless :-) I use a  

hoods on many of my legacy lenses, cuz the

benefit is clear. [Pun! chuckle here.]    

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If tests show problems with your filter, junk it 

and get a decent one. Lens hoods are often 

meaningless with modern lenses, especially 

cuz most users are zoom-addicted. But use 

a hood when it's needed. Test to find out. I'm 

downright amazed that my recently acquired 

high ratio zoom [10:1] is ridiculously resistant 

to flare, essentially immune to it. 10:1 zooms   

are not so petite and the hood added another 

50% to its overall length. I was verrrry happy 

to find the hood was 100% useless :-) I use a  

hoods on many of my legacy lenses, cuz the

benefit is clear. [Pun! chuckle here.]    

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