so the L lenses claim that without a filter they aren’t necessarily weather resistant, but dont actually come with one
heard arguments to say that sticking even more glass in front of the lens doesn’t do any favours for pic quality etc but i’m guessing its better to knacker a filter than the expensive lens behind it
anyway, what filters do you lot use regularly and what quality should i be looking at to not be losing out much on the L lens quality? i picked up some Hoya ones (G class UV filter and a polarising one) for the pentax but they were the 67mm (i think). there are some 77mm ones that are dramatically more expensive. are the ‘G’ ones good enough or should i be wincing again as the wallet comes out?
For next season I will be investing in some UV type simply to protect the lenses for LB shoots as the kit takes a beating and you are right that it’s best to scratch or crack a filter rather than the front element. They won’t be dead expensive ones, probably Hoya, as ultimate picture quality isn’t important for LB.
When I’m shooting something where ultimate quality is important, like a landscape for example, I’ll just remove the filter and shoot it ‘naked’ ;-p
Polarisers are the only filter I currently use although for serious filter use I’d be buying Lee Filters or B+W ones as they are about as good as it gets.
But slapping a £30 Hoya filter on the lens will reduce the lens you are using to the optical quality of that filter. All the L series lens can do is faithfully reproduce the image after it’s passed through the filter.
I don’t know how much Canon UVs and Skylights are, might be worth looking at those if you are paranoid.
Always worth keeping a UV filter on any lenses as mentioned above it’s cheaper than a new lens. I also remove them when I need optimal quality but most of the time it’s safer for me to keep them on.
