Topic: Uv or Skylight filters?

[astrobeck]

Hi all!
Since I've stashed away my blurry cameras and am concentrating on sharp glass for the summer, I'm wondering about which filters you prefer or lean toward using?
I've dug out my Nikon glass and have 'borrowed" a skylight filter from one of my Ricohs. My husband has an old UV haze on his F2, so am wondering if there is a preference between the two? Seems the skylight adds a bit of warmth.
I use a deep yellow for some black and white, but am thinking color for summer!

[Francois]

Yeah, the skylight does add a bit of warmth. It was originally designed for slide film which would give a bit too much blue on clear sky days.
But I find that when using negative film, the print calibration step pretty much levels the effect.
I have an UV on my usual lens and a skylight on another and while I can see the very subtle difference through the viewfinder, I find it even more subtle on the prints; to the point where I sometimes can't tell them apart.

I feel like they are more useful as glass protectors than anything else.

Leica did a comparison and at very high magnification, without the filter is sharper... but we're talking Leica standards so I guess it really doesn't count for most of us 

[Kai-san]

I actually keep a UV filter on all my lenses, mostly for protection against fingerprints and other contamination. I reckon it's better to submit a filter to abrasion due to repated cleaning than to the front glass of the lens and its coating (if any). With an old Nikon lens the best filter to match is the Nikon L37c which is rated among the best you can get.

[Pete_R]

I reckon lens designers didn't design lenses with filters attached so I don't use them unless it's for a specific purpose.

[Francois]

Mine are just there because I suck at cleaning lenses without leaving a bunch of streaks 

[EarlJam]

Leica did a comparison and at very high magnification, without the filter is sharper... but we're talking Leica standards so I guess it really doesn't count for most of us 

I keep clear filters on my Leica lenses for protection: I can't afford to/likely wouldn't replace them if damaged; and carry the camera, when not in use, with the lens against my body to prevent pinholes, something I learned to do with the Exakta I shot with back when the earth was cooling. For the various other lenses I've owned - Pentax, Canon, Nikon - I never bothered with filters unless it was red or yellow with B&W film.

[Pete_R]

For protection against knocks etc. a lens hood probably does a better job than a filter. Carrying a camera with lens inward as EarlJam said is another way and something I always do. If you're concerned about the cost of replacing a lens if it becomes damaged, get insurance. You may already have it as part of some other insurance like house contents insurance. But in 50 years of photography, I've only damaged one lens and no filter was ever going to save that.
As for preventing the need for cleaning, most lenses don't need frequent cleaning. A blast of air is all that's required. A bit of dust on a lens is likely to have less effect on the result than the filter you put there to stop it. And, if you do need to clean a lens, with the correct materials and cleaning fluids, it should have no lasting effect on the lens.
I wonder how many people who habitually put protection filters on their camera lenses fail to do so for their most valuable lenses - their eyes.

[Kai-san]

I wear glasses that gets dark in sunlight, and I always use lens hoods. Yesterday i went for a 3 hour hike in rough terrain, and I had to pass through dense woodland. There is always a chance of a branch hitting the lens in such situations even if you're careful. And how do you carry a camera with a long telephoto lens turned against your body?

[Pete_R]

And how do you carry a camera with a long telephoto lens turned against your body?

With it turned in.

[Kai-san]

Try that with a Mamiya RB67 or a Hasselblad 501 with a 70mm back.

[Francois]

As for preventing the need for cleaning, most lenses don't need frequent cleaning. A blast of air is all that's required. A bit of dust on a lens is likely to have less effect on the result than the filter you put there to stop it. And, if you do need to clean a lens, with the correct materials and cleaning fluids, it should have no lasting effect on the lens.

That works well for dust, not oily fingers that invariably manage to find their way to the front element.
For cleaning filters, the best results I've ever had involved dish washing liquid. I've got some good lens liquid cleaning liquid from the camera store and a few boxes of delicate surface kimwipes, but even with that my stubborn oily finger traces just stay there. But I must say I've got the type of finger sweat that liquefies a lot of printing inks, especially the ones used for printing magazines.

[Sandeha Lynch]

I had a couple of UV/skylight filters in the '80s, but was immediately struck by the possibility of image degradation. For lens protection I have quite a few 'empty' filter rings which are good for extending the metalwork, a bit like a car fender.

One other bad habit I tried out (and quite liked) was a Nat Geo suggestion of using a Polariser and a Warm-up filter together! But really, only if you want summer shots to look like autumn.

[Francois]

Never heard of that Nat Geo trick. But I guess it doesn't take much correction to simply become too much.

[Sandeha Lynch]

Not strictly an NG technique, that's just my little joke, but I spotted it in a book by Bob Krist (https://bobkrist.com/) years ago and he had worked with them. Tbh, I started to see all their photography as if lit through the two filters, at least any time it wasn't already 'golden hour'.

[Pete_R]

That works well for dust, not oily fingers that invariably manage to find their way to the front element.

There's a simple solution for finger marks - stop putting your fingers on the lens.

[Pete_R]

One other bad habit I tried out (and quite liked) was a Nat Geo suggestion of using a Polariser and a Warm-up filter together! But really, only if you want summer shots to look like autumn.

You used to be able to buy a warm polariser (probably called something else) that was a combination of the two filters in one. Think I only ever saw them advertised in US magazines though.

[Francois]

That works well for dust, not oily fingers that invariably manage to find their way to the front element.

There's a simple solution for finger marks - stop putting your fingers on the lens.

Tried that before but I'd have to wear mittens all year long for this to stop.