Topic: Effect of multi-coated filters

[Harvey]

Bear with me on this one and if I'm being a muppet just give me a virtual pat on the head and I'll go quietly

I'm guessing a lot of us use older lenses which are single-coated and therefore 'comparatively' lower contrast than newer multi-coated versions.
So, what effect does adding a multi-coated filter, say skylight or UV as I use these as lens protectors anyway, to a single coated lens have? I'm guessing it will have some effect just because it's there but will it actually noticeably improve image contrast/quality?

Thanks

Harvey

[Francois]

That's a really good question...
On one side, I know it can't be bad... but my question is about how good it is?
Is it worth the extra or not...

I know a good lens hood on non coated lenses works fine and is always recommended. Thing is the lower contrast on these optics is mostly when shooting into the light...
I also know the contrast reduction comes to some extent from the light bouncing inside the lenses themselves.
Now, how are lenses coated... individually or as a cemented group? Is it only the first lens or are they all coated before assembly? I know how the coating machines work but apart from that, I really don't know.

[Harvey]

Thanks Francois,
I'm relieved it wasn't a stupid question and I guess if you don't know the answer it's probably not worth worrying about!

Harvey

[Francois]

Well you know, I don't know it all... and I don't believe anyone would have gone through the trouble of doing extensive testing on this one. For one, it would be a complicated test to conduct. You'd need two identical lenses with one having uncoated surfaces. Similar shooting conditions and a side by side blind test with a control... hard to do for something I feel is quite trivial.