I needed a filter to stick on the new lens to help protect it. I had no intention of spending crazy money so looked at the Hoya Pro1D UV filter available for around £35 online. When searching I also came across anothr brand - Kenko - and the name (Pro1D) and features (DMC, Knurling Edge Frame, Low Profile Frame, etc) are identical to the Hoya ones.

A bit of research later and it turns out (AFAIK) that Kenko are simply Hoya filters rebranded and sold in Japan only. I bought one through an importer (Microglobe) for a tenner!

Link

If it turns out to be the same as the Hoya Pro1D then a CPL will be heading my way too me thinks!

I've stopped wasting money on extra bits of glass on the front of my lenses. There is an argument that, no matter the coatings added, you increase the risk of reflections and flares.

I find a lens hood offers adequate knock protection, and I always replace the lens cap if I'm done. Anything that will damage a filter will most likely also damage the lens front element it's supposed to be protecting.



I still have a "daylight/UV" filter on my 10-20mm w'angle. That piece of glass cost almost a quarter the price of the whole lens.

Yeah the RRP on the Hoya branded one is around a quater of the cost of the lens it's protecting. (not that I paid RRP for either the lens or the filter!)

I do agree with most of this hence why I looked for (although not a top brand) a high enough quality and the Hoya Pro range seemed to fit the bill well enough. What it offers me rather than protection from being dropped is that when I need to clean I'm only ever wiping the filter rather than the lens. I figure if I did accidentally scratch some grit over it or use unsuitable chemicals then I'm only ever going to wreck a few quids worth of filter.

If the marketing blurb is to be believed the DMC, BAF and BRG are specifically to reduce reflections and flare. How this works in reality I'll have to wait and see. http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/pro1d-01.html

That's a good reason. Don't forget, though, that lens manufacturers don't make the front element so it's easily damaged. If you're careful - as you should be - when using and cleaning your gear all should be well without the protection.

Still, it's just my opinion. Everyone is welcome to spend their money any way they see fit.

Having had the front elements chipped on both the Sony EX-1 HD cams at work (stones from a passing car I'm told), I'd whole-heartedly endorse putting a UV on the front of the lens; just buy one with the lens.
Doesn't matter how expensive they are, they're almost certainly cheaper than the lens they're protecting.

Hoya filters are very good, especially the Pro series. I've only noticed flare using my CPL, but that's when I'm doing daft things with the angle of the sun and myself.

I'd also suggest that having seen the difference in manufacture quality between my Hoya Pro and a Jessops equivalent, you do get what you pay for. Even more so with a CPL.

I've got a cheap Hoya (the green packaging one) CPL and it's OK but not brilliant. Now I know I can get Hoya Pro1D for a lot less (Kenko) I think I shall be picking one up for each zoom (62 & 67mm threads) to take on holiday. Not fussed about getting one for the 50mm prime which already has a Sigma UV filter on too.

But the front element is easily replaced as a repair in many cases. Unless you're using tiny apertures for huge depth of field, most chips and scratches on the front element won't even show most of the time.

This is one of those arguments that can roll on and on! I guess the answer is do what you think best.

For the instance of the video cameras I mentioned, we're looking down a bill of about £600 a piece, and them being returned to Sony to have the entire lens off and replaced.
And yes, the chips, small as they are, do show up on the final image. Of course, this is a video lens, so it's slightly different.

For a service of one of my Minolta manual primes, I was charged £25, for a disassembly and clean. I'd expect that to easily double for an AF lens, and then the cost of a new front element... I'm gonna say a UV filter is the cheaper option!

There's a test of UV filters here along with a follow up article here.

Looking at the results, if you use a filter in conditions that are likely to cause flare then you should take great care with your choice of filter.

An interesting counter-point to my own thoughts about having a filter - Heather'll like this - http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2011/05/keep-your-lenses-clean-dont-keep.html

Thanks, Alex.

I'm not trying to be evangelical about whether you should get a filter or not. It's just I read and listen to all kinds of opinions, and the majority of the pros now reckon you're better off without. If you're happier buying a filter, then go ahead. There are often reasons to do so - debris or abrasive material flying about, for example.

The only filter I still leave on a lens is the 70mm monster on my Sigma 10-20mm wide angle. I feel duty bound to leave it on there, because it cost nearly a ton and Best Beloved bought it for me. Bear in mind the lens cost £450 - that's a significant proportion of the lens cost just on a bit of optically flat glass in a metal ring which doesn't perhaps do anything to enhance my photography.

I'm also a cheapskate. The cost of the lens alone is enough for me in most cases!

I'm a cheapskate and also try to take care of my kit, therefore I would be very unlikely to buy an additional filter for protection only. However the two main lenses I use both came with filters and these have been attached permanently.

True, but on my first day of use, I stumbled and dabbed a big finger print on the lens, when trying to put the cap back on... And that was with the hood on the lens (in fact, the hood makes putting the lens cap on more tricky.

There'd have still been a big fingerprint on the filter. I don't see the difference: they'd both need to be cleaned off.

The filter costs less than a tenth of the cost of a new lens, so if I screw up and scratch it, it isn't so bad... I'm still unsure about a filter though.

I have just ordered the Amazon Basics lens brush and a Hama "Blasebalge" (bellows).