[nandadevieast]

Hi guys

I recently bought these 2 lenses and tried putting 67/72 mm Hoya HMC filters on them.

Well, I noticed that the front element of these lenses is not so recessed and it could almost be touching the filter glass. Hard to judge but very likely.

Any of you have experience with these lenses...which filters to get? Are these slim filters going to work?

Thanks

Anurag

[dave9t5]

Don't have answers for you but this article might:

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/10/...ad-filters

[JJ_SO]

I use filters only if I need them - polarizer or ND filter. "Protection"-filters in my eyes are useles. The only protection of them is for the filter thread of the lens which would get damaged if the lens falls on a hard floor. And for that I can use a filter ring without glass in it. But if something hits the lens on it's frontside directly, the filter gets damaged and scratch the front lens probably, too.

 

I don't use protection filters on my eye-glasses and those are in heavier use than my lenses usually are.

 

The slimline filters are made for wide-angle lenses with less than 30mm focal length to avoid vignetting. It's hard to tell in general if those are not touching the front lens, but since these versions are a bit more expensive, I suppose they are better designed. It's easy to measure with a caliper: If the distance from the backside of the filter ring to the filter's glass surface is shorter than the length of the thread, it could touch the front lens - but doesn't have to.

 

The danger of getting the front lens getting scratched by a badly designed filter is real. Roger Cigalla once posted some occasions, but I couldn't find the article

 

*Edit: Thank you, dave 9t5, that was the one I was looking for.*

 

Instead I measured some of my filters. The expensive 77mm all would not scratch the front lens, if if isn't higher than the filter thread. The older, cheaper Hoya and Vivitar color filters could do some harm, if the front lens is going very far and coming close to the red dot line

 



But I didn't find a lens which was so close to the red dot line.

[dave9t5]

 

 

*Edit: Thank you, dave 9t5, that was the one I was looking for.*

 

Instead I measured some of my filters. The expensive 77mm all would not scratch the front lens, if if isn't higher than the filter thread. The older, cheaper Hoya and Vivitar color filters could do some harm, if the front lens is going very far and coming close to the red dot line

 



But I didn't find a lens which was so close to the red dot line.

 

Cheers, glad I could find it for you.

 

The slim line filters fix one problem (wide angle vignetting) at the expense of another by having the glass so close to the front element.

 

For 35mm and 135mm lenses, they probably don't need slim line filters. 

 

I also gave up on protective filters a while ago.  The main issue was they introduced flare and haze and occasionally get stuck.   A good hood will offer more protection.

 

But if you are shooting in really adverse weather or environments then that's a different story and a protective filter might help.

[JJ_SO]

It's not the front glass getting the most water, I think it's the upper side of the lens. So, some umbrella protection might do the trick as well.

 

Or for instance shooting a color run: Again, it's not coming the dust through the front side but all of the small little gaps a lens has to have. Okay, a sandstorm is a different story, but what can one see in a sandstorm except lots of sand?

 

Here's another post from Roger about "front element scratches" and I believe, we amateurs are just a bit to paranoid about them.

[Guest]

It's not scratching and gross damage I use (good quality) protective filters for. It's to be able to clean the front of the lens with impunity.

 

My spectacles become badly hazy within about 9 months, even with anti scratch filter. It's because they need constant cleaning, and I'm not always 100% careful, even though it's mainly done with microfibers. It's not big scratches, it's little ones and bits of oily muck that create veiling flare. A big scratch on the front element of a lens may have little impact on the results: but a pattern of mild damage from cleaning can be worse.

 

Of course lots of you are plenty careful enough not to cause damage when cleaning, and to prevent dirt in the first case.

 

But I often find smears, dribbles, and god knows what on the front filters on my hard used lenses. And it's good to be able to give it a breath and a rub with a microfiber, and know that the worst case is that after a year or two or more I have to replace the filter.

 

Of course if you are happy to always carefully use a blower and a lens pen and some ROR and a perfectly clean microfiber or whatever you'll be fine with no filter. But I find it reduces the hassle.

[nandadevieast]

Joju, dave, dbm...thanks for your reply.

Joju, it could be that the small scatches on the front element wont harm, but they sure look bad. Oily smudges are like soft focus layer on the lens.

I had a RX100 some time back and i managed to scratch it in the beginning itself. It didnt matter for the images but i used to look at it sometimes with a little worry

I agree with dbm's post about peace of mind and the fact that you can ruthlessly clean it when you ha e a filter on it. In routine usage, my front element gets nasty fingerprints/smudges/oily stuff on it...and it doesnt go easily...and the fact that its dusty here.

I am sure someone has these lenses here. Brightcolors? I will try to accurately measure the distance as suggested by Joju.

By the way, Canon suggests using the protective filters.

[Brightcolours]

Canon lenses for your Nikon? :o

 

I never use "protective filters". Cleaning front elements is super easy, with a soft brush, a soft micro fiber lens cloth and a tiny bit of lena cleaning fluid. Oily smudges are gone within a wipe. You have to clean filters as much or even more often anyway.

I do not like the idea of protecting anything with thin slabs of easily breakable glass.. I have dropped my 70-200mm often enough that if I were using "protective filters" the lens would have been scratched from shards of broken "protective filter" glass. None of my lenses have any scratches.... 

 

Use protective filters when the situation is especially hazardous (motorcross? heavy sea spray? Windy day at a fine sand beach?), and then use CHEAP ones which you won't mind getting damaged.

 

Like others said, slim filters are not needed for most lenses.

 

The scratches caused by them in the above article will impact resale value pretty heavily. 

[JJ_SO]

If it's for the peace of soul, there's no argument against, I believe. It's something like self-fullfilling prophecies: When I believe something could happen the probability increases.

 

I was about to say "with filters, photodealers are making serious profit" but then I think I also like to earn enough money, so what's wrong about that? After all, dealers are no enemies. And of course if we go and shop filters, what will be our scale to get "good ones"? The price, of course.

 

Btw. I didn't realise you're based in Mumbai, Anurag, I guess the air contains a certain amount of dust/sand from time to time. In that case I need to say my advice of no filter was meant for the situation I live and travel in which is Europe. If I'd go to Africa, I would also consider getting some protection glass, but it's another question if I'd use it or if I found one for the bulbous 14-24 of Nikon. I'm used to handle it with care and it's easier to handle every lens with care instead of thinking about "which one is on?"

[nandadevieast]

Thanks guys.

Joju Mumbai is dusty and super humid. Fungus is a reality here.

BC, I sold my D800, wasn't happy with it. Have a 6D with these 2 lenses and can't be happier. Life is simple right now.