when I bought my camera and lenses (my first 'real' equiptment) a few months ago, the guy who sold it to me encouraged me to buy a UV filter for the lens. In fact, he insisted on it. No, it wouldn't make my photos sharper. No, it wouldn't help me nail the white balance of every shot. No, I couldn't use it like a GND filter or a polarizing filter. So what is it good for? "It'll help protect your lens" Yesterday, while wandering the cliffs and canyons of the red wall country with my brother, I slipped and my backpack bounced off a rock. A bit later I decided to change back to my wide-angle lens for some vista shots. when I picked it up, it rattled. My heart sank, my life ended, my trembling fingers removed the lens cover and shards of glass cascaded into my hand. But, the only thing that broke was the UV filter. It took the brunt of the blow and paid the price but the lens is fine. So I've learned, whatever else a UV filter does or doesn't do, they will help protect your lens. I'll never be without one on my lenses again.
There are those that claim UV filters diminish the colour quality of a digital image. Whether it is true or not, I suspect they don't get out of the studio a lot. While I have never had a UV break on me, they have saved the front element from a few scratches. Won't go into the bush without them.
When I dropped my 50-200 lens onto the pavement, the plastic lens cap just popped off and the UV filter still was destroyed while saving my lens. The cap provided no impact protection. They are worth every penny, but I do buy the expensive super multi-coated ones.
I put them on when shooting in salt spray or dust (actually volcanic ash) here in Alaska, and again on windy, dusty days in the Southwest. In both cases it's a matter of protecting the front lens element. Of course, they come of when the environment clears or I have reasons to switch to another filter.
I would think that if the lens cap was on and the filter broke there may have been enough jarring of the lens to mess up the alignment. A lens does not have to break to get damaged. I had a similar thing happen to me and I immediately sent the lens in for check and repair. 6 silly uses of the UV filter
Yes, I keep UV filters on all my lenses just because I get all kinds of gunk on them and have to clean them a lot. Of course, like Hank, they come off when I'm doing "serious" shooting, but then they go right back on.
Actually, you were very lucky that glass shards from the breaking filter did not cause serious damage to the front element of your lens. I agree with Brad: A serious shock may have damaged the lens internally; it should be checked.
In my opinion, the best way to protect a lens, other than preventing the lens from having an uncontrolled flight into terrain, is to have a good lens shade and a cap that fits the lens well.
I only use filters, of any kind, when I need them.
I've had exactly the opposite luck. My Nikon 80-400mm VR lens on tripod tipped over and landed "face down." The filter broke, and the shards deeply gouged the lens. I was out another time with a friend in Chicago and he dropped his lens "face" down onto the sidewalk instead of into his pocket. The filter broke, scratching the heck out of his lens. In both cases, if we had the tough plastic lens cap on, no damage would have happened. I always use the lens hood too, as it deflects trouble in the first place, or will absorb a lot of the impact as it breaks. I do NOT trust something as flimsy as a thin piece of glass to protect a lens with one exception. Around waterfalls I sometimes use one to keep the gritty spray off the lens. Then again, when shooting waterfalls I have a polarizer on anyway. I quit using filters for "protection" that day nine years ago, when one destroyed my lens. I shoot almost daily, in all the conditions the outdoors here can bring. None of my lenses have a single mark on them. I once calculated that for me to put a quality coated filter on each lens, it would cost me more than a repair. So, my suggestion to all is to get into the habit of replacing that tough nearly bullet proof plastic lens cap on your lens when not taking a shot. It's the surest protection there is.
On the subject of mis-alignment following hard bangs, I've had it happen three times, and always on lightweight consumer-grade zooms. Twice it was 24-120's and once on an 18-200. My wife has managed it a couple of times too, both on the 18-200. In all cases it results in a failure to focus consistently. It might only happen one time in ten, but the lens won't focus, and quits "trying" to do it. A quick twist of the wrist to manual focus for that shot seems to restore the autofocus for subsequent shots. But year, it ultimately means a trip back to the Nikon repair facility.
Discussion
10 replies6 silly uses of the UV filter
Actually, you were very lucky that glass shards from the breaking filter did not cause serious damage to the front element of your lens. I agree with Brad: A serious shock may have damaged the lens internally; it should be checked.
In my opinion, the best way to protect a lens, other than preventing the lens from having an uncontrolled flight into terrain, is to have a good lens shade and a cap that fits the lens well.
I only use filters, of any kind, when I need them.
--P
Kent in SD