A UV lens filter acts as a protective filter that weatherproofs camera lenses by shielding the front element of your lens from dust and other nasties. So, if you shoot outdoors, this filter will prove invaluable. The filter can block sand, grit or other particles in the air from getting near your lens. This is especially so if your lens filter has a multi-resistant coating.
A UV lens filter also offers protection in windy conditions. It acts as a buffer, keeping wind-borne substances such as sea spray, grit or sand from going near your lens. Some people believe that using lens filters negatively affects image quality, but it really depends on the quality of the lens filter.
For this reason, you can keep a UV filter on your lens permanently. You may see a reduction in image quality if you decide to stack multiple lens filters onto your lens, because light is passing through extra layers of glass.
If you use an old-school film camera, a UV lens filter will block out UV light from the film, especially useful when using film stock that might be particularly sensitive to UV light.
Modern digital cameras typically post have an inbuilt sensor that automatically keeps UV light at bay. However, even photographers using modern cameras note that a UV filter can still reduce haze and sharpen an image.
It can also help to boost contrast on overcast days or shooting when shadows are present. But most importantly, a UV filter will protect your lens, making them invaluable even for use on digital equipment.
These pieces of glass will often cost a pretty penny, but the multitude of benefits is definitely something worth investing in. In general a multi-coated filter is more effective in reducing reflection than a mono-coated filter, which in turn is certainly better than a non-coated filter. Although modern digital cameras can often effectively block out most UV light straight out of the box, a UV filter can help to remove the blue cast you sometimes get when shooting in extremely bright conditions without necessarily diluting the image with the warm orange tones produced by skylight filters.
Lovers of wide angle lenses ought to look into premium UV filters as high quality is vital in getting an even effect across an entire image. You should also remember to remove your UV protective filter when using special film formulated to be sensitive to UV light. Some people prefer a lens hood to a filter, check out this useful guide to lens hoods versus UV filters to find out more.
There are compelling reasons to use a UV filter in lieu of a plain lens protection filter including the optical benefits, lessening the amount of kit you need to take with you and generally having the peace of mind knowing that your lens is less likely to get scratched up or dusty. That is the only remaining reason for such a filter and that is why many filters are now called protection filters. But this extra glass can turn against you, so be aware. For example, I once jumped over a ditch and fell.
This small accident made it impossible to place a filter or filter holder. Imagine what could have happened if I had a UV filter or protection filter installed. In that case the filter itself would have taken the hit, and I am sure it would have bended, just like the filter threat did in my case.
Perhaps it would have become impossible to loosen the filter ring due to the damaged filter threat, and I am convinced the filter would have been shattered, with the risk of scratches on the front glass element by sharp broken glass pieces.
And in my case I believe there would have been even more damage when a filter was installed, rendering the lens useless. There are more situations where I find a filter unwanted. Most of the times a protective filter is significantly less in quality than your expensive lens with its high-quality coatings. Often that small piece of glass increases the risk of flares.
Especially when shooting sunrises or sunsets, flare can arise more easily with a filter. But also street lights at night can increase the amount of flaring when a filter is placed. In the worst-case scenario it even can counteract for all the anti-flare coatings of an expensive lens. It is like the weakest link in a chain. There is another drawback to filters. When you like photographing for an extended amount of time at night, like star trails, condensation can occur much sooner with a filter in front of the lens.
Condensation originates when the temperature of your lens drops below the dew point. Since a lens has a lot of mass, it takes a while before it is cooled down. But a small filter will cool down a lot quicker. I have seen condensation occur on a lens with a filter within five minutes, while the lens of another camera next to it could continue to shoot without filter for three quarters of an hour before it was cold enough for condense to form.
I made the time-lapse below to show how condensation can form while shooting images for a star trail. Should you completely avoid using protective filters or UV filters? Perhaps not. Some lenses are only water resistant when a filter is placed. Especially those lenses that move inside the barrel when focusing require a filter to protect it from water.
But it can also protect your precious lens when photographing on the beach with strong wind. The grains of sand have the tendency to sand blast the front glass element, making a matte glass out of it, rendering the lens completely useless. And of course it is much easier to clean when it gets dirty, just by removing the filter. There is another good use for a UV filter. You can use it for making a DIY soft focus filter. Just try it out. Just remove it when it is not necessary.
Do you have a filter on your lenses, and is there a special reason for it? Please let me know below in the comments. Nando Harmsen is a Dutch photographer that is specialized in wedding and landscape photography. With his roots in the analog photo age he gained an extensive knowledge about photography techniques and equipment, and shares this through his personal blog and many workshops.
Check out the Fstoppers Store for in-depth tutorials from some of the best instructors in the business. I haven't noticed any degradation in IQ from using them and I figure that they're a bit of extra protection for my lenses. Sure, you can have a freak accident where the filter shatters and scratches the front element, but I figure that most drops that would shatter the filter even with my lens hood on would probably also damage an unprotected front element anyway so it's the same result either way.
I might take it off if I'm going into a shooting situation where I know that flare is very likely to be an issue, but that's about the only time a filter is off the lens. I too have filters on all my expensive glass, but only good and expensive ones I take them off only to put a polarizer or ND or cleaning of course. Even beyond image quality, cheap CPLs usual rattle and don't spin particularly smoothly. I do buy cheap UV filters for expensive glass to use as protection while I'm just playing around and shooting photos I frankly don't care much about.
But I don't mess with cheap CPLs. I use a filter system, so just one polarizer for all lenses.. I don't understand why you shoot through cheap UV filters. If you don't care for those photos, why shooting them in the first place? Practicing genres or types of photography I'm not familiar with. Snapshots for posterity's sake. Low light handheld shooting where filter quality is the least of my IQ concerns. If I think there's a chance at making an image good enough that a filter will be the limiting factor I'm happy to take it off but IMO the differences in image quality are pretty subtle and essentially negligible after color grading and being viewed on a small screen.
Have on occasion cleaned with shirt when I've had to Try to avoid it. Have yet to scratch a lens, the front elements are resilient as all get out. That being said I have with scratches bought that way , no impact to image. Could careless, if it works it works.
When photographing a wedding I also loose my caps. Never had any problem whatsoever. Still, when storing lenses I do want a lens cap on it. I'm always searching pockets on my jackets for lens caps. Keeping a lens cap on is just an old habit. I totally disagree. It is to the point wherein I will not buy a lens unless it has a metal filter thread on the front. I live in the American West at high altitude and I have not seen one digital camera that did not benefit from using an aggressive UV filter, such at a Further, all you have to do is see the windshield of my jeep to see how much misery is flying around in the wind that will pit your beautiful lens to tears.
The sad truth is that people often buy cheap filters for expensive optics, when just the opposite should be the case. There are huge quality differences in lens filters in both the mechanics of the filter and its optical properties. For the most part, price certainly is an indication of performance. And shall I mention monochrome photographyeither digital or with film? Both require contrast filters.
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