Lens Hood and UV Protection Filter?

[joesmithf1]

Hello,

Newbie here and i have a lot of questions, but i'll start with the basic. I just bought my Canon T1i Kit with the EF-S 18-55mm lens. Should I purchase a lens hood and an UV Protection Filter? Is it necessary? If so, here are my questions:

1. Lens Hood - is a round hood better or a 'flower' hood better?
2. Lens Hood - plastic or rubber?
3. Lens Hood - any specific brand that you would recommend?
4. UV Filter - Polarized or non-polarized?
5. UV Filter - what materials would you recommend? Glass, plastic, etc.?
6. UV Filter -What brand is best? I read a post that said some filter causes 'ghostly' picture, so wanted to know what you guys uses.
7. Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance!

Joe

 

[Olympus E300]

Regarding UV filters...I don't have a single lens that I don't have one on. I have four lenses right now in my gear box and each one is equipped with a UV filter. I don't take them off - they stay on. They provide your lens (glass) with protection from dirt and debris not to mention UV. Furthermore, you get what you pay for. Personally, I have been using Sigma multi-coated UV lenses and like them. I've been tempted to try Hoyas though. Just out of curiousity more than anything.

Get a quality UV lens, screw it in place and forget about it! Good luck!

 

[Shockey]

No and no.
Unless you plan on doing a lot of shooting into the sun you don't need a lens hood and for a cheapo kit lens you sure don't need a protection filter.
Some people think they need a hood to protect the lens, I can't begin to count the photos I have taken or the time I have spent with a camera in my hand and never, not once have I wished I had a lens hood on my camera when I did not.
I do photograph weddings so once in a while I do have to shoot into the sun so I carry a hood with me just in case but I plan ahead for that, if I didn't do it for money I wouldn't bother with the hood.

UV filter is another lens protection device. Never used one, it will adversely affect your photos to some extent. I don't even want to think about how much money I have in lenses and not one of them has a scratch on it and I have never used a UV filter.

Just get out there and shoot and enjoy your camera.

 

[TJ K]

Regarding UV filters...I don't have a single lens that I don't have one on. I have four lenses right now in my gear box and each one is equipped with a UV filter. I don't take them off - they stay on. They provide your lens (glass) with protection from dirt and debris not to mention UV. Furthermore, you get what you pay for. Personally, I have been using Sigma multi-coated UV lenses and like them. I've been tempted to try Hoyas though. Just out of curiousity more than anything.

Get a quality UV lens, screw it in place and forget about it! Good luck!

Unless you shoot film that is completely untrue. People buy UV solely to protect the glass. Unless you get a good one it will just reduce the quality.

I would use a lens hood petal or circle just because i tend to bump into things here and there and it's nice to have.
TJ

 

[joesmithf1]

i am loving this forum already! I appreciate the quick responses!

 

[Olympus E300]

Regarding UV filters...I don't have a single lens that I don't have one on. I have four lenses right now in my gear box and each one is equipped with a UV filter. I don't take them off - they stay on. They provide your lens (glass) with protection from dirt and debris not to mention UV. Furthermore, you get what you pay for. Personally, I have been using Sigma multi-coated UV lenses and like them. I've been tempted to try Hoyas though. Just out of curiousity more than anything.

Get a quality UV lens, screw it in place and forget about it! Good luck!

Unless you shoot film that is completely untrue. People buy UV solely to protect the glass. Unless you get a good one it will just reduce the quality.

I would use a lens hood petal or circle just because i tend to bump into things here and there and it's nice to have.
TJ

How does a UV Filter NOT protector your lens from UV? Obviously my main intent was to imply that the filter offers the lens protection. I would have thought that dirt and debris would be nice to keep off an expensive lens (I shoot mostly outdoors) and that that UV protection was just an added bonus?!?

 

[KmH]

Regarding UV filters...I don't have a single lens that I don't have one on. I have four lenses right now in my gear box and each one is equipped with a UV filter. I don't take them off - they stay on. They provide your lens (glass) with protection from dirt and debris not to mention UV. Furthermore, you get what you pay for. Personally, I have been using Sigma multi-coated UV lenses and like them. I've been tempted to try Hoyas though. Just out of curiousity more than anything.

Get a quality UV lens, screw it in place and forget about it! Good luck!

UV filters used for 'protection' are a waste of money, IMO. They are thin and way more easily damaged/broken than a lenses objective glass.

The right kind of UV filter will only improve your images in some very specific circumstances, high altitudes as an example, or when imaging some materials that are caused to flouresce by your light source. At best they will usually not harm image quality, but they can hurt your image quality. If you point your camea near any bright light source they will promote lens flare and will also limit contrast.

I have seen instances, both in person and online, where the shards from an easily broken UV filter have gouged the front surface of a lens objective either at the time of impact or when removing the damaged filter from the lens.

A lens hood affords a measure of impact protection to your lenses objective glass by providing a buffer zone around it. Since a lens hood doesn't add glass and air gaps to your lens, a hood won't have a negative effect on image quality. Tests have shown that a lens hood improves image contrast which is why one is provided by major lens makers with nearly every lens they make.

Petal type lens hoods are only effective with the camera held in 2 positions: horizontal and vertical. A round hood is effective in any orientation. However, petal type hoods are 'sexier' than round hoods.

 

[KmH]

How does a UV Filter NOT protector your lens from UV? Obviously my main intent was to imply that the filter offers the lens protection. I would have thought that dirt and debris would be nice to keep off an expensive lens (I shoot mostly outdoors) and that that UV protection was just an added bonus?!?

Why would your lens objective glass need to be protected from UV radiation?

Specifically what negative effects would the lens need to be protected from and which of the 3 types of UV light, UVA, UVB, UVC would be of most concern?

If they need protection from UV light, you'd think the lens makers would provide that protection with a lens coating or they would design their lenses with a UV filter layer to eliminate having a flat piece of glass and an added air gap out in front of the lens objective.

 

[Dao]

For the hood question. If the front lens element rotate when focus, you need to use a round hood.

 

[KmH]

For the hood question. If the front lens element rotate when focus, you need to use a round hood.

Good point. It's been a while since I owned a lens that rotates when focused.

 

[mtfd635]

I have had many UV filters trashed, and no damage to the lens
I failed to replace one and now my 24-70L has dinged filter threads.
Granted, I shoot on fire academy, fire scenes and condtruction sites daily and am hard on my equipment.
But a decent quality uv filter, multicoated glass, is a worthy sacrificial component.

 

[Olympus E300]

I have had many UV filters trashed, and no damage to the lens
I failed to replace one and now my 24-70L has dinged filter threads.
Granted, I shoot on fire academy, fire scenes and condtruction sites daily and am hard on my equipment.
But a decent quality uv filter, multicoated glass, is a worthy sacrificial component.

By the sounds of it - we're the only two who think this way...LoL. Granted, I'm a photography newb and my opinion doesn't count. That makes you all alone ..... lol.

Cheers!
- Dan

 

[bhphotography]

I saw a comparison that looked at all of the UV filters, and found that HOYA's filters were the best. UV filters are great for protecting your lens.

If your shooting in low light, there is a chance of getting a ghosting effect, at night I normally take mine off.

As for hoods, if your shooting a crop sensor, it shouldn't matter, get whichver you like the best. If your shooting full frame a "flower" hood is the best as it will avoid the vignetting that a round rubber one would create.

 

[Gaerek]

My thought has always been, why put a cheap piece of glass (or plastic, in some cases) in front of your expensive glass. At best, with a UV filter, it won't add or subtract anything from your image. At worst, it will increase lens flare, ghosting, and potentially simply degrade the image. The only time a UV filter will protect your glass is if you drop it straight down directly on the front element. If it's dropped in any other orientation, it does nothing. Some will say it will protect from scratches, but isn't that what the lens cap is for? I suppose if you walk around with the camera around your neck with the lens cap removed, it might be useful, but if you do that, then I say you deserve to have your lens scratched, lol.

I use lens hoods in conditions where I'm shooting in conditions with bright lights. It's useful, and certainly helps. The big thing is to make sure you have a hood designed specifically for your lens.

 

[KmH]

I saw a comparison that looked at all of the UV filters, and found that HOYA's filters were the best. UV filters are great for protecting your lens.

If your shooting in low light, there is a chance of getting a ghosting effect, at night I normally take mine off.

As for hoods, if your shooting a crop sensor, it shouldn't matter, get whichver you like the best. If your shooting full frame a "flower" hood is the best as it will avoid the vignetting that a round rubber one would create.

Hoya makes filters of several quality levels. Not all Hoya filters are worth purchasing.

It is very possible for a hood to cast a shadow when using on camera flash. I have only ever seen ghosting problems in low light from internal lens reflections caused by using a 'protective filter' added to the front of the lens, never by a hood that was designed for the lens in use.

Petal hoods are used on wide-angle lenses, they are not necessary on telephoto lenses of over 100mm. Notice, none of the full frame camera equipped pro sports shooters have pedal type hoods on their long lenses.