Protecting a fishey front element

[Naicidrac]

Hello all,
I am thinking about taking the plunge and buying my first fisheye. Now normally with all my lenses I just throw on a UV filter to protect it. Now I know the fisheye I am looking for has a built in lenshood, but is there any other way to protect that front element? It appears that the element sticks out a little.

Thanks,

 

[JDP]

Hello all,
I am thinking about taking the plunge and buying my first fisheye. Now normally with all my lenses I just throw on a UV filter to protect it. Now I know the fisheye I am looking for has a built in lenshood, but is there any other way to protect that front element? It appears that the element sticks out a little.

Thanks,

I used to subscribe to the school of UV filter always thought, now - meh, I just don't. It's another piece of glass adding to the mess of glass already in there - and you have to buy fairly nice UV filters to really do the lens justice and, well, bah!
I'd just use the hood, especially with a fisheye - how many times would it really be in any serious danger - danger enough that a chunk of silicon on the front would save it?

 

[Naicidrac]

Thanks JDP, yes I have been back and forth through the years and finally decided just to stick with the UV filters. I always thought we spend thousands of dollars for these lenses and then the last thing it looks through is a $12.99 UV filter. I changed though after a filter saved me when I broke the filter, but my front element was not damaged. I would have hit the front glass head on. I did a lot of basic test shoots and I could tell no difference between the UV filter on or of mostly, but I decided that they do protect the front glass. I guess I have no choice on the fisheye except the lens hood. I just thought I would try.

 

[DSLR noob]

well if you DO spend thousands on lenses then you have enough money to buy a $60 filter, and have it match the quality of the glass in your lens.

 

[Garbz]

lol I would still buy a $20 filter The thing is a filter is removable. I under JDP's point of view. I have often taken a picture where I noticed a drop in contrast. This was just flare caused by cheap non antiglare glass. But since it only happens when the sun hits the front element I figured I will just stick with it and if it does cause a visible problem (ghosting or contrast issues) then I'll just screw it off, click and screw it back on. I am more than happy to do that seeing how much lenses cost compared to my 30seconds of effort.

The thing most people are missing though is how do you get a UV filter on a fisheye, and does the hood do any good in this case either?

 

[spazoid1965]

Hello all,
I am thinking about taking the plunge and buying my first fisheye. Now normally with all my lenses I just throw on a UV filter to protect it. Now I know the fisheye I am looking for has a built in lenshood, but is there any other way to protect that front element? It appears that the element sticks out a little.

Thanks,

A UV filter will not work well with a fisheye lens. The glass sticks out past the end of the lens barrel. It does that for a reason. If it didn't the lens barrel would viginette the image. And so will a filter ring. Most filters will not fit on the lens unless you use a spacer. That will cause alot of viginetting. A lens hood will have the same problem. The best way to protect a fisheye lens is to keep the lens cap on it as much as possible. And to use extreme caution when the lens cap is off.

 

[JDP]

hehe, when it comes down to it all, to use a UV filter or not is another religious war, like Coke vs Pepsi. I tried it, used it for many years, then decided that it wasn't for me. The front element is usually one of the strongest as it is anyway, and anything that would smash a UV filter would also probably mess up the lens - especially on todays lenses, where a drop might really screw up the internal focusing rings, ya know?

 

[Sw1tchFX]

You cannot use conventional screw on filters on fisheyes. fisheyes provide 180 degrees of viewing angle, you'd see the edges of the filter in the frame. I also have yet to see a threaded fisheye.

 

[Naicidrac]

Thank you all. I have an answer now. The main question I had was if a UV filter could even fit on a fisheye and I have that answer now. Thanks to all.