UV Filter on Digital Camera useful?

[Meysha]

This was just brought up in a thread about this sort of filter here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25328

I know that Ferny quoted there from the B&W site saying that you can use UV filters on film and digital cameras to get rid of the blue haze sometimes created being in very clean air, high altitude, or near the ocean.

Here's my question:
Does the UV filter work on the digital cameras?
I thought the reason the blue haze appeared was because of the UV rays affecting the film in a funny way. Like it mixed up UV light with visible light and made it become visible by having it activate the blue in the negatives.

Does it really make your digital photos better? Or does the sensor not respond to UV or am I completely on the wrong track with my understanding of why the blueness appears.

 

[iSellJerseyShore]

I personally mainly use UV filters on my lenses for protection...





-iSellJerseyShore

 

[Digital Matt]

If you are looking to get rid of haze, a polarizer is a much better choice.

 

[mentos_007]

exactly what Matt said. But I use my UV to protect the lens because very often I just throw my camera to the backback and I don't want to hurt my only lens...

 

[HoboSyke]

How much is a polarizer for a 20D with an 17-85mm IS lens?

 

[Digital Matt]

How much is a polarizer for a 20D with an 17-85mm IS lens?

It depends on the filter size, and brand. I don't know what size filter that lens takes. It will say on the lens, or lenscap. Shop around. Tiffen makes good, cheaper filters.

 

[Xmetal]

They start at around 30 Kangaroo Dollars.

 

[Meysha]

So was my understanding of why people use UV filters correct? If it is, then I don't see why (other than protective) people would use a UV filter on a digital camera... unless the UV really does affect the sensor.

 

[ksmattfish]

The UV filter, and it's warm cousin, the skylight filter, are usually marketed mainly as lens protection these days.

Most modern color slide and print films are hardly affected by UV rays, although some BW films do have issues. I don't know about UV rays and digital sensors.

A UV filter, depending on it's strength, may help penetrate atmospheric haze caused by scattering UV rays, and reveal more distant detail. This has nothing to do with what kind of camera you are using.

A polarizer gets rid of glare, not UV haze. I agree that I find a polarizing filter to be much more useful than a UV filter, but they do not do the same thing. A polarizer may have multicoatings that block some UV transmission. Many filters and lenses have these multicoatings.

Some places where you will encounter lot's of UV are at high altitude, at the beach, and in the snow.