Yayyy new lenses and question about filters?

Have any of you done any tests to discover degraded image quality from UV filters? I have and I didn't encounter any. By the way I have tested both cheap and expensive filters. My conclusion is that the expensive ones are overpriced. A UV filter is nothing more than a flat piece of optical glass, after all.
Not everyone uses optical glass in their filters. And not everyone multi-coats them with something that actually works! A piece of bad glass with bad or non-existant coating can and will ruin pictures.

You could be right but I have never encountered a UV filter that reduced image quality. If you have, please provide the brand so people can avoid it.
Actually that's the hard part. There are so many out there that are made by a manufacturer and will put what ever name you want on it. Ebay, Amazon, even some of the larger online photo stores sell them under many different names. Especially in those kits full of ultra cheap gear to make them look like good deals.

OK. But I've tested about 20 of them and none affected image quality.
 
You could be right but I have never encountered a UV filter that reduced image quality. If you have, please provide the brand so people can avoid it.

Go to ebay. Search for UV lens filter. Sort the results by Price + shipping, lowest first. The first 250 pages of results will be your cheap brands.
 
OK. But I've tested about 20 of them and none affected image quality.

How about posting your results? Replete with original images.
 
You could be right but I have never encountered a UV filter that reduced image quality. If you have, please provide the brand so people can avoid it.

Go to ebay. Search for UV lens filter. Sort the results by Price + shipping, lowest first. The first 250 pages of results will be your cheap brands.

I have the ability to know which are cheap. Do you have the ability to to know which ones affect image quality?
 
OK. But I've tested about 20 of them and none affected image quality.

How about posting your results? Replete with original images.
I didn't keep them. They were just test shots.

So it's just a footnote to an anecdote.

I have the ability to know which are cheap. Do you have the ability to to know which ones affect image quality?

No. And apparently only you seem to have access to this Magic List. So come forth with this information.
 
OK. But I've tested about 20 of them and none affected image quality.

How about posting your results? Replete with original images.
I didn't keep them. They were just test shots.

So it's just a footnote to an anecdote.

I have the ability to know which are cheap. Do you have the ability to to know which ones affect image quality?

No. And apparently only you seem to have access to this Magic List. So come forth with this information.

I'll repeat what I said before. I've never encountered a UV filter that degraded image quality. I can't prove a negative. If you have encountered one, let us know. I can't speak for other peoples' experiences. Only my own.
 
Did you buy all 20 filters? You could buy an expensive filter that worth less than 20 filters.

I've spent a long time buying and selling used lenses as a hobby business. Many of them arrive with UV filters. I have tons of them. Do you need one?
 
Thanks for all of the advice and input. I'm still undecided on this. I have been shooting a lot. And even got sucked in to modeling for a photographer. That was a first. I am still working on getting a computer so I can post something better than the 2mb snapbridge copy sent to my iPad.
 
There are actually several photographic uses to UV filters beyond the dubious general protect the lens role. (In some environments with airborne dust etc protection is a very valid role).

You can spray them with hairspray to give a diffusing filter, draw a Bokeh mask on them (or simply use them to hold a paper mask next to the front element). They can even be used for their intended role of preventing excess UV from spoiling your film photos. (Even with a full spectrum converted camera & a UV lamp recording UV on a digital camera with modern lenses is difficult).

As far as lens protection goes in the normal world a lens hood works well while the camera's being used & adding a lens cap when its not in use solves the problem of sticky fingers.
 
I like the idea of using a filter for effects. That sounds really cool.
 
Smearing a clear filter with a thin layer of petroleum jelly is a 'soft focus' trick that's older than dirt.
 

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