UV filters are the commonest filters bought with each lens buy. You may have in all probability heard {that a} UV lens filter protects your lens from getting scratched. It’s definitely true, however are you aware how to decide on the greatest safety lens filter to guard your digicam lens?
The greatest safety lens filter to guard your digicam lens is UV Safety Filter (Ultraviolet Filter). The standard UV filters defend your costly lens from bodily harm (scratches, bumps) and have minimal or no impact on picture high quality.
What Is а UV Filter?
Initially UV filters (Ultraviolet Filter) had been developed in movie pictures days. A UV filter was mandatory because the filters blocked undesirable ultraviolet gentle from hitting the movie. The picture suffered haziness and fogginess with no UV filter, particularly in blue hues.
Since fashionable digital cameras have built-in UV filters on the sensor stage, the necessity for UV filters is minimal at the moment.
It’s a widespread perception that UV filters scale back chromatic aberration or shade fringing, however I’ve by no means seen any proof of that with my eyes. Based mostly on my expertise, if a lens is poorly constructed, no filter can appropriate the colour fringing it produces. And if UV filters do scale back chromatic aberration, the discount is just too insignificant to make a distinction in picture high quality.
In the present day, the one operate that UV filters provide is safety. There’s little or no distinction between clear or UV safety filters.
Utilizing UV Safety Lens Filter in Fashionable Images
That is typically a subject of debate within the pictures neighborhood as a result of there is no such thing as a clear consensus about utilizing UV filters for cover functions in digital pictures.
Totally different photographers method UV protecting filters in a different way.
We will separate most photographers into three teams relying on how they use UV filters.
- Group 1. Some photographers by no means use protecting or UV filters as a result of they consider that including an additional layer of glass in entrance of an costly, state-of-the-art lens can probably degrade the standard of the picture. We name these photographers “the perfectionists.”
- Group 2. Photographers within the second group use UV protecting filters solely when mandatory. For instance, for those who attend the Burning Man pageant within the desert, you’ll usually clear the entrance factor of your lens round 100 instances every day. The sand and dirt can probably harm your lens.
- Group 3. The ultimate group of photographers is those that instantly connect a UV safety filter after they buy a lens and by no means take away it. The logic right here is that the danger of damaging the lens far outweighs the minimal degradation within the high quality of photos and, because of this, is value it in the long term.
How I Use UV Safety Lens Filter
For a very long time, I belonged to the primary group of “perfectionists” and refused to make use of the protecting filter. I assumed utilizing the lens hood was higher to guard my lens from any potential bodily harm.
What modified my thoughts was my frequent travels to the West Coast of the US. As a result of sturdy winds alongside the coast, saltwater mist is at all times current within the air, even when it isn’t raining. Always wiping the entrance factor of any lens can simply trigger harm to its coating, particularly when salt residue is current.
At this level, I’ve UV safety filters for all my lenses, however they largely keep in my bag. I solely use them when mandatory. Earlier than mountaineering alongside the coast, I at all times connect the filters to my lenses the evening earlier than. And earlier than driving by means of Dying Valley, I additionally guarantee all my lenses are protected with filters.
What are the Negatives of Utilizing UV Safety Lens Filter?
To reply the query concerning the destructive unintended effects of utilizing protecting UV filters, we have to perceive the properties of glass in optics. They’re gentle transmission and lightweight reflection. They point out the ratio of sunshine that comes by means of glass versus the sunshine mirrored by the glass.
As a basic rule, the optical flat glass transmits 95% of sunshine, and 5% is mirrored.
It implies that for those who shoot by means of the optical glass, you lose 5% of sunshine and are at the next danger of undesirable lighting results equivalent to lens flare and ghosting.
In sensible phrases, you must use UV protecting filters with the best transmission and the bottom stage of reflection.
What to Search for When Buying UV Safety Lens Filters
Filter Materials
You in all probability seen that you would purchase a UV filter for as little as $2-3. The explanation for that’s they’re manufactured from plastic. The reflection charge of plastic is way larger than even common glass and might be larger than 15%. Avoid plastic filters.
Even for those who discover a low-cost ($10-15) UV filter manufactured from glass, it’s virtually assured it isn’t manufactured from optical glass. It’s extremely probably made out of low-coast development glass.
It will be greatest to search for UV safety filters manufactured from optical glass. And to maximise the safety stage of your lens, the filter needs to be outfitted with tempered glass.
Nanocoating vs Multicoating vs Non-Coated Filters
As I discussed above, even high-quality optical glass can have a mirrored image charge of round 5% or larger. To scale back the reflection, filter producers use numerous sorts of coating.
Proper now, you will discover three predominant sorts of filter coating.
Non-Coated Filters
Such a coating is easy; it merely doesn’t exist. If the filter is supplied with high-quality optical glass, you’re going to get a mirrored image charge of about 5%. With a non-coated filter, will probably be extra affected by lens flares and ghosting.
Multicoating Filters
Many of the medium and high-quality filters at the moment use multicoating. The mix of high quality optical glass and multicoating can scale back the reflection charge by as much as 1%.
Nanocoating Filter
Nanocoating is the late know-how used to cut back and even remove the reflection charge for good. You’ll discover new nanocoating know-how in some costly high-end filters.
Counterfeit UV Filters
Watch out the place you purchase protecting filters. If you happen to discover a high-end filter at a fraction of the retail price, it’s assured to be a counterfeit from China. Be sure you purchase your optics from respected retailers. Avoid eBay and AliExpress, the place most counterfeit optics are bought.
How A lot Ought to You Spend On UV Safety Lens Filters
The straightforward reply is as a lot as doable to buy a UV Safety Filter with high-quality tempered glass with multicoating or multicoating.
On the similar time, shopping for a $100 UV Filter to guard a $150 package lens wouldn’t be sensible. As a result of cheap lenses will not be constructed utilizing the best high quality glass and coating, the lens’s gentle transmission is already low. The costly protecting UV filter gained’t be capable of appropriate lens flaws and imperfections.
Fortunately for us, there’s a easy rule of thumb in pictures. It states that, on common, you must spend on a UV safety filter 10% of the price of the lens.
It implies that for those who shoot with a $1000 high quality lens, you will have to spend round $100 to match lens high quality.
I discover that the rule works fairly effectively for me. For instance, once I was trying to match my greatest lens Fujinon 10-24mm, with the protecting UV filter, I discovered just a few fashions with excessive gentle transmission charges at round $90-100.
And for those who shoot with a $300-400 lens, the $40 Tiffen UV safety filter can be enough.
The Greatest UV Safety Lens Filters
1. Tiffen UV Safety Filter (Greatest Finances Mannequin)
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: None
- Coating: Multicoated
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
A Tiffen UV Safety Filter is a necessary filter you possibly can personal on your digital digicam lens. It affords an inexpensive answer for safeguarding your digicam lens in opposition to scratches, dust, and dirt. This filter is crucial for out of doors pictures and is ideal for maintaining your digicam lens in good situation.
2. Breakthrough Images X4 UV Safety Filter (Editor’s Selection)
- Materials: Colour-neutral optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: Climate-sealing
- Coating: Nano Coating / Low Reflection
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
The X4 UV Filter is the world’s sharpest and most superior UV filter. This filter ensures superior picture high quality and readability by that includes a SCHOTT Superwhite B270 optical glass made in Germany.
Moreover, the X4 UV Filter options nanocoatings and weather-sealing to supply further safety on your lens. Extremely-slim and light-weight, this filter is ideal for any photographer in search of one of the best in UV safety.
3. B+W UV-Haze Safety Filter (High Rated)
- Materials: Colour-neutral clear optical glass
- Ring materials: Titanium
- Water resistant: Sure
- Coating: Nano Coating / Low Reflection
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
The B+W UV-Haze Safety Filter reduces the adhesion tendency of dust particles and water droplets. The hydrophobic coating is a particularly skinny, clear layer that covers your entire filter floor. This layer causes water droplets to bead up and roll off, making it harder for dust particles to stick to the glass.
With its MRC nanocoating, the filter has a particularly low reflection, making certain that your images can be unaffected by glare and reflections. This filter is good for nature, panorama, and journey pictures.
4. Gobe UV Safety Lens Filter
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Magnalium
- Water resistant: None
- Coating: Multicoating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
Gobe UV Filter’s high-quality magnalium-alloy ring ensures sturdiness whereas remaining light-weight. The steel filter case is ideal for storage and transportation, making it the best addition to your pictures package.
Gobe UV filters are constructed from optical glass, function 16-layer multi-coating, and stop inside ghosting and reflections whereas selling readability.
5. Hoya HD3 Multi-Coated UV Filter
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: None
- Coating: Multicoating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
Hoya HD3 UV Filter is the most recent and probably the most superior filters available on the market at the moment. It reduces mud, moisture, and scratches from reaching your lens components. Plus, it doesn’t add any further coloration or distinction to your photos to be able to obtain natural-looking images each time.
This light-weight and aircraft-grade aluminum filter body is ideal for any photographer to function entrance filter threads that settle for lens caps and different filters for stacking.
6. Ok&F Idea UV Lens Filter
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: Sure
- Coating: Multicoating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
This Ok&F Idea UV Lens Filter is the right solution to maintain your digicam lens shielded from scratches and different harm. The ultra-slim aluminum filter ring is designed to suit most lenses, and the tempered optical glass offers superior safety. The scratch-resistant multicoated nano resistance coating additionally helps maintain your lens trying new.
7. Marumi EXUS UV Filter
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: None
- Coating: Multicoating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
This Marumi EXUS UV Filter has a novel oil and water repellent coating that makes it proof against fingerprints and grease.
The anti-static and stain-resistant coating helps to guard the filter floor from mud, dust, water, and oils whereas additionally aiding in maintaining your images clear and clear.
The Marumi EXUS UV Filter has a thin-profile filter ring that reduces the chance of vignetting when used with wide-angle lenses.
8. Hoya NXT HMC UV Filter
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: None
- Coating: Multicoating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
The Hoya NXT HMC UV Filter is a high-quality basic protecting filter with a 3-layer HMC multi-coating to protect in opposition to scratches, dust, and flares. The low-profile aluminum body makes it supreme to be used with wide-angle lenses, and the high-transparency optical glass ensures glorious picture high quality.
9. Zeiss T* UV Filter
- Materials: Optical glass
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: Waterproof
- Coating: Multicoating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
The high-quality glass encompasses a ZEISS T anti-reflective coating that helps to forestall reflections. By lowering floor reflections, you’ll get extra gentle transmission for sharper, clearer images. It’s excellent for panorama and out of doors pictures. The excessive match accuracy ensures a quick filter change, so you possibly can spend extra time capturing and fewer time fiddling along with your gear.
10. AmazonBasics UV Safety Lens Filter
- Materials: Plastic
- Ring materials: Aluminium
- Water resistant: No
- Coating: No coating
- Guarantee: Restricted 1-Yr Guarantee
The AmazonBasics UV Safety Filter is an entry-level funds mannequin for basic use. It’s manufactured from plastic and has no coating, however it should defend your lens from mud, dust, and scratches. Chances are you’ll think about it as an choice for on a regular basis use when capturing with a cheap package lens.
The Greatest Safety Lens Filter: Conclusion
Do you have to use UV filters?
There isn’t any proper or incorrect reply right here. Every photographer should determine for themselves whether or not or to not use a filter. Ask your self this query: Is sacrificing picture high quality well worth the danger of doubtless damaging the entrance factor of your lens? In case your reply is sure, then apply the filter.
In the long term, it doesn’t matter whether or not or not you select to make use of UV filters or not; what issues is the standard of the filter you select. If in case you have a high-quality lens that prices you round $1,000, it is senseless to stay a $10 filter on the entrance of it. You’ll be able to at all times apply the 10% filter rule, which states that your protecting filter ought to price roughly 10% of what you paid on your lens.
I’m curious… Do you employ UV filters? Share your solutions within the feedback beneath.
