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another 20 mm question/comment :)

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bwilloughby

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Hello everybody. So quick history. i bought an e-520 and have a small 4/3 lens collection. i have since added the wonderful E-1 and recently bought a g1 body only which i have been able to use my 4/3 lenses with adapter...... which have all been great but obviously working much better on my 4/3 cameras. Actually using these lenses on my g1 give me a whole new appreciation for my 520 & e-1, go figure!

ok to the question, i have the 20mm ordered which i am very excited about. i see myself using this baby a lot over the holiday season and want to keep it protected with either the vented lens hood or a filter. any opinions on this? I have the 50mm f2 and do not use a filter because i feel the resolution will be degraded. Due to me being too cheap to spend enough on a proper filter, i generally rely on the hood for protection.

so questions?
a) is a filter going to gain glare in night time lighting
b) if i do buy a filter what would you suggest without breaking the bank?

i think i have probably answered my own question and will probably go with the vented hood such as the one on amazon. also with the one available on amazon allow you to use original lens cap and if not then what do i use. oh also will the weight oh hood hurt focusing?

thanks for reading my rambling!

--
-Brad from Kansas City
 
Using a glass filter for protection or not is one of those eternal discussions on the internet.

Personally, I think that there's no such thing as a neutral glass filter. So any filter will deteriorate the image quality to some degree. They also add glare, as you say.

I prefer this solution: A step down ring as a simple hood, for basic protection:

http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2010/05/home-made-hood-for-lumix-20mm-f17.html
 
I use the Panasonic multi-coated protection filter for the 20mm and I find it works great.
 
While I understand the feeling that it needs to be protected, in this day and age of lens and coatings it's not really needed. I don't even keep the lens cap on, I have the camera as is in my work backpack with a load of other hard objects constantly, i've had no problems ever with any lenses getting damaged. If you hunt around for some articles you'll see a lot of pros don't bother with protection because they understand this, and in fact if you're intending on doing street work then you definitely should leave the cap off in your bag.

Still, I think it's instinctual to want to protect something you've spend hundreds on, so if it makes you feel better..
 
Did I read your post correctly--you leave the lens without a lens cap in a backpack full of other hard objects?
 
Do you have a link to the vendor?
 
Gethenderson said:
While I understand the feeling that it needs to be protected, in this day and age of lens and coatings it's not really needed. I don't even keep the lens cap on, I have the camera as is in my work backpack with a load of other hard objects constantly, i've had no problems ever with any lenses getting damaged. If you hunt around for some articles you'll see a lot of pros don't bother with protection because they understand this, and in fact if you're intending on doing street work then you definitely should leave the cap off in your bag.
Click to expand...
Well, it's arguable that you don't need to carry the camera and lenses in a padded bag (and those pads are surprisingly heavy), but putting the lens cap on the lens really isn't a bad idea at all -- since it keeps dirt and oil off the lens (in addition to reducing the likelihood of scratches).

As for the filters to protect the lenses, the 20mm is particularly vulnerable to reflections from a filter (you can find threads on that topic on this forum), so unless you're shooting in a sandstorm it's probably overkill.
 
justplanecrazy said:
Seriously??? Glass is now harder than metal due to a few coatings???
Click to expand...
Glass IS harder than metal... Glass is one of the hardest materials around, you can break windows because of how thin they make the glass to save on weight and the very high cost in producing it (then having to produce a stronger structure to hole the much heavier panes). The glass on your lens is not like that obviously.

Coatings help protect from scratches and also help reduce the need for filters to correct things in the modern day as much, hence a lot of people only use filters to "protect" the glass.

And yes I leave my E-P2 with 20mm and no cap on in my backpack loosely with anything else I throw in there, have done for better part of a year, did it before that with other cameras, they're not super fragile.
 
cameron2 said:
Gethenderson said:
While I understand the feeling that it needs to be protected, in this day and age of lens and coatings it's not really needed. I don't even keep the lens cap on, I have the camera as is in my work backpack with a load of other hard objects constantly, i've had no problems ever with any lenses getting damaged. If you hunt around for some articles you'll see a lot of pros don't bother with protection because they understand this, and in fact if you're intending on doing street work then you definitely should leave the cap off in your bag.
Click to expand...
Well, it's arguable that you don't need to carry the camera and lenses in a padded bag (and those pads are surprisingly heavy), but putting the lens cap on the lens really isn't a bad idea at all -- since it keeps dirt and oil off the lens (in addition to reducing the likelihood of scratches).

As for the filters to protect the lenses, the 20mm is particularly vulnerable to reflections from a filter (you can find threads on that topic on this forum), so unless you're shooting in a sandstorm it's probably overkill.
Click to expand...
Yes and i'm not suggesting always leave the cap off, it's just an example to say, I have left it off about 80% of the time and nothing bad has happened. If you are out and about in the street however, please leave the cap off and get your hit rate up, read Dave Beckerman's blog, he talks about how you can spot someone new to street photography - cap on.
 
Thank all you for the different inputs. ugh my brain is a bit dull from long day but it is good to see some replies and please excuse my typos.

It looks like I'll do the lens hood route. I'll try my local camera store and see what they have in their cheap boxes of old school film slr stuff. Surely a few step down rings. The lens should be here soon so i will be able to better make a choice.

I am looking forward to this as it will compliment any future m4/3 camera and current ones as well. Kind of like the 50mm, can't really go wrong!

well goodnight for now and thanks again

--
-Brad from Kansas City
 
Glass is usually not harder than metal, though it depends on the metal and depends on the glass. In fact, a typical steel and typical silicate glass have about the same hardness. And most hardened metals, like many knives or files, are harder than nearly all glasses, and by a good bit. Lens coatings, I imagine, can be scratched rather easily with a metal object regardless of 'hardness' because you merely have to break the bond with the glass.
 
Gethenderson said:
justplanecrazy said:
Seriously??? Glass is now harder than metal due to a few coatings???
Click to expand...
Glass IS harder than metal... Glass is one of the hardest materials around, you can break windows because of how thin they make the glass to save on weight and the very high cost in producing it (then having to produce a stronger structure to hole the much heavier panes). The glass on your lens is not like that obviously.

Coatings help protect from scratches and also help reduce the need for filters to correct things in the modern day as much, hence a lot of people only use filters to "protect" the glass.

And yes I leave my E-P2 with 20mm and no cap on in my backpack loosely with anything else I throw in there, have done for better part of a year, did it before that with other cameras, they're not super fragile.
Click to expand...
I imagine, you don't wear glasses. I've never heard of glasses that aren't lightly scratched after a few years use. throw a pair of glasses in your bag for a while, which by the way also have all sorts of coatings on them, and see how they appear after a few days.
 
Hello,

Can I ask of the original poster what 4/3 lenses you are using on your G1, and what is performance/handling like?

I've been trying to find information on how the 11-22, 14-54 and 12-60 work on the Panasonics, but after trawling the forum I conclude that most around here who use them on the micro system have Pens.
NJ
 
bwilloughby said:
so questions?
a) is a filter going to gain glare in night time lighting
Click to expand...
Quite possibly, but the 20mm f1.7 lens is so flare resistant that it makes sense to shoot with it without anything in front of the front element.
bwilloughby said:
b) if i do buy a filter what would you suggest without breaking the bank?
Click to expand...
The only two filters I would ever consider using are ND (Neutral Density) and CPL (Circular Polariser/Polarizer) filters; both have a clear and visible effect on your images and neither is ever for protection purposes.
bwilloughby said:
i think i have probably answered my own question and will probably go with the vented hood such as the one on amazon. also with the one available on amazon allow you to use original lens cap and if not then what do i use. oh also will the weight oh hood hurt focusing?
Click to expand...
By far the cheapest way to protect the front element of all lenses is to use the supplied lens cap and train yourself to get into the habit of the following sequence for all photographs:
  • 1. Stop and look at the scene.
  • 2. Decide on what image you want to create and select the appropriate lens, then mount it.
  • 3. Remove the lens cap.
  • 4. Set up the camera the way you want it to work.
  • 5. Compose the scene in the viewfinder/LCD and press the shutter release.
  • 6. Immediately replace the lens cap.
  • 7. Then and only then chimp on the LCD.
3 and 6 are the key steps for lens protection. It helps to have standard places for putting the lens cap while it is off the camera. This kind of routine is no different in principle to the habit I hope we all have of washing our hands after a visit to the toilet/bathroom. Practise it often enough and it becomes second nature.

I think that most of the feeling that a filter is necessary for lens protection is a hangover from the days of film SLRs. Then we routinely attached a UV filter or a Skyline 1A filter to cut out indesirable (from the film's point of view) UV radiation. Digital sensors do not need this kind of filtration, so it makes no sense to use one.
 
BigBarney said:
The only two filters I would ever consider using are ND (Neutral Density) and CPL (Circular Polariser/Polarizer) filters; both have a clear and visible effect on your images and neither is ever for protection purposes.
Click to expand...
While the circular form of the polarizer filter is better on an SLR, it's supposedly worse (i.e. unnecessary, and a more substantial hit to IQ) on a mirrorless camera -- just use a linear polarizer.
 
justplanecrazy said:
Gethenderson said:
justplanecrazy said:
Seriously??? Glass is now harder than metal due to a few coatings???
Click to expand...
Glass IS harder than metal... Glass is one of the hardest materials around, you can break windows because of how thin they make the glass to save on weight and the very high cost in producing it (then having to produce a stronger structure to hole the much heavier panes). The glass on your lens is not like that obviously.

Coatings help protect from scratches and also help reduce the need for filters to correct things in the modern day as much, hence a lot of people only use filters to "protect" the glass.

And yes I leave my E-P2 with 20mm and no cap on in my backpack loosely with anything else I throw in there, have done for better part of a year, did it before that with other cameras, they're not super fragile.
Click to expand...
I imagine, you don't wear glasses. I've never heard of glasses that aren't lightly scratched after a few years use. throw a pair of glasses in your bag for a while, which by the way also have all sorts of coatings on them, and see how they appear after a few days.
Click to expand...
You'd be correct, I don't wear glasses, I do wear sunglasses though but I take your point and for the record, it's generally books in my bag with the camera, not rocks, i'm more worried about the frame of my sunglasses being squashed in a loose bag though.
 
What are you trying to protect it from?

The lens is so short, putting a hood on it just increases the chance of hitting something with it IMHO
 
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