Pentax 18-55 WR missing cover for the filter window. Does it worth?

gaetanonline wrote:

Thanks a lot for your answer. You are very kind.

So, if I understood well, it should work even if I'm not going to use a polarizing filter, am I right? AND in the photos I posted you don't see any mark in the front lens, right?

However, thanks a lot for your help and I wish you a very Happy Xmas time!

Ciao

Gae

Thanks for your thanks and wishes . So, you need to distinguish between the filter(s) and the lens hood.

The filters, well only two types are important. Protection filters and polarizer filters. I am using the protection filters on all my lenses. They just protect the front lens glass from the element. It is 100-times easier to clean the filter than the lens. And a good filter doesn't cause any degradation of the picture. However, the WR lenses (like the one you've bought) have a special layer on the front glass, which makes the lens better protected from the dirt/dust/water droplets etc. So, you do not need to use any protection filter on such a lens.

The polarizer filter is helpful, if you want to eliminate certain reflections in your image. Like reflections from the water surfaces and from the glass (window). You can't eliminate reflections from the metallic surfaces! In addition the polarizer can darken the sky and improve the contrast in the foliage. But you can achieve the same by a suitable post-processing of your image. The polarizer are expensive! They reduce the light amount by a factor of 4 or more! They need to be "tuned" (rotated) before taking pictures. That's why some lens hoods have a window, so you can tune the polarizer without taking-off the hood.I used to have few polarizer, but they got damaged (themselves!) by condensation of moisture between those two rotating glasses. Now I do not use any polarizer.

Now the lens hoods. Well, some people don't bother with them either, some use them always. They can be useful in certain conditions. For example, if you go out shooting in a sunny day, they can be really helpful. Some of my lenses have built-in hood, so it is then simple to use them. But even in a sunny day you can safely shoot without the lens hood, if you are careful. Just keep your camera/lens in a shade and never allow a strong light source (like the sun) to shine directly into your lens!

Happy Xmas.