RF 50mm f1.2 users (and probably EF version as well), do you use a protective filter on it?

Dear Marco!

I have nothing against filters. They are often the critical elements in the imaging chain. But, they should should do their job and do more good than harm. I have a huge pile of filters: passbands, pols, neutral, narrow band interference, you name it AND even protective ones and I use them when needed and remove them when not. If eg a protective whould do no harm and would be needed all time Canon (and others) would have them included in the optical design (or at least as part of the package for the expensive ones). But they are not. Every optical enginieer trys to minimise additional air/glass surfaces as much as possible and a plane parallel in Front is in many cases not a very good solution (eg that was changed in the original big whites which hat a permanent protective plane parallel front element, now the convex one gets special treatment). It leads to unwanted reflexions in high contrast szenarios. You like night photography and make great pics! Put one streetlamp somewhere in the periphery of one of your pics and you will have a centersymmetric reflexion (often greeniish). That is unavoidable even with the best filters. In less contrasty situations it may be less of a problem.Its good to have protective filters in your bag if you go to the beach, or the dessert or similar environments that produce fine aerosols that may be entering your lens or cover the frontsurface, In most other cases the protection by a sunshade is much more effecive and does always more good than harm. It increases contrast and protects.

My other 2cts...

Clear skies Marco!

Franz