Filter for protection…?

BrianOdell wrote:

I have a “carry-everywhere” m200 that I’ve been using a lot lately with the 22 & 32mm lenses. Should I be using protective UV filters, or skip them? If yes, which brands are decent that won’t degrade image quality, and that won’t break the bank?

Thanks!

This is an age old difficult question a lot like "Which is the best for computing,  Windows or Apple". People have strong opinions on the topic, some based on experience but a lot are based on what well known photographers have told them or written about.

A few things you might consider are do you go out in dusty conditions? Do you keep your camera and lenses in a bag with dividers so they aren't knocking around and carefully put the lens caps on each time you store them? Do you think you might ever sell your lenses and buy different ones at some point?

I shot professionally from 1976 to 2010 when I retired and I had filters on my cameras almost all the time. Quite often a UV filter but also warming filters, soft focus, Kodak Wratten filters, etc. When I was out shooting an annual report and chasing the light I was lucky to get a rear cap on a lens when I switched out but hardly ever a front cap, I tossed the lens into the bag and moved on to the next shot before the light changed.

Now I am retired but still shoot a lot for myself and I own at last count 24 lenses for 4 different camera systems. Every one of my lenses has a protective filter on it. I sometimes try out a lens and then might sell it if I feel it's not what I want. Small marks on the lens barrel are not a big deal but a scratch on an element makes it worth a lot less. In all my years of shooting I have never had a filter lower the quality of an image but then again I buy the best filters I can afford. B&W, Charo and ones made by Breakthrough Photography. B&H sells these in many sizes or check Amazon. I get the higher end models made of brass instead of aluminum and with Schott glass and a 99% transmission value.

You get what you pay for, good filters don't degrade images but cheap ones could. Also try not to stack filters, you remove the UV when putting on a polarizer. And remove the filter if shooting into the sun or bright lights is generally considered the best thing.

Ultimately only you can decide. For me a $2500 lens is going to have a $100 filter on it. It's like insurance. And you have to wonder if Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad and others would be selling and recommending filters for their lenses if they caused problems.