First attempt at auto racing.

[Loupey]

IMO, filters should only be used when there are airborne particulates (dust, dirt, or water) in the air. Then taken off as soon as the air clears.

So buying filters that may be tiny bit better (but a whole lot more expensive) seem silly to me when the air quality is already degraded enough to warrant putting anything on in the first place.

So I use "Protection Filters" by Promaster. Not even UV. About $20 for 77mm diameter. And only used when absolutely necessary.

[JSPhoto]

The filter isn't used as a filter as such, it's there to protect the front element from damage as well as from scratching the front element. I am a firm believer in the Hoya UV(0) because I have had first hand experiance with it protecting lensesI have now replaced 4 of these filters at $47 each. 3 due to flying objects and the latest due to some idiot kid at a weekend festival I had to shoot. Fortunately this time the kids parents are paying for it, plus my mileage to replace it. Hoods do NOT protect things that hit the lens, yeah, they MAY deflect something, but at the same time they can deflect the item at the lens. The UV(0) filter does not alter colors but will block UV.
The latest incident was Saturday when a kid being an idiot stuck a metal car up inside the hood as I walked through the festival. It scratched the filter all to hell but didn't damage the glass.
I have had a rock hit a filter and break the filter but no damage to the glass, same with a bolt that cracked a filter. The one incident I don't know what hit it but the filter shattered , the glass was fine though.

The paper now uses them on all their camera lenses as they got tired of replacing the front elements due to careless handling by staff personel. They had a 70-200 that was badly pitted and after getting it repaired Canon told them to use the same filters I told the to use, in the 5 years since getting it fixed they replaced two filters but no damage to the glass.

My UV(0) filters only come off for lens cleaning and never off during use.

JS

[tadrscin]

Thanks guys. That helps me decide which ones to buy.