Filter and LEns Hoods?

[MoliroMan]

Hi Guys!

I have a EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens which i use for aquarium and portrait photography and am waiting for me EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens.

Do i need to buy a filter and lens hood for my macro lens and a filter for the 24-70?

Can the filter and lens hood be applied at the same time?

What filter would u recommend for both?


thx
Dave

[weemannie]

I'd be inclined to get a UV filter for both lenses. Others will disagree, but I like to think that if there was an accident, the filter is a LOT cheaper to replace than the lens :D

I use the 24-70 and yes, you can use filters with the hood on. Turn the zoom to the 24mm position and its easy.

I wouldn't have thought that a hood was essential for the Macro lens.

You'll love the 24-70 its a great lens.

[tim]

There are many opinions on filters and lens hoods. I only use filters on my L lens, the rest I use hoods, for their normal benefits and for protection. Ask 5 people about this subject and you'll get at least 7 opinions. Are they necessary? No. Will they make the image quality worse? If you get a good one, probably not.

[MoliroMan]

thanks guys!

I think i will get a couple of filters then. I don't want to scratch my lens. Hopefully they won't degrade the image.

Dave

[lancea]

Hi MoliroMan. One thing to watch out for is that if you leave a filter fitted you are putting the front-most piece of glass even further into the light. Because of that, make sure you at least buy multi-coated filters. Use your hood too but remember that the hood might not be sufficient if bright light is coming in from the sides. If you're using a tripod you can look into the lens and see whether it is being properly shielded. If it's not, then hold something off to the side so it is. Without a tripod it becomes difficult! :)

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

I use lens hoods and UV filters on both my lenses. Good for protection. It's especially important to use a hood and filter when shooting macro hand held, because you never know when you might accidentally bump into something while looking through the view finder........

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Hmmmm, I'm wondering, does anyone know if you should still use a lens hood even in low light conditions? Like, indoors or on a wicked cloudy day.

And do UV filters reduce image quality in any given situation? Low light, lotsa light, ect?

[rent]

lens hoods would not adversly affect your picture in anyway so it's fine to leave them on even in low light conditions. if you want to use the onboard pop-up flash though, be careful because sometimes the lens hood will block off part of the flash coverage.

a good, multi-coated (such as B+W's MRC) uv filters should not reduce image quality in any significant way. it's better to go with no filter if you are shooting directly into the light (like a street lamp or the sun), even the best filters may cause more flare than no filter at all.

-alex

Hmmmm, I'm wondering, does anyone know if you should still use a lens hood even in low light conditions? Like, indoors or on a wicked cloudy day.

And do UV filters reduce image quality in any given situation? Low light, lotsa light, ect?

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Oooooh I see! So, a filter on a wide angle like the 17-40L for landscape prolly wouldn't be a good idea if it's broad daylight and the sun is in the the area of the shot right?

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Sorry Moliro Man, don't mean to steal your thread..... hopefully responses to my questions are helpful to you as well. :-)

[rent]

yeah i always take off the filter if i'm shooting into a light source. here's an interesting article on this: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-feb-05.shtml
-alex

Oooooh I see! So, a filter on a wide angle like the 17-40L for landscape prolly wouldn't be a good idea if it's broad daylight and the sun is in the the area of the shot right?

[lancea]

So, a filter on a wide angle like the 17-40L for landscape prolly wouldn't be a good idea if it's broad daylight and the sun is in the the area of the shot right?
You could have trouble. See the simplified explanation at http://www.2filter.com/faq/multicoatedfaq.html. The times I've had trouble were precisely as you mention. The hood on the 17-40L is made for the widest setting on a 35mm camera so it's even less effective at short focal lengths on a digital camera with a smaller "film area". The sun doesn't need to be in-shot. The most obvious problems occur where there is a bright light in-shot, such as shown in this article http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-feb-05.shtml.

[lancea]

here's an interesting article on this ... -alex
Snap! :mrgreen:

[rent]

what can i say... great minds eh?

-alex

Snap! :mrgreen: