Got a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 VC, what kind of filter do I need

Hi All,

I am quite new when it comes to photograpy, just want to get a feel for what kind of filer I should be using for my lens. I want something to protect the lens itself, and if it makes my pictures better, then thats a added bonus. I want something for general use, most of my shots are indoors at home, whilst some I do take some night landscape pictures and the odd outdoor picture too. I dont want to have to be changing my filter all the time.

The lens comes with the NB8 filter, which I have been told is used for reducing the amount of light entering the camera thus allowing the shutter to stay open for longer when taking shots of moving water as an example.

UV filter if you want something clear. Go for B&W or Hoya. Don't go cheap with filters either. They will cause issues like not focusing correctly or glare.

ND filters do reduce the light, but based off of your post that isn't what you are looking for. A lot of people just recommend the lens hood (I think Tamron includes theirs) to protect their lenses. A UV filter seems to fit your bill, but if you do buy one, please buy a high quality one like Hoya, B+W, Heliopan, etc... All UV filters degrade image quality but the higher quality ones are almost unnoticeable.
There's a sticky available at "Accessories and Storage" titled " -= THE FILTER FAQ =-" check it out!

Thanks Guys

I think i will settle for a multi coat filter, I read that the loss is only up to 2%. I think i can live with that.

I only use B+W MRC UV filters for protecting the front element. Haven't seen any impact on quality yet.

Sirrith wrote in post #14573463
I only use B+W MRC UV filters for protecting the front element. Haven't seen any impact on quality yet.

Ditto.

Feelter? You don't need no steenkin' feelter!

platforminc wrote in post #14505771
I want something to protect the lens itself

Use a hood when you are shooting. Use a lens cap when you are not. That's all the protection you need.

Correct.

platforminc wrote in post #14573450
Thanks Guys

I think i will settle for a multi coat filter, I read that the loss is only up to 2%. I think i can live with that.

It's not the light loss you need to worry about, it's what happend to that 2% - if it gets reflected then there's a good chance you'll be getting the flare and loss of contrast commonly seen with filters under some conditions.

98% transmission may not seem much different to 99.9% transmission. But it means that the amount of reflected is light is 20 times greater! This is why people will be recommending a high-quality multi-coated filter.

Of course, these don't come cheap, so expect to spend a lot of cash on one. Indeed, so much cash that the difference in cost between a 'protective' filter and replacing the front element of the lens may not be that great. When one takes into account the fact that lens front elements are much more difficult to damage than a flimsy filter then the economic benefit of 'protective' filters begins to look a bit suspect.