Lens filters or not?!

Ok so I've gotten into a little debate about the use of lens UV and other filters for wedding shots..

His debate was to want total control and not to want to have a "cheap" filter between his lens and subject.

Mine is using ads complete control w/ canceling out other outside unwanted flare ups and other shot inconveniences. Plus using the so called "cheap" filters to protect you $1500+ lenses form unwanted debris (even though I carry my Rocket Blower in my camera bag)

so thoughts and opinions please. .

This has been beaten to death. It comes down to ... Are you willing to give up picture quality for perceived protection?

Beaten...beaten...beat​en

I own them but don't use them any more. They provide no useful advantages to me. I've not yet damaged a lens front element, and if I ever do they're not that expensive to have replaced. Cheaper than filters for all my lenses anyway. Plus no degraded image quality.

Never used them for the reasons listed above. I have however made small scratches on the front element of a couple of my lenses, the only downside to this is poor resale, they do not affect the image quality. I have a healthy disrespect for my equipment and always have, to me the photo is so much more important. Gear is a means to an end - albeit an expensive means.

PS I wouldn't buy second-hand equipment off myself.

I would only use them for a beach wedding to protect against sand, salt, and spray. I'm careful enough with my gear where, other than that circumstance, there's no value in the protection offered in exchange for the IQ loss.

I use them for an effect but as already mentioned the do little to protect except they do offer some protction in salty, sandy, windy conditions (beach on a windy day)

i use on all my lenses because i shoot in hawaii!! salt spray, suntan lotion, water, dirt, dust, humidity u name it. it also helps when u shooting and its raining. id rather wipe a cheap filter with my shirt to get the water drops off then use my shirt on the lens element.
even on hot humid days they help. my lens fogged up till i couldnt see out of it, i tried to wipe it off and it made it worse. so i just took off the filter and was good to go.

and another point. i have a few lenses the didnt come with a lens shade (hate when they sell them w/out one) and the filter helps protect the lens from bumps.

There is one other case where using a filter would be wise. Some of Canon's weather sealed lenses are not fully weather sealed until a filter is screwed into place over the front element. There was a list somewhere but I don't have it handy at the moment.

Personally after seeing some of the videos on the web of what the front elements on Canon lenses can take, I really don't have a lot of worries.

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=vzOLbMPe0u8

There was another German one somewhere showing what the 17-85 could take.

If it is a windy day and I'm up in the Rockies somewhere...yes....I will put a high quality filter on the end. By high quality, I mean it cost me $150 or more. The UV filters that cost less than $100 are made of cheaper glass. If you want to shoot through cheap glass, then just buy cheap glass. Putting a $15 filter on the end of a $2,000 lens is going to give you an image only as good as the filter. You will lose contrast, color, and possibly sharpness. Which are all the same things you lose when shooting with a cheap lens. Cheap filters can turn good glass into bad glass.

If you MUST have a filter, then spend the $150 to $200 and get a very good piece of glass. It's the same with ND filters or CPL filters. The better the glass the better the image.

some very useful perspectives on use or not, as I said before I mainly use them for a protective element since alot places I've shot at in MA have had to deal w/ the beach and dusty areas. . so there for I prefer to use them. But in alot of place around here in GA I haven't had to worry about the same issues I've had in MA so I'm noticing I'm using them less and less. . except occasionally using my CPL and ND's instead of the UV's I have

If your UV is a high quality item with proper coatings then you should not have any issues when using it harsh environments. My one UV is MRC and performs quite well - but I rarely use it anymore. The hood gets worn all the time though.