Best lens filter

[oldfashioned1536]

I'm looking for a lens filter mostly to protect my 18-135 lens and don't want to cheap out on it. Any recommendation?

 

[Trenton Talbot]

B+W MRC.

[Dis]

I'd say the most expensive filter worth buying is hoya HD. It's great in all ways I can imagine.

[Tom]

I'm satisfied with my "FUJIFILM SUPER EBC FUJINON PROTECTOR 67mm".

[darknj]

Depends on what you are expecting out of that filter, is it to just protect your lens from damages or are you looking for those fancy nano coating ?

 

If it's just for protection, B+W is really good for their basic filter, not because it will protect your lens against all shock but because it's super clear, you can hardly see any differences with and without (3:1 pixel peeping to see anything actually).

 

If it's for the fancy nano coating and other features, well I am a bit out of suggestion for you, one of my colleagues swears by the high end B+W filters for his nikkor 24-70mm F2.8 and 70-200mm F2.8 but since I got mine just to protect the lens, I just want them as clear as possible.

 

Hoya is also a name I hear being mentioned often when lens filters are being brought up.

[aceflibble]

I wouldn't put any filter on that lens. Leave the lens hood on and the front element will be protected from everything, unless you purposefully pour water down it.

[Dis]

I wouldn't put any filter on that lens. Leave the lens hood on and the front element will be protected from everything, unless you purposefully pour water down it.

This works for small lenses with cylinder hood like XF56, but bad idea for pentahood of long 18-135 lens.

[oldfashioned1536]

I wouldn't put any filter on that lens. Leave the lens hood on and the front element will be protected from everything, unless you purposefully pour water down it.

I am extremely good with caring for my gear. All I want to do is protect the front element just in case I happen to ding it somewhere without realizing it. I also don't want it to interfere with image quality. Like Tom mentioned, Fuji makes one that is $83 here in the US. That should be a good bet right? 

[Nero]

I've always had good luck with B+W, but when in doubt I go with the manufacturer. Either one will do.

[Mahalarp]

Protection filter needed are clear and easy cleaning especially not generate another unnecessary flare for your photo.

 

Right now I'm sticking on Kenko Zeta Quint on my prime lenses which is very easy for cleaning and light weight because it is aluminium frame. And yes it's clear.

 

However, for my zoom lenses which I always bring for landscape shooting, I prefer brass frame like B+W MRC Nano. It's very clear, easy cleaning and easy to put any filter holder adapter on (I feel brass is much better than aluminium frame on this task). It's just a bit expensive than Kenko one.

[aceflibble]

I also don't want it to interfere with image quality.

Then you don't want to put any filter on that lens. It's a decent optic as it is, but it's not the most flawless lens out there and with the pixel pitch of the Fuji cameras, any additional glass you put on the front will either soften the image or increase glare and ghosting, depending on the nature of the filter. A simple coated clear protective filter will do the least damage—Hoya, B+W and Tiffen all make good ones—but even that is going to degrade the lens somewhat. It's not physically possible to add more glass to the front and maintain the same image quality. Simply keeping the lens hood on does fully protect the front element from knocks by the simple act of physically blocking anything from touching it, and it won't decrease image quality at all. (Or in fact can help, in the case of preventing glare and flare.) If you want to keep the image quality the same, that really is the only thing that will do it. 

[Jeff Morris]

I must have a filter on all of my lenses period.  Yes we buy Fuji glass which is wonderful; yes a filter can degrade the image.  However, using a high quality filter that is properly coated to reduce flair can save your front element.  I have trashed at least two filters due to accidents and the filter saved my front element and filter threads.  For this reason I do not leave home without filters.  Your mileage may vary.

 

I use Kenko and Hoya Pro 1 filters and IMHO they are truly outstanding.  They are ultra thin, allow filter stacking if needed and the front threads allow the use of a lens cap.  I just looked at the filter on my 60mm and it is a B+W 39mm E 010 1A, so I guess I have also used B+W at times.

 

Filters have always been a hot topic.  Truth-be-told every piece of glass in front of a lens can degrade your images.  But for me the trade off is well worth it.

[darknj]

Nowadays, it's hardly needed to have any filter on a lens for the different featured coatings but I still consider them a small form of lens insurance for most frontal shock.

 

And let's face it, at one point you will either have your lens fall onto the front part or bump it into something else. For a colleague of mine who shoots concerts, he seems to attracts guitar's head right into his nikkor 24-70mm F2.8, a couple of filters got broken already over the years but that's like twice 75$ instead of the 1.5k $ for the lens.

 

Even if YOU are careful, you still can not control the environment around you and for that, I find the small loss in IQ negligible for the price of those lenses. 

[Antony]

Hadn't used filters since my Canon zooms went to 82mm, but with the Fuji gear I had some old filters that fit them so I put some on. Was shooting yesterday with my 10-24mm @ 10mm f/11 (property shots) and afterwards I noticed large white spots on a couple of my images. Sure enough, my B&W MRC Pro had a spot of dust on it. Couldn't believe it would appear on the image but at 10mm f/11 the dof was so great that it must have. I suppose I'm going to be filter off again now!

[darknj]

Hadn't used filters since my Canon zooms went to 82mm, but with the Fuji gear I had some old filters that fit them so I put some on. Was shooting yesterday with my 10-24mm @ 10mm f/11 (property shots) and afterwards I noticed large white spots on a couple of my images. Sure enough, my B&W MRC Pro had a spot of dust on it. Couldn't believe it would appear on the image but at 10mm f/11 the dof was so great that it must have. I suppose I'm going to be filter off again now!

 

Please pardon me the question but, why not just clean the filter ? If it's just a dust spot, it can be cleaned easily.

 

Following this, I wonder what would you do if you have the same dust spot on your lens, are you going to buy a new one ?

 

If I am offending you in anyway, please do let me apologies, I am just trying to understand the logic behind "Not using a filter that has a dust spot" while the same dust spot can appear on your lens.

[ianpiper]

I wouldn't put any filter on that lens. Leave the lens hood on and the front element will be protected from everything, unless you purposefully pour water down it.

Sorry, but I disagree. I look after my kit, but even with a hood I've found a scratch on a filter more than once. Thank God it was on a £30 filter and not a £500 lens. I go for B+W MRC filters; I can detect no difference at all between having the filter on or off.

[oldfashioned1536]

Thanks guys! I decided to go with the Fuji filter and will share my findings once it arrives.

[Exiled]

I use B+W MRC filters, and have always done so, if I am going to dirty places. Usually, I leave the filters off, but in the jungle or deserts, I put them on. The multicoating is good because it makes it easier to clean them off. Also, the B+W are made of brass, and the softer metal makes them less likely to fuse with the threads of the lense and get stuck.

[sgmcenroe]

B&W makes great glass filters for any budget.  I have been real happy with them. I use them for front element protection. Recently got into the Lee Seven5 filter system for my XT1, but that is pricy and for other purposes.

[mattdm]

In the unlikely event of a scratch that's serious enough to affect image quality, having the front element repaired or replaced isn't all that expensive. Multiply the risk by the repair cost, and compare that to the certain cost of a high-quality filter, and then subtract the increased flare and reduced resolution.

 

It's really not worth it, unless you're in special circumstances with extra environmental dangers.

[darknj]

In the unlikely event of a scratch that's serious enough to affect image quality, having the front element repaired or replaced isn't all that expensive. Multiply the risk by the repair cost, and compare that to the certain cost of a high-quality filter, and then subtract the increased flare and reduced resolution.

 

You are right, it's not THAT expensive but the question is rather, can you afford the time without your lens.

 

Please allow me to elaborate, if you are shooting in a remote location and for whatever reasons you scratch badly the front of your lens, can you really afford the time to have it sent back to repair and miss the schedule for your shooting ? True you might have another lens with you, but when you envisioned your shooting, you had already begun to see what angle and focal length you wanted to use and because of the scratch you can no longer use the primary lens you wanted.

Another scenario, you are on vacation on a place you haven't been before and same thing happens, you scratch the front element of your lens, can you afford to spend time and or money for an express repair ?

 

On both cases, I can just ditch the filter out and either use another reserve one that I might have brought with me, or continue without one until I can find a shop for it.

 

A lot of use have backup bodies, but I hardly know anyone with backup lens, one might have something relatively closer and make do but it is still not what you had in your mind when you packed your gear.

 

So again for me, filters aren't a necessity but I still consider them a small form of insurance for my front elements, thus why I always buy crystal clear filters, they are cheap enough for me not to care if I break them.

[sghound]

https://youtu.be/ky1CVNq6QTU

[kmleffler]

I only use the FujiFilm protective filters on my lenses.  They are expensive, but they are coated in the same way as the lenses and there is less of a chance of increasing flare and ghosting.