Are You on Team UV Filter or Team Never Filter?

My favorite vintage lens from the 1960’s - UV filter attached.

Are you a series amateur, a professional. a hobbyist, or just starting out as a photographer with an expansive DSLR lens? Have you ever wondered about the Pros and Cons of a UV filter? Let's delve into this topic a bit and argue it out.

First, let's take a look at the Pros of using a UV filter. A UV filter primarily protects the lens from scratches, dust, and moisture. It also reduces the amount of UV light that enters the lens, which can cause bluish haze in photographs taken at high altitudes or near water bodies. That blue haze is nothing at all to worry about with today’s digital cameras and post processing software. I’ve never noticed it except on the most unforgiving film decade ago. But when it come to scratches, a UV filter can be easily replaced when damaged, without having to replace the entire lens.

On the flip side, using a UV filter can also have some Cons. One of the main issues is that it could cause vignetting on some lenses, which is the darkening of the corners of the photograph. This is especially noticeable when using a wide-angle lens. Additionally, a UV filter can reduce the sharpness of the photograph, especially when using a low-quality filter. Lastly, a UV filter can add an extra layer of glass, which can cause lens flare and ghosting in bright light conditions.

I have never had issues and stopped using filters like this decades ago. But recently I scratch the front element of a very expensive lens. It has caused me to rethink and maybe start to use them again.

Using a UV filter has both its advantages and disadvantages, and it ultimately depends on the photographer's preference and shooting conditions. If you are more concerned about protecting your lens from scratches and dust, then a UV filter is a good investment. However, if you are looking for the best possible image quality, then shooting without a filter might be the way to go. If you are using a UV filter buy the best quality one you can buy.

As you can see, I’ve been on both teams over the years. Some photographers I’ve met would never unbox a lens unless they have a UV filter near by, and others have never thought about using them at all. I have usually never used one in the past. I mean why would I spend multiple $1000’s on a lens just to put a cheap glass filter on the front? Even a professional filter will not be nearly as good as the glass in my lenses. It has made no sense most of the time. That is until I scratched my lens recently. It is not the first lens I’ve scratched or even destroyed while using. But when I scratched my Canon RF 100-500L lens recently and thought about the lost of value . . . well it got me thinking again. The scratch will have zero effect on 99.9% of my photos, but the resale value of the lens was probably cut in half due to the scratch.

So, what do you think? Are you Team Filter or Team No Filter? Let me know in the comments below.