Hey photographers! I finally made my luxury purchase of a Nikon Z 50mm f1.2 S after using a 50mm f1.8 some time. I haven’t really ever bothered with UV/Clear Filters just a lens hood. Although my stuff is fully insured after spending $3600 I’m feeling inclined to prevent the small scratches that can occur overtime. Have any more well versed photographers have recommendations for the best filter to purchase ? Currently looking at the Nikon Arcrest Protection Filter.
Reduction in image quality vs wear and tear in use... id still avoid UV filters. I must say even considering how much I use my gear (professionally) in all types of conditions... glass is pretty much tough as nails if you treat them with a little care and avoid things like dropping Personal favoured filter brands I use for ND/CPL is B+W which I normally buy from B&H. Hoya/Hitech are other well known brands.
Thank you for the informative insight! I am definitely not clumsy and very careful i.e; never drop it or anything. It’s more so when it comes to cleaning the lens with a microfibre lens cleaner if something super tiny might cause micro scratches ? The Nikon protector I’m looking at is just a clear from what I have read and not UV
Which you would never see nor would have a big impact on image quality (tiny scratches) if you did have them on your lens. Also having a screw in filter doesnt remove the need completely from cleaning your lens. Of which at some point you will likely have to clean the front element and place it at risk of said scratches anywho. Anything you put infront of your lens (may) degrade your image quality somewhat depending on the brand, quality and shooting conditions. Spend up on a nice lens to achieve good quality to only put something infront of it that can reduce that. I am a firm believer that regularly using hoods and caps is enough. Even for me most of the time my gear sits hooded but without caps and they stay in great condition. YMMV ... if you have the money to spend then just look up the better brands and options and jump on one. Added: I always considered UV/Clear to pretty much be the same thing so always reference it as such.
Understand the thought, I am probably just used to giving my gear a red hot go after many years. Anything you purchase and try you can always re-sell if need be Welcome to the forums!
My method for preventing scratches is to clean front elements in 3 steps: blower thingy, soft brush and finally cloth/pad. The theory is that larger debris are blown or flicked off the glass before you use the cloth to remove oils and stuff.
This is a great suggestion on methods to be using to clean stuff. As others have said, UV/protection filters are a waste of money and just degrade your image for normal photography. If you're worried about dropping it, a filter won't help much anyway as it'll break the glass and likely scratch the front element anyway - you're way better off with a plastic lens hood, as it'll likely improve image quality by removing light sources outside of your frame that lower contrast AND provide good impact absorbing qualities if you do in fact drop it or smack it hard against something.