Re: Filters

[Thomas Kachadurian <kach@freeway.net>]

Jim:

I'm with you most of the way. And I'll add this. The front elements of most
M lenses are small and easy to keep clean. Add a filter and you've got a
big flat dust magnet.

That said, Last winter I was shooting a tire fire, in the flames and ash. I
made certain there were filters all my lenses.

Tom


At 08:37 AM 9/23/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Jack, much of this is a repeat of my post of last May.
>
>So what is the reason for the UV (protection) filter??? Since 1965, Leica
>glass & glue contain all of the UV filtering you will need (per Leitz
>document #920-083.) A useful filter (polarizer, warming, conversion, etc.)
>is OK when necessary. But don't put useless glass in front of your very
>expensive, multicoated, meticulously designed lens. As Leica said a number
>of years ago "If we had wanted a piece of glass in front of our lenses, we
>would have designed it there. But we don't and we didn't." I believe I
>first heard this from Walter Heun, perhaps Walter Moffat.  In my humble
>opinion, IX-NAY on the UV! UV (protection) filters and nEver-Ready cases
>are profit boosters for camera stores. Think you need front element
>protection? Use a lens cap. More Leica words... "Even high quality filters
>may create problems in certain situations. High contrast, sunrise, sunset,
>night shots, bright light sources in the frame. These can cause general
>degradation of the image, loss of contrast, and double image. Remove all
>filters in these kinds of situations." ... per Leitz document #920-083. So
>what constitutes high contrast? How bright is bright? Conclusion... only
>use a filter if it is going to _enhance_ the photograph. So how is a
>protection filter going to enhance an image taken through a modern Leica
>lens? It cannot enhance, it can only degrade.
>
>I got my first camera in 1948. I worked as yearbook photographer, belonged
>to all camera clubs in schools through regular college, then went through
>Brooks Inst. of Photography (1960/61). This is 1997. Of the literally
>thousands of photographers I know & have known, not a single one has bashed
>the front element of his/her lens. I guess it can happen, but it's probably
>as rare as a person getting hit by a meteorite. I'm sure someone on this
>list has done this. They should be watching the sky when not looking
>through the viewfinder. The most common accident... dropping the whole
>camera or having it tip over on a tripod. This happened to George Lepp just
>a few months ago. When you drop your camera, it usually damages a whole lot
>more than the front element of your lens. As a matter of fact, the front
>element is rarely, if ever, touched. Leica 19mm, 16mm, and 15mm R lenses
>have no filter threads. The 15mm glass is huge and sticks way out. I own
>and often use this lens. These are expensive tools. Even though they are
>tools, they should always be treated with respect. If you need to keep your
>lens covered with another piece of glass to "protect" it, in my estimation,
>you are doing something wrong. The hit would have to be dead center in the
>middle of the filter (a really really rare situation) to ONLY damage the
>filter, and not take out the edge of the lens barrel in the process.
>
>As you can guess, I have a STRONG opinion on this subject. Other people
>have legitimate opinions as well. So take my opinion, as well as other
>opinions, into account when you think this through. Sometimes it simply
>your own peace of mind that will dictate what you do. All the technical
>talk in the world won't help.
>
>Jim
>
>ps... sorry, cannot help you with the serial numbers. There are plenty of
>other people here that can answer that.
>
>