Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/01/31

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Filters ( with or without a proposal for a dual) again, very long.
From: ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 22:02:26 -0500

Jacques Grilli wrote:

<<<<The response posted   are divided about 1/3 recommend no filter-
1/3 recommend the use of a filter and the other 1/3 are cleaning the lens
with a different brand of whiskey(mostly scotch) so they do not care.>>>


Sorry Jacques,

 No offense for the somewhat frivolous response from the Scotch drinking
crowd. We may not sound serious, we are.

A test? I guess the simple one is to shoot one frame of a scene without a
filter, next frame with and do this on several situations similar to the
type of photography you like to do.

It is only this immediate frame to frame slide comparison will you be able
to see any difference. You may or may not notice some slight difference,
but on the whole with the Leica glass, it's unlikely. However possible.

Basically, I never use UV filters regardless of the maelstroms of dust,
dirt, water, wind and smoke one may encounter. The filter still works out
to putting a two bit piece of glass on a multi thousand dollar piece of
glass.

You've seen the arguments and all this does is lead to a great deal of
confusion for yourself, simply because it is almost like religion as to
whether the filter is worth it or not.

Bottom line after 45 years as a photographer! Save your money from the
filter, buy film, shoot pictures and have fun.

If in 45 years I've only had one lens receive a "zit" and only because I
was shooting too close to a welder, trust me! Yes and I've dropped one or
two also.

By the same token others will fight just as hard to get you to use them.
And I'll still come back and say they are a waste of money to put on a
multi thousand dollar lens!

Do the little test I prescribed and see just how much difference you can
detect.  It isn't like putting a polarizer on the lens where you can see
very distinct change.  Under some light conditions you "might see" some
difference, but the difference isn't worth the internal reflections and two
extra glass surfaces you'll have to keep clean and reflections in some
lighting conditions.

But then this is only my humble experience of 45 years punching the button
and not one iota of theory! :)

ted