Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/25

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Subject: [Leica] Full circle with filters
From: "BIRKEY, DUANE" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 12:38:30 -0500

Well it makes sense if you are trying to cover an short event and have to 
change lenses a lot.  I shoot some stuff with 3 bodies, 3 different films 
and 5 or 6 lenses.   That computes to lots of Iens changes.  With my 
Canon lenses I would have to remove the lens hoods to put on the lens 
caps.  That is un-workable.  It just takes too much time to replace even 
the rear caps during an event.

When I get done with the shoot, I replace all of the rear caps again and 
get lenses back on all of the bodies.

I really don't abuse my equipment, but when you're in a hurry to get a 
shot,  you're a worried about getting it, not replacing caps or putting a 
lens back in the right spot.  If you've got all the time in the world you 
should use at least rear caps and body caps, I do.  

It's just that I do too many things where I HAVE to get a lot of good 
shots in a very short time.   I hate working with three bodies and three 
films, I try to limit it to two and if I had my choice, I would shoot 
stuff with just one.  But it often doesn't meet the needs of our 
organization.  

In the end, filters have been a great insurance for me that the front 
elements of lenses are not going to get nicked.   It's great insurance 
that I'm not going to end up with junk since my work will often not allow 
me to replace caps.  It only takes one mistake to ruin a lens and I'm not 
about to risk another.  My practical experience differs from some.  I see 
absolutely no visible degradation from a good filter in my images PERIOD. 
  My eyes are great, I've got 20/13 vision, I see at 20 what most see at 
13ft.  But if your premise is it does degrade yours, don't use them.

The point was it is pretty darn easy to ruin a lens if you carelessly or 
accidentally place it in a the insert without caps.  It's not all that 
difficult as was made out to be.  That's my point.  Caps are a luxury for 
the leisurely.

>No! wrong again! I would have wished that I was smart enough to use lens
>caps. Who in their right mind would throw a bunch of lenses into a bag
>without caps? If that's the way you treat your equipment, you will end 
up
>with junk. 

>Sorry Duane, what you said above just makes absolutely no sense to me.

>Jim


Duane Birkey

HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador