Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/11

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Lenshood v. filters
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 10:34:45 -0000

I only mention this because no one has thus far - there is a certain kind of
filter that provides ABSOLUTE protection for any lens, and does NOT effect
the performance of the lens, no matter how bizarre the lighting
conditions...

It's called INSURANCE.... ;-)

B. D.



- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Mike
Johnston
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 9:10 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Lenshood v. filters


Marc Small: >>>Anything severe enough to break the front
element will shatter a filter and still trash the front element.  Leica
glass is TOUGH.  The company recommends NOT using filters save for
optical
effects.<<<

I second this. A hood is protection enough.


>>>I began this debate on the opposite side of the spectrum, some many
years
back, in the early days of the LUG.  Jim Brick and his cronies convinced
me
I was wrong.  And I've not used filters, as a result, for lens
protection
for three or four years, now.<<<

Carl Weese, on of our Contributing Editors, did the same for me in the
early '90s. I've seldom used filters since (except on my collapsible
Summicron, which has notoriously soft front element glass) and have
never had any problems.

Wasn't it Leica that used to demonstrate the toughness of the Summicron
by having a Rep bear down on the front element with a piece of barbed
wire, without leaving a mark? I think I remember seeing such a
demonstration in the early '80s. I don't actually remember if it was
Leica or not...

Think how many used lenses you see for sale on eBay that say some
version of, "barrel shows wear, glass perfect" (or "mint," or
"flawless," or some such). If lens glass were really easy to scratch,
there would be a whole heck of a lot more scratched lenses out there.
(This doesn't apply to many early lenses, some of which were quite easy
to scratch.)

A number of years ago, just for fun, a friend of mine and I tossed an
old lens out a second-story window onto concrete. The degree of damage
was surprisingly small. I continued to abuse it for a while (work was
slow and we were bored out of our minds), tossing it as high as I could
and letting it land on the concrete. I busted up the filter completely,
broke the bayonet ring, and succeeded in deforming the entire lens
barrel slightly, but the front element never even got a scratch until I
whacked it repeatedly against the corner of a set of concrete steps.
(eBay: "A few minor dents. Glass perfect." <g>)

- --Mike