[Leica] Ah! Back to the Great Filter Dispte!

[rclompus at mac.com (Richard Clompus)]

Ted, your words of wisdom never disappoint.

In the words of another famous photographer, "if you got em, use em".

Richard Clompus

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 26, 2008, at 7:41 AM, Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> wrote:

> The Great Filter debate! :-)
>
> It's the year 3008 and this conversation will still be going on! :-)  
> WHY?
>
> Simply because some people are amateurs, some are pros and some  
> always seem
> to be in one panic state or other over the subject. Certainly when  
> plain old
> fashion common sense will tell you when to use and when not to.
>
> Absolutely honest experience... I never use them unless for specific  
> reason:
>
> 1/ Photographic effect, polarize for both types of film. Never used  
> any on
> digital camera! In the olden days I had a pile of filters for almost
> everything imaginable for colour & BW until I fell under the spell  
> of the
> great GURU "Neverusefiltersperiod!" A wise man? Nope! He didn't use  
> common
> sense regarding what you are shooting.
>
>
>
> 2/ No filter: I learned the hard way photographing a welder while  
> using a
> 28mm R Lens and shooting for real tight close-ups. OOPS!!!!!! Bad  
> move!
>
> One spark landed right in the middle of the front element burning a  
> tiny
> mark right into the glass! Damn! :-(
>
> However a test later revealed absolutely no defect in image quality  
> from
> wide open to stopped down at any aperture.  And at any size Kodachrome
> projected on 10 ft. sq. screen or for print reproduction. Kept using  
> the
> lens.
>
> However, the angst of worry even though nothing showed, the constant  
> mental
> stress of one day a big black mark will show on a major shoot became  
> too
> much so I sold it, bought a new lens and filter!
>
> Did I immediately put the filter on and leave it forever? Nope! No  
> point as
> 99.9% of the time a filter is 2 extra glass faces you have to clean.  
> And or
> creates flares just when you don't want any!
>
> HOWEVER! The assignment dictated when the filter should go on.
>
> Obviously if I ever shot welders again! :-)
>
> Stock and sprint car dirt track racing. Lots of crap flying through  
> the air
> with those cars
>
> Calgary Stampede as David explained!
>
> And any location where "flying debris" is liable to happen.
>
> The filter WILL NOT protect any lens under any condition when you  
> drop an
> 80-200 brand new out of the box one level of house to lower level 15  
> feet to
> marble floor. You only have the pieces of everything to pick-up.  
> Obviously
> that included every shard of filter glass! This only happens on the  
> first
> day of an assignment in a far off country! :-(
>
>
>
> Use, non-use, is a matter of who-why-when & where for each individual
> shooter because it's the guy or gal holding and owning the gear that
> determines the choice. Quite frankly I don't get into the discussion  
> other
> than point out personal past & present "work related situations" and  
> leave
> it to each his own decision. Have at it folks! :-)
>
>
>
> ted
>
>
>
>
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