Three Reasons Why You Should Never Use a UV Filter
One of the first thing most new photographers do when they purchase there new equipment is put a UV filter on the end of their lens. These filters come free with most camera bundles these days or are included with something you ordered off of your favorite photo site. However, as a buyer, you need to be aware you are being sold a product that will only degrade your photography and hinder you in the field. I had a UV filter for every single lens I ordered for the first 5 years of my photography career. Not having a UV filter would not have made my photography better nor would it have gotten me where I am any quicker.
The Lie That UV Filters Are Essential To Photography And Protecting Your Investment
At some point, we all hear of the amazing benefits of a UV filter in the digital age. Wether it is your $50 kit lens or your $6,000 professional work horse there is no shortage of companies, photographers and thrid parties trying to sell you on the idea that their UV filter will prevent catastrophic damage to your new baby. This is a lie that we are all sold on the hopes of making a quick buck from the industry. UV filters will shatter when the come into contact with any hard object, such as a rock in a fall or a pipe crashing down on it. This sents millions if microscopic glass fragments into your main element and if it's not professional glass that's sealed it can and will end up inside of your barrel. If you manage to get it all cleaned up you now have the reality of removing the filter from the threading, which after any blunt trauma will be next to impossible. I had to break my $70 top of the line UV filter out of my 24-70 F2.8 after a snow boarding crash. My lens was perfectly fine, the UV filter caused 100% of my damage and problems. The glass used in professional lenses is the best in the world, it will not shatter from a minor bump or smack. I have seen rocks, metal, concrete and everything in between hit professional glass without leaving a mark. Do yourself a favor and be a more responsible owner and you will never need a UV Filter.
UV Filters Come From Film Photography And Are Obsolete
UV Filters had a real purpose in the days of film photography. Film is highly susceptible to ultraviolet light, something our eyes cannot see without the aid of technology. Digital sensors are nearly immune to these rays as well and if anything does affect them it can be easily replicated in post processing completely eliminating the need for a UV filter. When film is exposed to UV light, that naturally occurs in the world, it can desaturate the colors or just downright distort them. The contrast will not be as punchy and deep as well as it can have an effect on sharpness since the film itself is a physical medium that is affected by the world around us. However, even film that is made today and made in the last 30 years has undergone changes to almost eliminate UV interference, making a filter even more useless.
Putting Anything In Front Of Your Lens Will Degrade Image Quality
The third and final reason UV filters are a waste of money is that it is another piece of glass in front of your element and it will ALWAYS degrade image quality. Now sure there are different qualities, brands and price points for UV filters and I bet there are some high-end manufacturers that are selling some stellar glass that sees less than 1% degradation across the images but a loss is still a loss. You will NEVER achieve the best IQ your camera can put out until you remove all filters from in front of the lens. Not to mention if you want to stack filters on them you are already having to crop and fight color shifts because now you have 2 pieces of glass instead of one! UV Filters should not be given out the free candy on Halloween to any photographer unexperienced enough to throw it on their lens. Cheap filters will throw colors off, affect sharpness and flatten your contrast. Good UV Filters will do the same but to a very minimal degree and frankly, I am just not in the business if buying filters that make my photography worse.
Many famous bloggers, YouTubers and professional influencers would beg to differ with me, most, in fact, would laugh this article off, yet those are the same people being paid by these companies to sell your cheap garbage. Keeping you wanting and feeling inadequate is the name of the game for these “influencers”. UV Filters are not good for your photography nor your career in whatever creative field you find yourself in. They are sold as a solution to a nonexistent problem. Instead of trying to make money off the backs of uneducated amateurs and new professionals you these companies would be better off cultivating more responsibility from their customers and taking better care of their gear. An $80 UV filter will not save your lens from catastrophic failure, nor will it end up being the insurance policy they say it is. Be more mindful of your photography and be responsible with your gear. If you are worried about breaking something so precious to you maybe getting a real insurance policy for less than the price of a UV filter a year would be a better way to spend your money.
