Re: [Leica] UV or not UV

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

Dan Post wrote:
> 
> Peter has a most reasonable explanation, and it's hard to disagree, but I
> would add one caveat- USE A LENSHADE! Anytime you add an air to glass
> surface, hanging that far into the light, you are just begging for some
> flare!
> Dan
> From: Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter) <peterk@lucent.com>
snip
> >Don,
> >
> >Water can destroy the coating on a lens if the lens is subjected to it for
> >an extended period of time. Salt water will accelerate this, but only if
> >left on the lens or over a period of time.
> >If you were at the ocean and the lens were sprayed each day, I would say
> >that in a few months you would see the coating start to change/dissolve.
> >But if you clean the lens each day, preferably with an alcohol-type cleaner
> >(Many lens manufacturers use an alcohol based cleaner for the lens
> >elements.) the alcohol provides the added benefit of absorbing moisture as
> >well. Hence, the possibility of coating damage is reduced.
> >
> >OTOH, if you were doing beach photography daily, IMO a UV or warming filter
> >would provide a barrier to the salt water and also the sand.  I am sure
> >others may tell you otherwise, but why take the chance?  A filter is cheap
> >protection, and unless you blow up you prints to ungodly proportions you
> >will not be able to see any difference.
snip
I also feel using lens shades is a lenes best protection. Since I
usually do black and white I will usually have a yellow green on unless
I am in a hand held low light indoor situation.  It does more than take
out UV better than a UV filter; it balances out the sky, trees the
shadows next to them and skin tones all for the better. For me having to
underexpose a neg just to avoid a white toneless sky makes for an
awkward slower technique. A filter with real effect avoids that.
To me a UV filter just adds a question mark as to what you are going to
end up with.
When there is lots of light or a tripod I'll bring the sky down and the
trees up further by using a regular green not yellow/green and for all
out glam the trees go black and the sky goes middle grey with a red filter.
Mark Rabiner
And redheads will lose their spots