[Leica] Re: Skylight of Choice

[jbcollier at shaw.ca (John Collier)]

Protective filters are a personal matter between a photographer and 
their craft. The important thing is the images. If not having a filter 
means you will not be able to freely make images then put the 
UV/skylight filter on. Image degradation is insignificant when compared 
to no image at all.

That said, I do not myself use protective filters. I had never 
scratched a filter in ten years of use so I took them off. It has been 
about ten years since then and no elements scratched. I do use caps 
(either lens or shade) between bursts.

I have only ever seen two scratched front elements. The first was on a 
used set of binoculars that had been stored with no case, loose in a 
glove box. The second was on a lens that fell and shattered its 
"protective filter". One of the shards of lter glass scratched the lens 
:-)

This is just an anecdotal report not a scientific treatise so again let 
me repeat:

DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE

John Collier