Help me decide - UV filter or not?

[hunz]

Trying to decide which filter to get. Do UV filters help or hinder the X100's filtration?

I have narrowed the choices down to the B+W XS-Pro - as its the slimmest with still a thread on the front so I can screw on the 3rd party hood.

1. B+W 49mm XS-Pro Ultraviolet (UV) MRC Nano #010M Filter

or

2. B+W 49mm XS-Pro Digital NANO Multi-Coated (MRC) Clear #007 Filter

Seems the only difference between the two is that 1. above blocks UV/haze and 2. doesn't? The main reasons are to protect the lens from sand, sea water and the elements.

Your opinions/advice which is best for the X100?

[staal571]

I have nr 2 because my dealer told me that is the best on the X100
another advanced is that if you have the adapter on the camera and then this Uv filter the lens cap/hood fits better.

Gr Peter

[Wolf Rainer Schmalfu]

Trying to decide which filter to get. Do UV filters help or hinder the X100's filtration?

I have narrowed the choices down to the B+W XS-Pro - as its the slimmest with still a thread on the front so I can screw on the 3rd party hood.

1. B+W 49mm XS-Pro Ultraviolet (UV) MRC Nano #010M Filter

or

2. B+W 49mm XS-Pro Digital NANO Multi-Coated (MRC) Clear #007 Filter

Seems the only difference between the two is that 1. above blocks UV/haze and 2. doesn't? The main reasons are to protect the lens from sand, sea water and the elements.

Your opinions/advice which is best for the X100?

If you need an UV protection for the lens at sea level or up in the high mountains YES, otherwise these filters are just good to protect the lens from dirt and finger prints! If you MUST have one, buy the best one for the excellent X100 lens!

[rbelyell]

another vote for no filter unless for a circumstance-specific reason. get the cheap filter ring/hood combo-it looks good, protects lens from damage and flare. dont cover this beautiful lens with a cheapo piece of glass!

[DavidX]

I have the B+W XS Pro Digital MRC

It's great because being thin you can still close the leather case while using it. I would say leave it on all time. People always want to pick up and touch my X100 and this way I don't need to worry about them touching the lens. My filter has copped a few marks and scratches that I'm very glad are not on the lens!

[Donovan]

A must read:

http://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test.html

That test is now 4 years old, but the filter that ranked #1, both in performance and value, is still available. The Hoya HMC UV-O. Pretty surprising results in some areas (Heliopan was middlin) and predictable in other areas (Tiffen sucks).

The Hoya HMC UV-O is still available - mostly from asian shops on that auction site.

[fearofhummingbird]

Go naked!. I shot my X100 for a week without a filter when I first bought it. One of the outstanding things about it was the wonderful micro-contrast that made color saturation so amazing. Then I put on a UV filter for lens protection and found that it blunted that quality. A filter seemed to invite veil glare (haze from bright light outside of the optical path) and destroy that wonderful contrasty attribute of the lens. So I took the filter off.
The surface coating on modern lenses is quite hard. I finally decided that with minimal care I can keep the front surface of the lens clean and filter protection isn't really necessary. I have added a lens hood, which does protect the lens somewhat and also reduces veil glare furhter.

[gavinlg]

I put a b&w 007 clear filter on mine. Because it's my carry camera and I use the hood, I don't use the lens cap. I can promise you that the good b&w filters don't make a difference to the IQ, with the only exception being if there is a very bright light source in the frame pointing to the lens, you will see a green reflection of it somewhere in the photo. You can either clone it out, or it might not bother you.

Don't bother with the UV filter - it doesn't make a difference on digital cameras.

[gavinlg]

A must read:

http://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test.html

That test is now 4 years old, but the filter that ranked #1, both in performance and value, is still available. The Hoya HMC UV-O. Pretty surprising results in some areas (Heliopan was middlin) and predictable in other areas (Tiffen sucks).

The Hoya HMC UV-O is still available - mostly from asian shops on that auction site.

I have a hoya hmc uv-0 on my canon ef 35mm f2. I don't rate it as highly as the top b&w filters (as on my x100), though it was a little cheaper. Feels cheaper though (alloy vs brass), and more reflections with it. Also harder to clean.