Staples has the two filter kit from Tiffen for 58mm lenses. A UV??? filter, or is it glass, and a circular polarizer for $40. Are they any good? Or, should I go for Hoya, or some other brand. I think Canon's uv is fairly priced, but the CP is up there. Need confirmation it is a good investment.

What do the experts say on this?

I'm no expert, but you probably can't go far wrong with either Tiffen or Hoya. That said, there probably isn't a whole lot in it.

A lot of people use UV filters as protection for the front element of their lens. They're supposed to cut down on haze a bit, but most people I've heard talking about 'em use 'em to stop crud from the outside world from getting at the front piece of glass in the lens. They're fairly cheap and they don't affect the image much at all, so they're probably worth having for that alone.

You can also buy completely clear glass filters for the same purpose - they don't actually filter anything, but do act as protection for your lens. Some of them are substantially thinner than actual filters, but don't include a front thread for you to stack another filter in front of 'em. They don't usually cost much less than the UV filters.

I have 52mm and 67mm Hoya HMC UV(0) filters on the front of my two lenses. I paid the little extra for the multicoated versions as multicoating should stop light from being bounced back and forth between the back side of the filter and the front element.

A 58mm circular polariser from Hoya isn't particularly cheap. The asking price seems to be about $38 or so, and the multicoated version is double that. A Tiffen circular 58mm polariser is about $37 at B&H, so $40 for that plus a protective filter sounds like a fairly decent deal.

How's the XTi working out for ya? Come on, man, where're your piccies?

[QUOTE=Smeghead]I'm no expert, but you probably can't go far wrong with either Tiffen or Hoya. That said, there probably isn't a whole lot in it.


No pix yet. Didn't even open the box yet. Still not convinced that Canon is the way to go.

I picked up the filters tonight though. Just in case. The Better IS tele uses the same 58mm filters. At least one thing went right. Thanks for the tips..

Me? I don't like UV filters, unless it's pouring with rain in which case they're easier to wipe away with your sleeve... Best way to test a UV filter is to mount your camera on a tripod, point it at a wall on program mode, make a note of the readings and then wave the UV filter in front of it. The worst UV filters cut down light by 1.5 stops! If it doesn't cut anything, then, fine, go ahead and use it, if it does, then think twice about the money you spent on your fast aperture lenses in the first instance.

Polarizers are more forgiving, as you tend to use them outdoors in bright environments, so your lens is already stopped down...

What I am a fan of is taking your camera out of the box before deciding what else you need to go with it: learn one piece of kit at a time, and decide what you really want - have said it before, and I'll spend a lifetime saying it...

Yup, I'd heard about some UV filters doing that when I ordered all this junk, and was somewhat nervous to see the results. The Hoya filters we have on various lenses at work didn't seem to affect the response of our sensor, but those have to be at least 15 years old.

Anyway, the above test as one of the first things I did with the D80. I found that in program mode with auto ISO set for 100-1600, neither the shutter speed, aperture or ISO changed one iota when the filter was added.

Other filters may well cut incoming light, but these Hoya UV(0) HMC doodads seem to have no effect on neither my 50mm nor my 18-70mm. That's a relief, given those big, inviting front elements of my lenses seem to be really appealing targets for adventurous little 9 month-old hands, doubly so when said hands have been stuffed in a little mouth for a bit.

Oh, on a vaguely (un)related note, I tried out the lenspen for the first time this morning. The front glass of our TZ1 was getting pretty filthy, so I got the pen out and gave it a go. Since that first piece of glass is pretty big on the TZ1 (in compact terms, at least), using the standard lenspen was no problem whatsoever.

The pad has a weird feel to it as it rubs across the glass, but it did a great job of cleaning the lens up. They're definitely worth the 10 bucks or so.