Who produces the best filters?

[George Mann]

Which brand of filters have the least affect on lens sharpness?

 

[Leigh B]

I think B+W in Germany makes the best filters available.
That's reflected in their use of brass rings rather than aluminum.

I use them on all my numerous lenses, 35mm through 8x10.
I've never noticed any hint of image degradation.

- Leigh

 

[pentaxuser]

Is there any scientific evidence that B+W filters have the least effect on lens sharpness that is measurable in absolute terms or even to the naked eye compared to say Hoya and at what magnification would this become apparent.

I am curious as to whether there is a source that has tested this and produced a league table of filters in the same way as film resolution can be and has been tested.

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Coatings on filters are more important that the glass used, but why not just get the best glass with the best coating? I have always found B+W, Hoya HMC and Heliopan to be reliable, but there are others too of course.

 

[MattKing]

Which brand of filters have the least affect on lens sharpness?

Any reputable brand.
Where you will find differences is in mechanical construction (very important), coatings (important for minimizing flare) and, in some cases, accuracy of meeting filtration goals (primarily for technical and colour compensation purposes).

 

[George Mann]

So should I use a B+W KR1.5 or KR3 as a base warming filter given the high altitude of Colorado?

 

[Sirius Glass]

B+W, Heliopan, and Hasselblad are the best filters.

 

[AgX]

Coatings on filters are more important than the glass used,...

The glass is the essence of the filter, it determines its character.
But there are only three or four filter glass manufacturers anyway.

 

[voceumana]

I stick with B+W and Hoya filters, for the most part, but go for multi-coated filters. The coating reduces flare. I like brass rings because they don't tend to stick like cheap aluminum rings can.

 

[LJH]

Is there any demonstrable evidence (rather than anacdotal) of the effect of cheaper filters?

It's all well and good to make claims about the "best" filter; however, if the difference(s) are bordering on redundant, who cares?

And coating is not much of an issue if a) you're shooting B&W, b) you're not shooting into direct light and c) you're not shooting highly complex zoom lenses.

 

[George Mann]

Anyone want to take a crack at my other thread?

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Sirius Glass]

Is there any demonstrable evidence (rather than anacdotal) of the effect of cheaper filters?

It's all well and good to make claims about the "best" filter; however, if the difference(s) are bordering on redundant, who cares?

And coating is not much of an issue if a) you're shooting B&W, b) you're not shooting into direct light and c) you're not shooting highly complex zoom lenses.

1) Not true. Reflections are still a problem.

2) Not true. Reflections are still a problem especially if the subject or part of the image is in the Sun.

3) Not true. Just not true on so many levels.

Thank you for posting your prejudices, no return to science and facts for a change.

 

[PGillin]

I've had good results with Hoya SMC, Nikkor, and B&W filters.
I'll mention, for the sake of argument, that I have a Kenko l41 UV filter (multicoated) and another kenko UV, unspecified cut, single or uncoated, and I can see a difference between them in terms of sharpness, flare, ghosting, and fringing. I haven't tested this sientifically, but have seen them produce differing results under similar conditions, even when swapping them between my pair of same-filter size lenses. YMMV, but I would stick to multi-coated filters.

 

[Ome Kees]

Here is a UV filter test:
http://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test.html

 

[Sim2]

Hallo,
I don't normally add much to questions/threads, however I will post a link to a recent article about filter quality (not my article or blog). It makes for interesting reading on testing current UV filters and quality:

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/20...anking-of-the-major-uv-filters-on-the-market/

 

[AgX]

Those who find filters troublesome due to their distinctive shape (plane) may try so-called ghostless filters. They are ground into the shape of a meniscus of zero refraction.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I use a little scrape of candle was on the threads when installing. Not every time just occasionally at home. keeps filters from sticking. And I like Nikon's filters. However any of the above mentioned will give good results.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

B+W if you want to do reasonable payment and have better quality of how filter is made. Or just new Hoya or Tiffen if you need fine working filter. Avoid old filters, those are affecting negative quality.
As for Colorado, if you are using coated, clean lens and modern film, here is nothing to worry about.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I use Wratten gelatine filters. Light weight. Some of my older ones have a few scratches in them, but don't seem to harm image quality. I have a few cheap, Kenko filters and I'd be hard pressed to see any negative impact on the image quality.

 

[George Mann]

As for Colorado, if you are using coated, clean lens and modern film, here is nothing to worry about.

I was referring to the strength of the warming filter vs. the additive affect of high altitude.

 

[George Mann]

After viewing the tests, it is clear to me that the B+W MRC's harm the quality of the image the least.

 

[Alan Gales]

I used to shoot a Contax and had Contax filters on my Zeiss lenses. They were great.

I now use B+W, Heliopan and Hoya HMC which I mostly purchased used off Ebay. I haven't done any tests but they all seem good to me. I've always used UV filters on my lenses for protection. I've always shot through them and only removed them if I wanted to use another filter. I have never noticed any degradation of image quality doing this.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I was referring to the strength of the warming filter vs. the additive affect of high altitude.

Yes. I was in Colorado at 9475 ft elevation point. Taking pictures.

 

[George Mann]

Yes. I was in Colorado at 9475 ft elevation point. Taking pictures.

What time of day?

 

[George Mann]

You may want to take note of the fact that I am a slide film shooter.