UV filter, is the brand really important for your DSLR lens ??

[MCAsan]

I have been shooting SLR, DSLR, and now mirrorless since 1972 and never scratched a lens front element. In shooting almost as long, the wife did manage to wreck just one lens. She let it roll off the safari truck and do a face plant into the ground 6 feet below. Canon had to rebuild that L lens....no hood or filter could have saved it.

Love the hoods Olympus is putting on their M43 lenses line the macro 60 or 40-150 Pro. The hood twists then slides back for storage or to let you access the front of the lens. That slide back feature makes it is much easier if you have a CPL filter and need to rotate that filter.

 

[VirtualRain]

This sums it up rather perfectly:

http://www.kenandchristine.com/gallery/1054387

Great illustration.

Not that anyone cares what I think (since this has long been a religious debate), the only time I think a filter is appropriate is when shooting in harsh conditions like dust storms, rally races, or something like that. Then I would just buy the cheapest filters I could find, because they are going in the trash immediately after the shoot.

For the rest of the time I'm shooting, a lens hood provides far more protection than a filter as they not only provide good clearance for the front element from objects that might strike it, but they also protect it from bumps and drops which are more likely to dent the lens housing than directly impact the front element. Here a hood will likely be the first thing to get struck by the blow and either absorb the damage or do a great job lessening it.

And when lenses are being transported or stored they have their lens caps on, which are like cheap filters with very poor optical quality

 

[MiniD3]

Hi There,

Sensors are not affected by UV, so a wasted of money,
if its protecting the front element your worried about, like sea spray and sand, dust storm etc, just get a "protector" filter, I think Hoya or Kenko sell them

if you have good insurance, and your not exposed to salt spray etc, don't bother, anything you put in front of the lens is going to affect the image, except for an intended purpose like a CPL or ND
......Gary