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Always Use UV Filters?
"Photo Asia" Magazine of Singapore |
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Always Use UV Filters?
"Photo Asia" Magazine of Singapore |
Some serious amateurs who fall in love with their expensive lenses always protect their babies with UV (ultra violet) filters to ensure that their babies are immunized against dirts, finger prints, oil marks, scratches, or abrasions, which might hurt the images produced. And the images would be improved after filtering off the damaging ultra violet rays from the sunlight, giving them more contrast and colour renditions, as they are often told by the salesmen in photo shops.
However, they do not realize that photography, like lens designs, is an art of making compromises. Lenses, particularly the very expensive state-of-the-art gems, are designed without taking into consideration of an UV filter in front. When optical engineers try to trace the incident rays or light shafts, manually in the good old days or by computer nowadays, they do not assume that the lens is blocked by a UV filter up-front of various designs and makes. Hence, seriously speaking, the filter can distort the otherwise perfect images warranted by the optical engineers.
Some lenses costing USD1,000 up are protected by UV filters costing less than USD5 each. I still remember a friend of mine fitting cheap tires on his Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. How can you expect the two surfaces of the filter to be absolutely flat and parallel to each other, when you pay only USD5 for it? Whilst you have just seen off Mr. Ultra Violet through the main door, you might not aware that you have at the same time let in another guest named " Mr. Distortions" through the side entrance.
Some "intelligent" users try to make use of one large filter to cover lenses of different barrel sizes, by fitting different sizes of filter adapters in between. This seems to be a very smart idea indeed, as it can save both space, weight and money for outdoor photography. However they don't understand that the further the filter is from the front element of the lens, the greater is the image distortion on the film plane.
If you wish to use the best glass filters money can buy, I do recommend you to use Harrison & Harrison filters, all hand made from Hollywood for fitting onto Panavision movie cameras lenses. Their soft focus filters are the best I have ever tried. All the professional portraiture photographers in Hong Kong are absolutely satisfied after being recommended by me. The softness comes in and out gradually. In wedding photography, you won't find the white collars being gilded with a sharp white halo against the black tuxedo in the background. The nice thing is, in spite of removing all the ripples and blemishes on the face of the bride, you can still count the folds on the bride's lips. Isn't that terrific!
If you really wish to cut off ultra violet rays, the best option is to use gelatine filters. It is much thinner compared with glass filters (hence creating the least distortions) and has the purest and most natural colours, being most homogeneous, pigment-wise, reflective index-wise, across the whole filter surface. However, it is more expensive, more difficult to clean, and wears out more easily. If no compromise performance is your ultimate goal, I am afraid that you have not much choice, particularly you have gone into the trouble of acquiring a battery of all these super luxurious lenses. I also understand that now there is washable gelatine filters in the market to lighten the maintenance chores.
If you are really serious about getting the best contrast and colour renditions, fitting a "matching" lens hood gives you the sure-win effect without bringing in distortions problems. If you really want the best in this world, an expandable professional matte box (with its length adjustable to match the aperture size being selected) incorporating a gelatine filter holder (positioned as near the front element as possible) should be your ultimate choice.
The ultimate image quality cannot be obtained simply with money alone. You have to make a lot of sacrifices. Remember, photography, like politics, is an art of making compromises after all!
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