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Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Education Field Instructional

Do Clear Filters Affect Image Quality? You’d Be Shocked at the Truth

Chris Gampat
No Comments
09/23/2021
4 Mins read
Pauleth Ip The Phoblographer B+W T-Pro 007 Clear Filter Product Image 01

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Years ago, photographers stopped using UV filters on their lenses. It affected image quality way too much, and we often didn’t need them. UV filters originally protected the image quality from UV rays. But lens technology became so good that they were no longer needed. So, they evolved to become protective filters. Essentially, if the front of your lens took a ding, the UV filter would protect it. In the past few years, photographers stopped using them. Indeed, when I started my career 14 years ago, I swore by UV filters. I remember them protecting my camera as it took a major tumble. But these days? Not so much. And believe it or not, clear filters can affect your image quality.

Glass vs Plastic: Scratches?

Yes, there’s a difference. One would think that glass would give more protection vs. plastic, right? Well, that’s not always the case. It depends on the type of glass, and it depends on the type of plastic. I learned this especially in the watch world. There are a few different types of crystals. Some of the most popular ones are sapphire, acrylic, and ceramic. Sapphire glass won’t get scratched and will survive a lot of abuse. But it can shatter if there’s a hard enough hit to it. Acrylic and ceramic are good at not being shattered. But they’ll scratch. 

More or less, the same thing applies to photography. I think most photographers will reach for glass each and every time. They’d much rather not have their lenses or their filters scratched. How much does it affect image quality, though?

But What About the Quality?

The quality depends a lot on your lens. As we wrote in 2017, vintage lenses often need UV filters and clear filters:

Newer lenses made after 2007 typically don’t need a UV filter when mounted to digital cameras. After this year, the manufacturers started making filters with higher quality glass and metals/plastics. This is due to the advancements in lens coatings which help filter out and negate the effects of UV filters. This is also why, since around 2011, the entire industry of optics has advanced so much. Zeiss started making the biggest splash with their Otus lens lineup but then Sigma did as well with the Art lineup of lenses…then Tokina, then Tamron, then all the primary camera manufacturers. 

Of course, this is all debatable. Some folks use older lenses because they want that imperfect look. If that’s the case, embrace it! But if you’re using an older lens because of funds, then grab a UV filter. It’s pretty essential in this case. And here’s another question that we brought up in 2014 worth asking yourself: do you have insurance on your gear?

So how does it affect image quality? We’ve done this test a few times over the course of the site’s history. Just last year we put a B+W filter through a torture test. We concluded:

So, can damaged protective lens filters still serve a purpose? Possibly. It all comes down to how you shoot and the scenarios you’re shooting in. You’re not likely to notice any effects in your images when using a damaged filter if you’re the type of photographer who tends to shoot wide open. If you are shooting into a light source, you may notice some flaring if the scratches on your filter catch the light at the right angle. Even then, the shallow depth of field you’re shooting in will render them barely noticeable.

On the other hand, the effects resulting from a damaged lens filter become much more pronounced when you’re shooting in scenarios that require you to stop down. This is particularly apparent when shooting directly into light sources as demonstrated in the above images. This doesn’t necessarily mean that damaged filters are destined for the scrap heap though.

Of course, even earlier on, we did another test that didn’t involve pixel peeping. And almost no one could tell the difference. So, do you pixel peep?

What Brands Are Good?

If you really want a clear filter for your lens, there are only a few brands that I’ve come to trust. B+W is the first and foremost one I’d use because of the brass ring. It will mean that the lens filter doesn’t get stuck on. A few years ago, you’d stop right there, but other brands have started using brass too. We’ve tested and really liked Breakthru’s options. PolarPro’s quality is also excellent.

b+w breakthru clear filter image quality lens polarpro uv filter vintage lens
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Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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