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Protective filter?

Let's have a follow up question.

We have people claiming that their lens has been saved from some unfortunate incident because of a filter.

But is there anyone who has experienced the opposite? Anyone who wishes that they had a filter fitted because it would have saved a lens?
 
From a dpreview thread:

"I took a fall last month in a broken lava field and the front element of the new Nikkor 24mm-120mm f4 got a horrible scratch. Also one of the internal rubber gaskets to seal out moisture was displaced and could be seen if the barrel was extended. This lens is just back from repairs at Nikon and is working very well. Cost of repair was $320. No, a front filter would probably not have helped due to the force of the impact. I think I will start carrying the camera in a bag when trying to negotiate such treacherous terrain in the future. Craters of the Moon park in Idaho is on the agenda for late August. "


As mentioned above, not all that expensive really.
 
Rockmeister said:
quite...just $300 more...a mere bagatelle.
Click to expand...
If I used a filter on a 24-120 I'd use a good one, eg Hoya HMC just to pick one....many others to chose from. For the 77m filter required it's £61, maybe $80?

The $320 included dismantling the lens to replace the seal as well as replacing the front element. Most lenses don't require the the lens to be disassembled to replace the front element but after a big hit a full service would be a good idea so in this example $320 isn't bad.

Ultimately it's down to the individual....how careless are you likely to be? Fingerprints for example are easier to clean from a filter, if you're prone to touching your lens or getting dirty then a filter can be a good idea. For a big hit you likely to have stump up to replace the filter and repair the lens. It's a balance...
 
I've never put a fingerprint on a lens. Dust is the only material I've had to remove, and that's just too easy.
 
I never use them, I think they degrade image quality, especially contrast, in quite a few shooting situations. A lens hood is more important in my opinion.
 
Bananahead said:
Why

A lens pen works just fine...
Click to expand...
If it doesn't then you can wash a filter (not that I use them). It's not great though to get finger prints onto nano coatings anyway. I think the last time I got a finger print onto a lens was in the early '80s - no nano coatings then!

I'm remaining filterless as I don't like the idea of an extra piece of glass there.
 
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