UV filter, danger without?

[mrbrycel]

My HVX200a is coming this week, and I want to make sure to take very good care of it. I have heard numerous times that not using a UV filter can severely damage the CCDs. I don't know if it was an exaggeration or not. How many of you use UV filters with your HVX's? And how many of you have used them since the day you bought your HVX?

[Mike Harvey]

I have a cheapo UV filter on my DVX. Not so much to protect the CCD's (never heard that one before), but more to protect the lens. It also helps the picture a little bit.

[Lez]

Unfortunately I hate them... you never can seem to get a clean shot into the sun with them on... always seems to collect dust on the back of the filter......

Cheers

[Nexis]

I use one. But I'm paranoid about my lens getting damaged or soiled or whatever.

[Steve Laramie]

I have one but I dont use it. light reflects strangely with it and it glares

[DM_rider]

I used to use one but now I never do I've tromped through the woods, over rocks, through snow, and never had a scratch or a damaging mark on any of my camera lenses. I guess the only time I would consider putting mine on would be if I were shooting in a very dusty environment.

[Chris Santucci]

I have heard numerous times that not using a UV filter can severely damage the CCDs. I don't know if it was an exaggeration or not. How many of you use UV filters with your HVX's? And how many of you have used them since the day you bought your HVX?


I never heard anything like that. Doesn't sound right to me.

I only use the UV filter when I'm shooting in environments that might result in crap getting on the lens. Concerts, near wetness, car rigs, etc.

It's not a necessity I'd say, unless you have to protect the lens, and/or are dealing with a lot of atmospheric haze. You can get weird reflections between the inside of the filter and the face of the lens and of course it IS a piece of glass in front of the lens, so I'd imagine there's some degree of image degradation involved.

.

[Dick Campbell]

The UV filter is to protect the lens, the theory being that you can throw away the filter when it gets scratched, not so the lens of course. The only way I know of you can damage the CCD/camera is to focus directly on the Sun.

[franci8]

I'm new to video so I'm trying to absorb all of this info, one thing I do know is that I always used one with my expensive digital still camera as the lens is so precious.

[Stephen Melvin]

A UV Filter simply protects the lens from scatches and it may reduce haze as well.

[Sharkshooter]

The glass from my B+W UV filter came out and rubbed on my lens, so go figure!!

[FBAS]

Unfortunately I hate them... you never can seem to get a clean shot into the sun with them on... always seems to collect dust on the back of the filter......

Cheers

That's my point of view as well. Every glass in front of your lens is just that: one more layer of glass that refracts and bounces light. Even more so if you are using a cheap filter. We have these at work: 20 bucks of "window glass" to cover the high-end lens of a 6K HVX - now that I call stupid. Just a little direct light makes your whole frame look like shit, believe me. Every time I use one of the HVX's first thing I do is take off that glass!

I would use it however if I were holding the cam outside of a car window where the chance is high rocks are being thrown at the lens.

As far as I know you don't have to worry about UV light that much with video ccds. Film is a different matter, it reacts more to UV light, so a UV filter is actually a good thing in some situations (like in the mountains etc.)

[Barry_Green]

Ditto FBAS.