When being out & about taking images, one of the first important rules is to keep your lens protected. There are various reasons why this is necessary, and various ways of lens protection that are possible. For one, you don’t want your lenses to be damaged. Ever walked through the narrow streets of a small Mediterranean village? You could easily come too close to a wall and scratch your front lens element. Ever taken pictures at the sea with a non-waterproof camera? Dirt or salt could easily penetrate your lens. But it’s not only about the lenses—it’s also about the camera. Ever walked through bright sunlight without a lens cap on? Your shutter or sensor could be damaged by a concentrated beam of light. (Remember how you used to burn ants with a lope when you were a child?)
Here are a number of ways to protect your lenses, and the reasons why you should do so.
Tip 1: Keep a Filter on Your Lens!
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, when being out taking pictures, there are number of ways how to get scratches on your precious, and often expensive lens. (You wouldn’t want to ruin your new 85mm , would you?)The example I used above was walking through the narrow streets of a Mediterranean village. But even in big cities like New York, you could easily accidentally hit something with your lens when you’ve got your camera hanging from your shoulder, when you’re taking it up, putting it down etc. So here’s tip #1: protect your lens with a filter! If you hit something. worst case scenario the filter might crack. You pay a couple bucks to replace it. Getting your front lens element repaired will pay you so much more.
A lens with filter and hood. Read below why using both is important.
A lens with filter and hood. Read below why using both is important.