UV Filters: Are They Essential?

Kenko Zeta Protector (W) 52mm

  So what are these "UV filters and what are these for?" lots of people ask this question when they first step into the world of photography and I have to admit I really didnt know about it. Simply put, a "UV filter" is a filter/glass you put in front of your dslr lens to prevent it from scratches and dirt coming into the lens. It can also block UV light coming to the camera itself, but nowadays UV light doesnt affect much in terms of optics of lens. 

  People who argue against using this point out an extra piece of glass will cripple the photo quality, while people support the use say its better to scratch the filter then scratching a $1,000 lens. 

 I actually support the latter, since once the lens is scratched once, there is a possibility of it being unusable in future. I always ask myself, "would you want to walk bare naked in a bush?" NO! Same thing applies to taking photo's in wild, higher chances you might scratch the expensive lens outside. 

For those who are considering a new lens, it might be a worth to consider buying a UV filter. Not just for protection but for investing for the future. The higher end lens tend to be used relatively long period so it would be wise to know there is some form of protection. As always, these UV filters range from cheap to expensive, (in my experience about 15-100USD) and I wont advise buying the most expensive ones. I have been using a 20-30$ for my Nikon 35mm  1.8G and 55-200mm 4-5.6G lens and it has actually held up quite well. 

I hope this clears up some questions for many of you. 

55mm-200mm 4-5.6G ED (Nikon) lens

Shot using 55-200mm outside found a cute Mejiro bird 

   Lots of people online criticize this lens as `cheapo lens` (cheaply built) since its mostly accompanied when buying a W kit zoom lens (dslr+ 18-55mm and this 55-200mm) It is true that its a lens meant for beginner in terms of quality, but I think lots of people neglect the true fact of how this is a zoom lens should be used.The aperture is 4-5.6G meaning that compared to prime lens like the 35mm 1.8G, this lens cannot open wide as much as the 35mm. Thus not making it a indoor lens. 

  

Also used 35mm lens to compare the difference with 55-200mm lens

  I actually never bought this in w zoom lens kit because it wasnt worth an extra $200USD (the price difference between dslr+18-55mm+ 55-200mm and normal kit lens was about 2万円 in Japan=200USD). So I bought this in a used new shop for about 7,000yen=70 dollars and I would really say this lens is worth that price range 50-100 dollars at max. 
  
     




         In terms of speed in focusing, Yes it is slow but as a startup photographer patience is essential to taking good photo the Mejiro bird I took above took me 1hr to find one, not to mention it MOVES sooo darn fast! Overall I am happy I bought this lens since now I have one prime and one zoom lens so it gives me an idea of what each type of lens are for and what they are mainly used for, and I believe from this point on it is the photographer`s choice of whether to take close still shots or far-away pictures. It boils down to the photographer`s preference so good luck!