Are Leica UVa filters multicoated ? I would like to get one for my 35/1.4 asph but cannot find any conclusive information. Also are they manufactured by Leica or produced for Leica by some other company ?

Harro de Wilde

-- Harro de Wilde (hdewilde@uni-one.nl), July 27, 2001

Answers

Leica UVa filters (wherever and by whomever they are made) are coated but not multicoated, at least not as well as B+W MRC Multi-Resistant filters which I've replaced all my Leica filters with. These MRCs are so well multicoated most of the time you can't tell there's glass in the mounts. And they are very easy to clean, not so with other multicoated filters that smear when wiped. They are also significantly less expensive than the Leica filters.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), July 27, 2001.

Jay-- What's the street cost & who sells the B+W's??

-- Patrick C. Garner (pg@patrickgarner.com), July 27, 2001.

I got mine from B&H. They even run specials on them from time to time. Regualr price is about $36.00. I agree they are probably the least likely to interfere with the high quality Leica optics. By the way, saw a posting from Leica lens expert Erwin Putts about filters and optimal image quality where he states: "degradation by a filter: good quality--> 2%, not good quality-->10%. degradation by handholding below 1/125: 50% ,degradation by (slight) defocus: 30 - 80%"

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), July 27, 2001.

Harro:

Also are they manufactured by Leica or produced for Leica by some other company ?

I don't know but I once had a 39 mm, yellow, filter that, when in place read Leitz on the top and B + W on the bottom. Probably was an unintended error and probably is a collector's item. Now where did I put that. :)

Art

-- Art (AKarr90975@aol.com), July 27, 2001.