I have jut taken the plunge to get a 90SAA together with a M6TTL unfortunately I have mut been able to use it much but the first few films looks very promising. My question is: I prefere to have a protective filter on most of the time (and take it off when it is "safe") but when the filter is mounted there is only something like 6-7 mm hood left - is this enough or do you use a aditional hood when a filter is mounted?

(I use a Contax MC UV filter (B&W?))

-- Kaj Froling (DK) (kf@draupnir.dk), January 14, 2002

Answers

Kaj:

I don't use any protective filters, but I've never found the hood on the 90SAA to be lacking.

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), January 14, 2002.

I can only say that against the light (but not crazily so), at f2, with a clean b+w filter (not the m.c. version) and using the hood, there was a noticable difference with and without the filter on transparency film when I tested for this. In othere words, if you've got the nerve, best performance is probably without a filter (now I use a leica filter but haven't re-done the test.)

-- steve (stephenjjones@btopenworld.com), January 14, 2002.

Kaj: I have to second Jack (as usual). I never use any filter on any of my M's lenses just to protect them. They always have their hood on, whether it's sunny or not. Glass up front has never been scratched yet or gotten dirty. That used to happen with all my Nikon stuff, but there, I didn't always have a hood on.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), January 14, 2002.

I also have to agree with Jack and Michael (as nearly always!). I ALWAYS keep the hood on my Summicron 35, which lives permanantly on my M. It is the old style large round metal type which protects the whole of the front of the lens (and the whole front of the camera!).

I have recently taken the UV filter off, but I still get nervous "filter withdrawl" symptons!

-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), January 14, 2002.

I am sure you can find a generic 55mm hood to use over the filter.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), January 14, 2002.

I replaced all my standard filters (including Leica and B+W) with the B+W MRC and do not experience *any* noticeable effect of the filter at all, including with point-sources, backlighting, and the sun. This includes the Tri-Elmar and Hasselblad 40mmCFE which have *no* hood to shield the filters. They are truly amazing.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), January 14, 2002.

Steve, not that I don't believe you, but anyway you could post results that showed using a MC filter made a noticeable difference as you mentioned above? Like Jay, I have still to see any before / after results of the same shot that showed conclusive evidence that a filter like the B&W MC series caused any image loss at all. In my own tests, I could not tell what was taken with the filter on or off, even under critical scrutiny.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), January 14, 2002.

As long as we're getting into the filters vs no-filters debate, I feel I should add that now I no longer even bother with front lenscaps my two most-used lenses - the 35 and the 50 - when stowed in my camera bag. I do place rear caps on them and also leave the hoods on though...

:) Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), January 14, 2002.

I do not use protective filters on my Leica lenses but if it makes you feel comfortable to do so, go right ahead. I just extend the lens hood and wrap a piece of double sided velcro around the lens to hold it open. That is enough protection for me. To each his own...

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), January 14, 2002.

Kaj,

I have the same lens and use a Heliopan Multi-Coated UV Slim Line filter. I see no degradation of image quality with this filter on. The 'Slim Line' series of filters by Heliopan are excellent.

-- sam smith (Ruy_Lopez@hotmail.com), January 14, 2002.

use your hand.

-- kirk tuck (kirktuck@kirktuck.com), January 15, 2002.