AboutKent Staubus Expertise I am an experienced outdoor photographer that sometimes sells photo`s on a free lance basis. My knowledge base includes 35mm, medium format, landscapes, wildlife photo`s, and rural subjects such as country churches and farmers/ranchers/ hunters.
Question Can one use a UV filter in conjuntion with a polarizing filter and if so which should be mounted first. Can these filters be mounted all of the time?
Answer I did answer your question fairly directly. Do not use two filters at once because that can cause problems with flare, or ghosting. The problem is when sunlight (or any other light) hits the filter, some of it bounces back. Remember there are two glass surfaces to a filter, front and back. When the light bounces back, it creates a bright spot, or it can cause loss of color by washing it out. UV filters do nothing for digital cameras because there is a very strong anti-UV filter built into the camera, over the sensor. A UV filter does nothing good and often causes problems. I advise throwing them away. A polarizer is very useful in outdoor photography because it gets rid of glare whether it's in the sky, on leaves, on water, and anywhere else. Don't leave a polarizer on all the time because you lose about two stops of light, often causing a slower shutter speed and that causes blur. Learn when to use and when to not use a polarizer--they don't work in all situations. A multicoated polarizer will help to minimize problems with flare/ghosting. Throw the UV filters away and use your lens cap when not in the process of taking a photo. UV filters are pretty useless. Lens caps are very tough and offer 100% protection for a lens.
--Kent
Having two filters on at the same time is asking for trouble. You are more apt to get flare/ghosting, especially since I bet you're using cheap uncoated filters. I use Nikon's best lenses, all cost between $1,200 and $2,000. I don't use UV filters except in very extreme cases such as at the base of large waterfalls etc. All of my lenses are perfect. Never had a problem. The modern coatings are very tough, just don't "scrub" hard with a cleaning cloth. I do use the plastic lens caps that come with the lenses as they are very tough. They are much better protection than a flimsy piece of glass. I am in the habit of putting the caps back on when not taking a shot. I also use the lens hood, which deflects a lot of "trouble" before it can even get close to the lens. Again, all my expensive lenses are perfect.
