Filters..UV, Haze,Skylight.?

[Fred Woodman]

I am wondering if or what "protection" filter people would recommend for a Canon 100-400 series ii lens?

[arash_hazeghi]

If you want a filter get a high quality B+W or Hoya filter. They are pricier but they don't reduce contrast like some cheaper filters do. Another option is not to use a filter at all because the rather long lens hood protects the front element most of the time

the so called haze or UV filters do nothing other than just protecting the front element.

[Fred Woodman]

I agree Arash, I haven't been using either filter, but had read so much about protecting my glass, I thought id ask. Thank you

If you want a filter get a high quality B+W or Hoya filter. They are pricier but they don't reduce contrast like some cheaper filters do. Another option is not to use a filter at all because the deep good protects the front element most of the time

the so called haze or UV filters do nothing other than just protecting the front element.

[Diane Miller]

Even the best protective filter gets dirty -- hold it up in bright sun and look at both surfaces. Why put another layer in front of an excellent lens? It can either do nothing or degrade the image. Skylight / UV filters had some merit in film days, but those same compensations can now be made in the raw converter so easily. Even a polarizer now has more limited use now than with film. You can do the equivalent in post except for cutting down reflections. (The caveat there is the adjustments can bring up noise, so there are times when the polarizer can be better -- and times when it can be worse, such as non-optimal sun angles or wide angles.)

The lens hood and cap are your best protection.

[Don Lacy]

The best protection for your lens is the hood an cap a filter is just as likely to damage the front element as protect it if the lens is dropped or you bump into something. The ring gets Bent and becomes almost impossible to get off or the glass from the broken filter scratches the element while a hood will either absurd the energy from dropping the lens or will prevent any object from reaching the front element. So unless your shooting in a sand storm I see little value of using a filter for protection I have never worried about the fact my 500f/4 does not take front filters.