I have read on serious photographic sites the for and against using a filter on a lens The for camp says it helps protect a lens against damage ,which is fair enough The against camp says the picture deteriorates a bit with a filter on. So I decided to do my own test using a Spyderlenscal as the target. The camera Nikon D800 set on NEF mode (75mb) with a prime 50mm f1.4 lens The filter used was a Nikon NC 58mm. (clear lens) The whole mounted on a manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with a manfrotto MVBH502AH head Also a Nikon Speedlight SB-900 flashgun. For those interested that is. Have done the test indoors in the evening So having set it all up and everything being equal was there a difference? I have to say yes,but,and a big but, not enough to make that amount of difference. Unless the 2 photos are put side by side, which is what I did on the computer monitor. Even then i had to step up the magnification x4 to start to see what difference a filter makes. So my conclusion ,based on my simple test, is use a clear glass filter of good quality and protect the lens which is the expensive bit Ultra Violet filters and others obviously will make a difference, but my point is based on a clear filter
