Sales Gimmick?

 

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Well, it finally happened. For years I have been extolling the virtues of the lens hood and the uv filter for their photographic benefits as well as their protective qualities. This weekend while photographing the fall colors in the Eastern Sierras I was deep in photographic revery having just captured, what I thought to be a great shot of the bright yellows, pale greens and white bark on a grove of quaking aspens. Lifting the tripod to move to another spot I watched as the camera, lens, and my heart slid off the tripod and jettisoned to the rocky hillside below. There was no slow motion pan as the camera and  lens raced to the earth, no closeup of the distraught look on my face, just the irreversable action, I set in motion. With surprising calmness I reached down to retrieve the remains, fully expecting to have to repair or replace my 16-35 2.8 L and or the lens mount on the body. An unexpected and spontaneous  “yes” erupted from my mouth as I inspected the lens:

Hood – scratched but intact

UV Filter shattered                                                                      

Lens – dusty but nary a scratch to be seen

Lens mount- A.O.K.

The hood and the filter bore the brunt of the impact as I have always said they would in most cases.

Cost of a Rodenstock  77mm UV HR Digital Super MC Slim filter – $135.00

Cost of protection –  “priceless”

Thanks to the filter and hood I could shoot with my lens for the remaining two days of our trip.

When that salesman suggests a uv filter for your new lens- it’s not a “sales gimmick”.