Hoya 58mm UV Lens Filter - Great Hoya Glass... Great Hoya Protection
Written: Jan 30 '08 (Updated Jan 11 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: It works; Durable; No image degradation noticeable
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: The Hoya 58mm UV glass filter is a very good filter to protect your cherished lens glass.
|
|
|
| soupcraze's Full Review: Hoya 58mm UV Haze Glass Filter (B58UVGB) Lens Filt... |
I currently own two Hoya UV filters that are used to protect two of my cherished lenses. I have the Hoya 72mm HMC Super UV glass filter on my Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. I also use a Hoya 58mm UV glass filter on my Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM lens. I actually received this filter when I purchased my old Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Lens second-hand. While the filter's metal was slightly dented on the side, the glass was in perfect shape, and I have been using it ever since.
NOTE: The reason that UV filters are so popular on digital SLR lenses is because the sensors on these cameras are unable to pick up any effects caused by the filter. Therefore, UV and haze filters are among favorites for protecting expensive lenses.
-PRICE-
*Generally, filters in stores range from $10 or more. The Hoya 58mm UV glass filter is a basic UV filter. Therefore, it is more of a protective piece for a lens, since it does not have any special effects such those that polarizing, magnifying, diffusing, and other filters do. I have seen this model on sale at different camera retailers (Online) for roughly $13 or so. I use this exclusively to protect my lens. Ultimately it is better to break a cheap easy to replace filter, than it is to break the glass on your cherished lens.
Anyway, if you are weary about placing another piece of glass in front of your lens, you should look into Hoya as a company. It is quite reasonable to think that the filter will depreciate the overall quality of the lens, but my telephoto so far has taken beautiful photos assuming that the filter is cleaned. Hoya is a part of the THK company, which also owns fine brands such as Tokina which makes excellent glass. Hoya has a great reputation for making excellent quality optics. The Hoya 58mm UV glass filter is no exception, I have noticed no depreciation in quality when used on my telephoto. You can also find other cheaper UV filters (It's only a few bucks), but I would recommend the Hoya since you can trust the name.
-BUILD QUALITY-
*The Hoya 58mm UV glass filter is a very solid filter. When I received it on my used lens, there were some scratches in the side. This shows that the filter or lens itself may have been dropped at one point! Nonetheless, it comes to show that even when the filter or lens as a whole were possibly dropped, that the glass and filter stayed very well-intact. Besides the dents in the side, there are no signs of wear on the glass. It is in top shape.
By using a UV filter instead of an effects filter, I use it as an insurance policy to protect my lens. In case I hit my lens against a hard surface or if something is thrown at it. Therefore, the filter would break, but not the lens. This is the best and most cost-effective way of protecting it! Remember, it is much more expensive to fix or replace a lens than a filter.
-EASE OF USE-
*This particular filter is 58mm in size. Therefore, the filter must be the same size as the filter thread on the lens. Popular filter sizes include 52mm, 58mm, 72mm, and others. before purchasing a filter, you must make sure that it will actually fit your lens!
Aside from this, taking care of the filter is easy. Every now and then people that are fascinated with the equipment feel the need to start poking at the lens glass. This is where the filter shines, since no one actually touches the actual lens due to the protection! When I clean off the filter, I simply spray it with Windex and then wipe it off with a cotton wash cloth. Then it is as good as new, and ready to go back on the lens.
-IMAGE QUALITY-
*I noticed no difference in images taken with the filter on and off the lens. This is what I was looking for since I am not looking for effects. Hoya also makes very high-quality optics, and doubt that there would be image degradation present. If it is present, then it is hardly noticeable.
-CONCLUSION-
*The Hoya 58mm UV glass filter is a very nice UV filter that will protect your camera. Hoya is a very reputable company that makes excellent quality optics. So far, the Hoya 58mm UV glass filter has done a great job protecting the two lenses that have worn this. The filter also showed dents from where it was most likely dropped. The dents come to show how durable the filter is. Most importantly, I noticed no difference in image quality, which shows that the Hoya 58mm UV glass filter will not cause noticeable image degradation while protecting my lens.
**CHECK OUT EOS-MOUNT ITEMS**
-Zoom Lenses-
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Lens
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens
Tamron SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 Di-II LD Lens
-Telephoto Lenses-
Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens
Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 III Lens
-Prime Lenses-
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II Lens
-Ultra-Wide/Fisheye Lenses-
Tokina 10-17mm f3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 AF DX
-External Flashes-
Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash
Canon Speedlite 430EX Flash
Metz Mecablitz 58 AF-1 Flash
-Other Accessories-
Canon Extender EF 2x II
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
soupcraze
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: Soup Enthusiast
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews written: 488
Trusted by: 185 members
About Me:
I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.