Does anyone not using front lens cap for quick street photography?

[rustyair]

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a B+W UV filter for my Mamiya 7 65mm F/4 lens and forget the front lens cap for faster action street photography.

Does anyone do that? Or is it bad idea?

Thanks,

[ann]

I am not a fan of using a UV filter or even the plain glass types on the lens. Others will disagree, but in over 64 years I have never damaged a lens.

[andrew.roos]

I usually use a lens shade but no cap. The shade protects the lens against the occasional bump better than a filter would.

[rustyair]

I am not a fan of using a UV filter or even the plain glass types on the lens. Others will disagree, but in over 64 years I have never damaged a lens.

Can i ask you why you are not fan of them?

[BrianShaw]

Can i ask you why you are not fan of them?

It is a religious thing. Some people are devout to one belief or another.

[BrianShaw]

Like Ann, I have never wrecked a lens. Given a druther, I'd rather have a lens hood than a protective filter. The truth is that I have protective filters on all lenses in use since the early 1980's because that was the mantra back then and I've never bothered to remove them. All of my lenses have lens hoods though. I have seen big differences between hood and no-hood, but no differences between protective filter and no-protective filter.

[cliveh]

Can i ask you why you are not fan of them?

I also don't like using a UV filter. I understand the prime reason for protecting the lens, but if you are a mad purist like me , you don't want anything effecting the refractive index of your lens. However, a lens hood is a must.

[jp498]

I use uV filters instead of lens caps for most of my lenses. If it's multicoated clean filter, it's good. I've destroyed one filter to save a $1200 lens once. I'm a believer.

[rustyair]

Those of you who don't use UV filter, Do you have to clean the front element? How often do you clean?

[ann]

Can i ask you why you are not fan of them?

Degrades quality of the image, I do use a lens hood, all the time, inside, outside always.

This is a topic that is highly debated and split into two seriously passionate groups of people so it may be difficult to get unbaise opinions.