A UV filter is a widely used digital camera filter attachment that is placed right in front of the camera lens to block ultraviolet rays from the sun. It used to be a necessary camera component for film photography but in the advent of digital cameras, modern photographers use them as protective accessories for their lenses. As such, there can be all kinds of false information about this useful accessory out there, especially since photographers themselves disagree about the true essence of UV filters. While some may swear that they are important accessories to have, others think they are somewhat a waste of money. To gauge whether a UV filter is the right digital camera filter for your use-basis, it pays having a deeper understanding of what this camera accessory does.
The most basic function of a UV filter is to block UV light, so only the right amount enters the lens. It is essentially a sunscreen for the lenses of your camera. Since old photography films were extremely sensitive to light, the absence of a UV filter often meant bluish and hazy photographs. This was an especially common d ilemma for outdoor shots where there’s lots of UV light, such as a really sunny environment as well as high-altitude shoots.
The thing about modern digital sensors and much newer films is that they aren’t as sensitive, hence affected by UV light the way that old films are. What this means is that you don’t really need a UV filter to take good photos and eliminate the bluish haze that UV light produces in old films. However, UV filters still make sense as protective accessories as they help preserve the quality of your lenses by blocking UV light, which can be damaging to your tools when there’s overexposure.
The reason why many photographers use certain types of digital camera filter as protective accessories is that they’d rather break a $35 UV filter rather than drop thousands of dollars on a new lens or a front element repair. Filters offer a good protection over your expensive equipment, making them worthwhile investments even in this day and age of digital SLRs.