UV or Polarizing filter on Tokina 12-24?

[lms6241]

Is one preferred over the other? Do I really need a filter?

 

[C2020]

I use a Hoya UV filter on my Tokina 12-24 more for safety than anything. I would rather loose the filter than the front element of the lens in an accidental bump.

The circular polarizer is a good idea if you shoot outdoors in the bright sunshine or near a large flat reflective surface like a body of water. Blue skies are more vivid and the chance of overexposure diminishes. I use one extensively shooting my son's soccer matches on my 18-200mm VR.

 

[Baywing]

I stopped using UV filters for protection years ago, I rely more on the lens hoods. I don't like the extra glass in front of the lens, many of the lenses flare enough on their own. As for a Pol, I use them when needed for the effect. Be careful using a Pol on a wide angle/ultra wide angle lens. Maximum polarization occurs at 90° to the sun, and drops as you move either side of that. What that means is, the sky will darken dramatically at 90° and will lighten as you move away to either side. With wide angles, this effect is often visible, as the lens covers so much area. I'm not saying you can't use one, just be aware of the limitations and check your shots to be sure they are coming out the way you want.

 

[ddietiker]

To use a filter for protection or not... almost a religious question. The UV would fall under that. A polarizer isn't something you would generally have on the lens all the time. I use my polarizer when I don't want to much reflection on water or glare from leaves. If I want to keep the sky blue instead of blown, I use a GND for landscapes. I fall into the camp of no protective filter most of the time, though I do carry a UV and used it last time I was photographing dragsters at the starting line from behind.

 

[Nuteshack]

i hate filters as protection per say but do use one if the conditions warrant it ...and i used one on my Tokina 12-24f4 from day one cuz the front element sticks out there so far ...in this case just make sure u use the "thin" 3mm filter...;-))

 

[rvink]

If you are doing a lot of outdoor/landscape photography, I'd certainly recommend a polarizer. It will remove the cool sky-blue reflections from foliage, water etc giving you much richer colors. Take care when photographing the sky at the wide end of the zoom as you may get very uneven polarization (the maximum effect is in a band 90 degrees from the sun).

 

[bpdougd]

If you are doing a lot of outdoor/landscape photography, I'd certainly recommend a polarizer. It will remove the cool sky-blue reflections from foliage, water etc giving you much richer colors. Take care when photographing the sky at the wide end of the zoom as you may get very uneven polarization (the maximum effect is in a band 90 degrees from the sun).

I don't have the Tokina, rather the Nikon 12-24. However, I am about to swear off polarizers on this lens due to the issues with the sky. It also occurs (and can be even worse) when capturing scenes with the intersection of water and sky. I spend way too much time in post processing trying to clean this up.

My $0.02 worth.