Reason #1 to buy a screw on UV filter for your lens
 

...because you could be... THIS GUY.
TBS cameraman's 15 minutes: Very scary | MLB.com: News

That is definitely something I'd like to avoid!!

Though the article on Yahoo did, in the comments section, provide my new personal favorite quote of all time...

#16. "Hopefully they had a lens cap on to protect the actual lens."

Broken bat of Yankees' Gardner busts TBS video camera - Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

ROFL! What a genius!

I've seen a similar thing with a cricket ball and a TV camera. I hope he had good insurance.

Nope, according to the writeup, he had a "a protective glass cover", now where do I go to pick one of those up?

Actually to be fair in the next paragraph they do call it a filter...

You can get an optical flat (optically flat glass), which you can use for protecting your lens from damage. I believe there was a toughened version made at one time.

Let's see. I've filmed: Racing in-car and beside the road in the sandy Baja Desert, On and beside snowmobiles down a volcano. While climbing a glacier. Filming combat shooting with shells flying around. Just to name a few. Hmmm. My lens has been sprayed with dirt, paint, ash, smoke, water, ice, and hit with a paint ball. Yet it has no scratches! Yup! You better believe I keep a protective cover on my lens. Even though it sometimes ruins the shot. And it has. Freakin' reflection has spoiled more than one take.

Jim

I've got a UV filter on my Fujinon that I can't take off!

That's a protective plate and check the shattered pattern, like your cars windscreen.

Also the shotgun strapped to the top of the lens, no padding underneath it, might have woken the audio folks right up. But you can hear a 'tink' that's out of sync.

Pity they didn't sync up a 16" canon blast, no sense of fun in the truck .. I'd have been at that like a shot with a shot.

Cheers.

Back in my 2 1/4 camera day, I was hiking to a water fall, camera in the backpack.

Backpack slips, a crunch is heard. I thought that I toasted my wide angle.

Opened the pack, no shards of glass anywhere- nice, I thought.
Took the camera out, looked at the lens, still worked like nothing happened.
Took a closer look at the front filter- small hairline crack and a bent front thread.

Thanks to the screw on filter, the front of my lens was spared, as when the camera came down in the pack and hit the rock, the angle was just right.

I have asked about shooting with the filter on the front, on these forums, and a lot of people tell me they don't use them, because it "ruins" the shot.
I have done both, with it on,and with it off. If it's clean/dry, then off comes the filter.
Wet, the filter stays on, as I really hate to clean the actual front element of my lenses-read possible scratches.


Now I have a proper camera backpack, and my video and still equipment can be spared the occasional rock.
A hardcase is cumbersome, but I have used that too.

Just a minor note on a related topic...

If you KNOW your camera lens will be at risk - for example, videotaping stuff shattering, etc.

Any hardware store of size will have sheet Lexan available in various sizes.

Set up a few C-stands with arms to secure the LEXAN in front of your lens and you can build an optically clear very effective shield for a very low cost.

Like I said, just a note when you KNOW you're in dangerous territory.