Scratched filter?

[Alex Barabas]

I just got my filters in from B&H and noticed that the UV one has a few very fine hairline scratches through it that can be seen when held up to light. Should I just return them or will this not affect them?

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Alex Barabas

I just got my filters in from B&H and noticed that the UV one has a few very fine hairline scratches through it that can be seen when held up to light. Should I just return them or will this not affect them?

Are you sure they're scratches and not just some fingerprint streaks? For the most part one or two very fine scratches won't affect the image but if they're really scratches I'd return 'em whether they'd affect the image or not. Maybe I'm just being overly picky but if I'm paying new prices for something I expect it to be in absolutely pristine condition when I receive it. Otherwise, discount it as used or demo or b-stock or whatever and let me decide if the condition/price tradeoff is worth the savings.

[Colvin Eccleston]

Send it back. Why risk messing up footage and wasting time?

[Alex Barabas]

They went ahead and just sent me an 812 warming filter... they said it was the closest thing to the Warm UV17... but will the 812 still absorb UVs? Shouldn't just plain glass absorb a lot of UVs?

[Doug Bischoff]

Originally Posted by Alex Barabas

Shouldn't just plain glass absorb a lot of UVs?

Nope: plain glass doesn't absorb much if any UV at all.

I work in a printing shop: if we leave a UV light-sensitive plate out in sunlight coming through a window it'll be exposed in no time.

We put the same thing in front of a 2-way UV filter and it can sit there all day.

Glass can be coated to absorb or block UV transmission, but there are (at least) 2 types of UV: UV-A and UV-B. Some glass gets both, but most get just one or the other.