Home > Consumer Reviews > Hoya 52mm DMC PRO1 Clear Protector Digital Filter

Awesome filter, I bought it because I bought one for my 16-35mm F2.8L Canon lens and they are much cheaper than the B+W that I bought for my 70-200mm F2.8L so I bought another one for my 24-105mm F4L lens. In addition to seeing no change in the quality of my pictures (just to protect the lens), it is also a very thin lens AND allow the lens cap to work with it, unlike the B+W thin version. I also bought one for my 100mm macro F2.8, the price and quality can't be beat. Highly recommended.

I bought this for my Tokina 11-16 DX lens. It is one of the few out there that will not interfere with the field of vision on this lens because it is very shallow from top to bottom. It works perfectly only because I can't tell a difference in my pictures. Get this and protect your camera. It is a bit pricey but why wouldn't you spend money on a good filter if you are protecting an even more expensive lens?

This is a good way to protect your lens.
Cheap insurance. Does not adversely effect image quality.

This clear filter provides protection without compromising IQ. The multi-coat fight flair. I had a cheap version of a protector one time and the flair and ghosting was annoying. Multi-Coat is a must have in filters IMO. The Hoya's are great because they are not as expensive as some of the others, and you see no gradation in IQ (at least I didn't).

Some higher end brands probably have slightly better build quality, but these are built great too. The one draw back about Hoya's that I have experienced is they smudge and smear if you use standard lens cleaner. So I use my lens pen or microfiber cloth to clean mine. If I have to use wet solution I use a small amount of cleaner from 2filter.com, I forget what it's called, but it won't smear, and I use their special pads too. If I could afford them, I would go wtih B+W multi-coat over these. But for the money, these Hoya's can't be beat!

So... I was buying my first expensive canon lens, and with some of the money I was saving by buying it on Amazon, I decided I would check out some reviews on "good" (aka expensive) filters to protect my new lens investment. After some checking... I realized that the UV lenses really didn't do much for digital, and I could save a few bucks by just getting some protective glass (since protection is really all buying a UV filter is generally done for anyway)... but what was the difference between a Hoya/B+W/Etc at $50+, and the much cheaper brands at around $10?

I took the chance and ordered this protector (after hearing awesome things about Hoya's). The price was steep... and I had a box ready and prepped to return this thing if it turned out to be as ridiculous and pointless waste of money as I figured it would be. Final verdict? I'm keeping it, and I'll buy another!

Some quick facts: Thin and doesn't effect my super-wide angle 10-22mm lens and cause vignetting. Has front threads, allowing me to still use my original lens cap. Multi-coated... and so on.

I included a photo for you all, who read this review, to judge for yourself. Check out the "customer images". I have the Canon 10-22mm lens with the much more expensive, $70ish Hoya 77mm Clear Protector filter on the left, and my Canon 28-135mm lens with a cheap, $12 Sunpak 72mm UV filter I got from Best Buy on the right. I manually focused on their reflections they were giving off from some overhead work lighting. The difference was amazing! The multi-coating on the Hoya really does make a difference... but don't take my word for it... go look for yourself! I'm going to see far fewer reflections by the extra glass on the front and my light transmission will still remain excellent, in comparison.

My final word of advise? If you just want some protection on the front of your kit lens and/or are on a tight budget... and photography is something you do for fun or just for yourself... you'll do just fine with a clean, cheap filter. Save yourself the dollars. If you're not on a tight budget... and/or if you've just dropped a size-able chunk of change on a new lens and plan on really trying to get every dollar you spent out of your lens in your photos... go ahead and splurge on this much more expensive, but well worth it filter.