Front of lens protection filters. Buy cheap or expensive?

[Greg]

What is your opinion of front of lens protection filters?

In the analogue days it was easy to buy, a UV filter was sufficient and cost a few ££. Digital seems very different, very technical, can be very expensive.

Or is it all a con and we can still use cheap filters with no loss of image quality?

What do you use?

 

[Greg]

I also like their tree planting scheme.

Their tin filter case with the screw on lid is the best packing I've seen and it is recyclable

 

[Nick L]

I used to buy filters for all my lenses but believe the why put a bit of flat glass on an expensive lens, I also had a camera falling over on a stormy day and the 5D3 and my 24-70L mk1 ended up in a puddle of salt water on a rocky headland the the filter could not be undone, as it was an insurance job I resisted cutting the filter off and the lens was deemed un-repairable (due to age) and replaced, but since then I do not use filters for protection except for sporting events with flying stones etc. I have Kase magnetic filters and use them.