> The real concern is decentering the lens by dropping it, but no filter will protect it from that.
I've been saved by an ND0 filter when I bashed the lens against a rock. It destroyed the filter's screw thread but the len's wasn't damaged.
I also once while whale watching got 'steam blasted' by a humpback whale that exhaled while scratching it's back on the boats keel. I was able to quickly unscrew the steamed-up filter and carry on photographing.
Edit - This is also why I religiously use the lens hoods - if nothing else they form a sacrificial protector.
I've been saved by an ND0 filter when I bashed the lens against a rock. It destroyed the filter's screw thread but the len's wasn't damaged.
I also once while whale watching got 'steam blasted' by a humpback whale that exhaled while scratching it's back on the boats keel. I was able to quickly unscrew the steamed-up filter and carry on photographing.
Edit - This is also why I religiously use the lens hoods - if nothing else they form a sacrificial protector.