Don't drop the camera...

[gangzoom]

I know some people may be lucky enough to get a decent camera for Xmas/holidays...just don't be a idiot and drop the thing like I did a few weeks ago

 

Had a UV filter on the lens which smashed on impact...a quick glance and the lens looked fine, the filter was dented and stuck.

 

 

But on closer inspection and in the right (wrong) angle you can see the UV filter has scratched off some of the lens coating when it smashed...

 

Luckily photos look fine and the image stabilisation works fine too. I managed to get the filter off with some wire-cutters...have now taken UV filters off all my lenses to stop this from happening again...not dropping the thing would work too

[Ekona]

But if you've not got a UV filter on there and drop it again, then all the impact is straight onto the lens

 

This is one of the reasons I always keep filters on my lenses, I can be just as clumsy as the next guy

[rtbiscuit]

i keep the filters on all the time, as the sacrificial lamb. so the real lense doesn;t get fubar'd

[DavidS14]

I always have a filter on for this reason and have broken a couple in the past but it has saved the lens both times.

[scubapics]

Do you have accidental damage insurance? If so, you could potentially claim for a new lens and UV filter.