Hoya YHDUV055 55mm HD Digital UV Filter — main product image

Hoya

Hoya YHDUV055 55mm HD Digital UV Filter

Name: Hoya YHDUV055 55mm HD Digital UV Filter
Brand: Hoya
SKU: YHDUV055

★★★★★4.7 (1826 reviews)

Sharper skies, protected glass — the Hoya 55mm HD UV filter delivers tack-clear images with chemically hardened glass built for everyday lens defense.

$32.90*

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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 14, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The Hoya 55mm HD Digital UV filter is built for photographers who leave a protective filter on their lens permanently and want that choice to cost them nothing optically. The chemically enhanced glass — rated approximately four times stronger than standard filter glass — is the functional core of the HD line's value proposition: real impact resistance for a lens element that faces the world every day. The 16-layer anti-reflective coating applied to both sides keeps flare and ghosting from becoming a tax you pay on every frame, which is the primary failure point of cheaper UV filters that quietly degrade contrast in backlit scenes.

In the field, the water and oil-repellent surface coating earns its keep during outdoor work — rain beads cleanly, fingerprints wipe with one pass of a lens cloth, and the scratch-resistant treatment means the filter surface remains optically clean after the repeated cleaning cycles of a busy shooting season. The ultra-thin aluminum frame is a practical choice for photographers using the filter on wide-angle optics where a standard-thickness frame would clip corners. For portrait, travel, event, and street photographers who want to protect their glass without adding optical compromises to the chain, the Hoya HD UV is the filter that stays on and stays out of the way.

Key Features

Scratch-proof as well as water, L and dirt-repellent

Optimal brilliance and distance

Prevents the impairment of images due to UV rays

Intense colours and high contrasts

Box contents: Hoya HD UV Filter Super Multi Coated 55 mm UV Protected Filter Box

Specifications

Filter Size

55mm

Filter Type

UV (Ultraviolet)

Glass Type

Chemically Enhanced Optical Glass (approx. 4x stronger than standard)

Coating Layers

16-layer anti-reflective multi-coating (both sides)

Surface Treatment

Water & oil repellent, scratch & stain resistant

Frame Type

Ultra-thin, wide-angle lens compatible

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

Chemically enhanced glass that's 4x stronger than standard filter glass provides genuine front-element protection, not just a placebo layer.
16-layer anti-reflective coating on both sides minimizes flare and ghosting that cheaper UV filters introduce, especially when shooting toward light sources.
Water and oil-repellent surface coating makes field cleaning fast — rain beads off and fingerprints wipe cleanly without smearing.
Scratch-resistant treatment means the filter surface itself resists the micro-abrasions that accumulate with regular cleaning over months of use.
Ultra-thin frame design reduces the risk of vignetting on wide-angle lenses where standard-thickness frames clip corners.

👎 Cons

At the HD price point, you're paying a premium over basic UV filters — if your shooting is primarily indoor studio work where lens impact and weather are non-factors, the upgrade is harder to justify.
The 55mm size is lens-specific — if you shoot multiple lenses with different filter thread sizes, you'll need separate filters for each, and HD filters compound that cost quickly.
No filter pouch or protective case is included for transport, which is a minor omission given the filter's premium positioning.
In extremely backlit scenes with multiple light sources, even multi-coated filters can introduce trace flare — no UV filter is fully immune in challenging lighting geometry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this filter visibly affect image sharpness or color?

The 16-layer multi-coating on both sides of the Hoya HD UV is engineered to have a neutral optical effect — colors remain accurate and sharpness is not degraded. In practical shooting, you should see no perceptible difference between shooting with and without this filter on a well-exposed frame.

Is the 55mm thread size compatible with my lens?

The 55mm refers to the filter thread diameter on the front of your lens. Check your lens cap or the lens barrel for a ø symbol followed by a number — if it reads ø55, this filter fits directly. Common 55mm lenses include several Nikkor and Sony kit lenses.

How effective is the water and oil repellent coating in the field?

Hoya's water-repellent top coat causes water to bead and roll off the glass surface rather than spreading into streaks. In practice, this means rain drops and fingerprints are easier to wipe clean quickly with a lens cloth, which matters during fast-moving outdoor shoots where stopping to clean glass costs you frames.

Does the ultra-thin frame cause vignetting on wide-angle lenses?

The ultra-thin frame is specifically designed to minimize vignetting on wide-angle lenses. For most lenses at 55mm filter thread size, vignetting should not be an issue, though extreme wide-angle designs at their widest focal length may show minor corner darkening — test your specific lens at its widest setting.

How much stronger is this glass compared to a standard UV filter?

Hoya states the chemically enhanced optical glass used in the HD series is approximately four times stronger than conventional filter glass. This translates to meaningfully better resistance to cracking from front-element impact — the primary reason most photographers use a UV filter as permanent lens protection.