But I'm wondering if this is a case of "you get what you pay for" and the B+W really is better than Tiffen, or if this is just another example of marketing hype?
Oh boy - this thread could get ugly quick given the recent battles on filters vs non-filters over on dpreview a weeks ago!
My thought (and understand there is a very wide spectrum of opinion on this topic and *very* passionate opinions at that) is:
a ) "protection" filters aren't neccessary unless you are specifically in situations that would benefit from one (salt spray, rock quarry dust, etc) and you're better off leaving the filter OFF unless you're in a situation where it's needed.
b ) That being said, yes, the B+W is a better filter. Don't have any links handy, but folks have done spectral transmission tests with various filters and what you'll see with the really good filters (B+W, Heliopan) is even transmission across the visible spectral band that is NOT being filtered out, whereas with the cheaper filters you'll see *uneven* transmission - a dip in the greens or a notch here or whatever, so my thought is if you've spent 1-2 grand on a lens, it makes little sense to go cheap when you arrive at a situation where you need to put a filter on the lens.
-m