UV filter & lens hood?

I have a Nikon D5100 & was wondering if any filters are necessary with a lens hood?

A UV filter is as much about protecting your lens as it is from removing haze. If you drop your lens, bang it against something… The filter takes the beating. The filter will also keep the lens element from getting scratched.

I use both myself. It keeps the lens clean.

I'd take the hood over the filter, provided it's a well-designed one. A filter is made of cheap glass or plastic and adds two (or more) material/air transitions that will cause reflections and lens flare. If you plan on street shooting at night or cityscapes at dusk, a filter will ruin your picture contrast with flare and superimpose reflections all over the image.

An UV filter is an excellent accesory, protecting your lens against kjnocks, gettign scratched, dust accumulation etc. Cleaning becomes much safer as you are cleaning the filter and your lenses front element remains protected. However, cheap UV filters are BAD! They can introduce distortion and colour changes. If you do decide to use a filter (something I highly recommend) use one of the better brands. Personally I only use Nikon and Hoya filters but many people also recommend the B&H filters