There are so many misconceptions about why one would use filters in paintball photography. As a general rule of thumb picture quality decreases as you add pieces of glass to the front of any lens and I would prefer to shoot with out any filters. But since shooting paintball takes place in some very dirty and gritty environments, perhaps the harshest of any sports photography, very frequent lens cleaning are required due to paint and dirt splatters. I use a filter to protect the lens from these frequent cleanings, NOT paintball hits. I would much rather scratch a $50 filter than the front element of a $2000 lens.

A few times a year a paintball will break a filter and hit the front element of a lens. In this situation the filter makes cleaning more complex because now you have shards of broken glass mixed in with the dirt and paint against the front element of your expensive lens. If you notice I always wear that geeky vest, but in my pockets I always carry the supplies to handle this situation. I carry several small spray bottles containing water, alcohol, ROR (residual alcohol cleaner) and liquid lens cleaner. I always also carry a small roll of the softest paper towels I can find which I cut in to thirds so it will fit in my pocket.

When a filter breaks here are the steps I use to clean things up without ever leaving the field.

1. I spray copious amount of water on the front of the lens to clean off the dirt, paint and broken glass. It is very important not to touch or rub the lens with any thing at this point because you will scratch the front element because of the presence of glass shards. You want all the debris to float off
2. After all the paint, glass and dirt has been washed off I carefully remove the broken filter (I save these as souvenirs) and then I spray on copious amounts of ROR to clean off any remaining residue after I am certain that all the debris is gone using a soft paper towel
3. I then clean and dry the front element with lens cleaner and put on a new filter

I use paper towels rather than micro fiber lens cleaning cloths because after a few hits these become saturated with paint and useless. I do carry micro fiber cloth for more definitive cleanings off the field. When I break a filter I frequently do not want to leave the field so I always carry everything I need to handle this situation.

It’s also a good idea to check the front of your lens frequently for paint splatters; these happen frequently and can ruin photos.

I have been doing this a long time and this is what I have come up with, if you are worried about your equipment getting damaged then you are shooting the wrong sport.
IMO opinion there is no other form of sports photography that is so difficult on equipment or photographers