lens filters

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toffee

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Sorry for the daft question here but what are filters for,seen loads on ebay but don't have a clue what they do and what there for,i have a sigma 70-300 lens{i think}should i have one for that
 
It depends what you are wanting to do photography-wise.

I always get a UV filter but not to filter UV (as digital already does that) but to protect the lens glass from getting scratched. Make sure you don't go cheap though as you don't want to shell out all that money for a nice lens and then put cheap glass in front of it only to check the photos later and find a reflection (I've had this happen to me) but others would tell you not to bother with a UV. I always go for Hoya Pro.
 
Opinions on this forum are very mixed when it comes to filter's, some people say you should be ok without one and others wont live without one.

I personally have a filter on all my lenses, some times have 2 and 3 filters for each one.

Your basic UV one is almost 100% clear, this is just to protect the front glass from accidental rub marks or any dirt on the front, well if you wipe the filter and scratch it you can just bin the filter, yet you cant exactly bin the lens for a scratch, can you...?

A polarized one, well I have some differnt grades, these are useful when shooting outside, its good to capture clouds in the BG for some shots and also stops the glare from shiny surfaces like water, car paint/glass area's.

Then I have coloured ones, just because I like to be arty with some shots, great for landscape type places.
 
There are so many different types of filters , it depends what you are trying to achieve and what kind of photography you like . If you like seascapes for instance i would purchase a couple of good quality Lee ND grads to slow the shutter speed .
 
I never used a Uv filter and never scratched my lenses and I've been shooting for 10 years or so.

Bad quality filters will impact on your image quality. Good quality ones will too, bit much less

At the end of the day, its your choice. On the lens you mentioned, I wouldn't bother with a protection filter, as the filter will likely cost as much as the lens is worth if you buy a decent one.

The only filters that are essential, is a polariser if you are shooting landscapes, Nd grads to balance bright sky and the foreground and NDs if you are shooting in very bright light at wide apertures or trying to do long exposures.
 
I was glad I used a UV filter on holiday last year as the missus managed to elbow the glass 3 times when we were in a crowded square with suntan lotion on. Greasy mess on the filter.
 
So just to throw another question out there - should your filters be square or circular? And how do they effect shutter speed?
 
theshortstack said:
So just to throw another question out there - should your filters be square or circular? And how do they effect shutter speed?
Click to expand...

Depends on the filter. Most polarisers are circular, unless you use linear ones, but you shouldn't on digital as they effect autofocus.
The rest can be square or circular, but for ND grads, square are best.
As for shutter speed, UV shouldn't affect it, polarisers will cut 1-2 stops of light and NDs will cut whatever strength of light it says it will
 
I mainly take pictures of football games,so would you advise me to buy a filter for this if so what sort would i need for a sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 apo dg macro lens
 
I wouldn't bother, a polariser won't be much use, and unless you have rocks or sand blowing at you, a uv will be pointless.
 
Not really, but if you really want to go for it. Like I said, I've been shooting for over 10 years and have never damaged a lens, and I don't treat my gear like cotton wool.
I used to be a metal gig photographer in the pit and in the crowd, I've been on wind swept beaches, off road courses, hail, snow and worse.

Have a look at this link, shows the sort of punishment a lens can take before it effects the image quality

http://kurtmunger.com/dirty_lens_articleid35.html
 
In order of usefulness -

CP - Can be used to enhance an image in a way that's totally impossible with software.
GND - Has an effect that can be replicated in software, but never with equally good results.
ND - Specialised uses where a very slow shutter speed is required in bright scenes.
Special Effect Filters - things like Star filters - Can often be replicated in software (if you should ever be sad enough to want to).
Coloured filters - Can normally be replicated easily in software.
UV/so-called 'Protective' Filters - Can easily be replicated by using the 'Blur' and 'Lens Flare' tools in Photoshop.
 
I'd spent around £200 on half a dozen good quality UV filters for my lenses when I had my 550D and never really had any problems with IQ. Then I bought a 7D and had only had it about 3 weeks and was on the verge of returning it for taking 'soft' images. I happened to shoot some wildlife photos with my 7D and Canon 100-400 L without a filter and was blown away with the difference in IQ. Over 90% came out sharp and clear, my keeper rate went from under 50% to over 85% in a day.

I took all the filters off my lenses after that and re shot with them and I couldn't believe the difference. Now I only use a filter if it's going to be really dusty or wet and always put the lens hood on for protection instead. I now shoot with a 5D3 and a different 7D and the 5D3 does give better results than the 7D with filters but still not as good as without filters at all.

I rarely use a CPL filter but I do carry them around in my bag all the time, the UV filters stay at home and only get used very occasionally when conditions require.
 
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