Advice on filters

ladysue

ladysue

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Sue
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I just have a Nikon D60 with the kit lens and a 70-200 lens. I was thinking I would put out hints to my family for some filters. I think I need a UV filter and maybe a gradient filter. Are there any others that people use a lot and do I need to get anything else to fit them onto the camera. Thanks
Sue
 
good starter topic

i was thinking about this

what are the main filter choices and for what?
my main pics are people indoor and out and of cars.
 
I think there are a few filters which are most common.

A UV filter for protection of the lens. Some people will say not to put another piece of glass in front of the lens as it could degrade the images you could get with the lens, but I'd rather protect the lens. ;)

A Polarising Filter which can, amongst other things sometimes darken the sky, remove reflections from water, and make foliage appear less shiny. Colour saturation can also sometimes be significantly enhanced. The intensity of the effect is dependant on the type and direction of the light source. I keep this on all the time because I like the effect it can sometimes give. :)

A Graduated Neutral Density Filter which can be used to reduce the sometimes large differences in exposure between the sky and land which the sensor or film would not be able to record because it is too big a dynamic range.

The Neutral Density Filter, which can be thought of as a sunglasses for your camera. It reduces the light entering the lens to allow the camera to achieve a slower shutter speeds and/or a smaller apertures.

I would say nearly all other filters can be replicated in software
 
Why a UV filter? I am more from the hood for protection camp. How about a cpl polariser and some ND grads? Would really assist with landscape photos and many of your pics I have seen Sue would benefit from the use of such filters.

Not sure that a UV would give you the same benefit.
 
I know there is an opinion that UV filters can degrade image quality, cause refections etc. and the lens is best without, but in my estimation it is ideal for protection. Something on the front of the lens that protects from rain, sea spray, anything airborne, bumps, something dropping on the lens in the bag etc. I like to do work on the street and it suits me anyway.

However, advice to Ladysue would be get some reasonable multi-coated UV filters for protection and then consider a Cokin P type system for other filters. To be honest I like screw on polarisers and Cokin P for grads and ND's, that's all I'd use. If you use a screw on UV for protection, it's likely to be better to take off the UV when using the Cokin. Filters for both lenses and the Cokin should see change from £100, more if you add a polariser.
 
I have just gone down this road, Cokin Pro series, I only have the 8X ND grad and may get the 4X and 2X.
I have a screw in Hoya Polariser and a screw in 8X ND, I also have various skylights and UV, these I use for lens protection only.
I unscrew these before I take a picture, I am sure they could stay there and do no harm but my thinking is, why put a piece of glass in front of a 1-2 K lens.
I am in the process of selling all my lenses and apart from my 50, my new and existing will have 77m filter threads, another pain to contend with when you have different sizes.
Most effects can be achieved with photo shop but if you are the sort to go out before sun-up then I think a couple of filters would not go amiss.
Fascinating subject and my own personal view is, a filter will give your picture the edge over a non filter picture.
There are professional bods on here that will advise you much better than I can, I am back to school :)

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BlackCloud - I think UV filters have their place, in some situations I can see that they are potentially a benefit, e.g. windy days at the beach - sand on the lens can't be good! - but for most day-to-day wandering around they're not really required.
 
The only screw-on filter I'd both with is a B+W 10 Stop ND. After that, I'd opt for a slot-in system (brand/size upto you depending on budget) for ND's, GND's, CPL, etc
 
Try reading this filter FAQ - http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=368177

I own many good quality UV filters but I do not use them day to day, or pretty much ever. If I was shooting in harsh conditions - flying sand/mud/spray, which is exceptionally rare for me, then I would use one, but for normal everyday photography I like to shoot naked. A UV filter may do no visible harm to your image but it can definitely not improve the image. More than likely it will degrade the image a bit. As for protection while in the bag, that is what lens caps are for.

I do, however, always use a lens hood, both for physical protection of the lens against knocks and to reduce flare and improve contrast.
 
Taken from www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-lens-filters.htm
Nowadays UV filters are primarily used to protect the front element of a camera lens since they are clear and do not noticably affect the image. With film cameras, UV filters reduce haze and improve contrast by minimizing the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light that reaches the film. The problem with UV light is that it is not visible to the human eye, but is often uniformly distributed on a hazy day; UV therefore adversely affects the camera's exposure by reducing contrast. Fortunately, digital camera sensors are nowhere near as sensitive to UV light as film, therefore UV filtration is no longer necessary.
Click to expand...

Why don't people with DSLR's use plain filters to protect from scratches and the elements instead of spending more on unnecessary UV coated ones?
 
Ah ok I didnt know it didn't affect cost etc- I was under the impression that some people seemed to think that they particularly needed UV protection as well as physical protection :bonk:

Just trying to save people money! My bad!!!
 
ok quick question on the subject. shooting a rally tomorrow and will be using my new CPL, would you reccomend 2stops of extra (either apperture or 2 less on shutter) light? i've read quite often that a cpl can darken images by 2 stops? is this true?

sorry for the hyjack
charlie
 
Thank you to everyone for your advice. I have read them all and think that probably I will start with a UV (for protection as I am hard on my camera and keep losing my lens caps) and a CPL polariser and a grad neutral density.I must be a bit think cause I'm still not sure about how they fit onto the lens but I will visit Jessops to check that out.
Thanks
Sue
 
c_robinson said:
ok quick question on the subject. shooting a rally tomorrow and will be using my new CPL, would you reccomend 2stops of extra (either apperture or 2 less on shutter) light? i've read quite often that a cpl can darken images by 2 stops? is this true?

sorry for the hyjack
charlie
Click to expand...

If you are using autoexposure the camera's metering will take care of the drop in light so you won't have to do anything special except make sure your ISO is high enough to get the shutter speeds you want.

If you are using manual exposure and metering with a separate meter, or by eyeballing the condirions, you will need to manually figure out what adjustments to make. The problem with a CPL is that its darkeing effect varies depending on how you twist it and how the light is hitting the scene, so probably best to meter through the lens and CPL.
 
ladysue said:
Thank you to everyone for your advice. I have read them all and think that probably I will start with a UV (for protection as I am hard on my camera and keep losing my lens caps) and a CPL polariser and a grad neutral density.I must be a bit think cause I'm still not sure about how they fit onto the lens but I will visit Jessops to check that out.
Thanks
Sue
Click to expand...

Before you choose your filters please have a look at the extensive reviews here....

UV - http://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test.html

CPL - http://www.lenstip.com/119.1-article-Polarizing_filters_test_-_supplement.html

You may not find that Jessops offers any where near the best price so I recommend you research wisely.
 
c_robinson said:
ok quick question on the subject. shooting a rally tomorrow and will be using my new CPL, would you reccomend 2stops of extra (either apperture or 2 less on shutter) light? i've read quite often that a cpl can darken images by 2 stops? is this true?

sorry for the hyjack
charlie
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use the Polariser in a situation which involves possibly panning continuous images as you may get inconsistant results.
 
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