Advice on filters

[ccn1]

Hello,

I have been looking into filters for taking pictures at sunrise, sunset, anti glare, Polorized etc and I am unsure about how they work. I.e grad or stop etc. Is there a posting of how they work and how to use them somewhere ? I spoke to a chap in the shop who said I should have a UV filter on all the time and a polarized filter ?

Also I have a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 lens which I use to take landscape shots, so would that be a 50mm filter ?

Thanks in advance.
Chris

 

[TCR4x4]

Bloke in the shop was talking arse and trying to sell you stuff.. You don't need anything. A polariser is Usefull to cut glare from water, foliage, glass. It also darkens the blue in the sky. A uv filter does nothing and is a waste of money.

Nd filters come as grads or solids. A grad has half the filter darkened and the bottom half clear. These are used for landscapes to darken the sky but keep the foreground correctly exposed. Solid grads are solidly darkened and are used to cut light and give a longer exposure time, can be used in bright sun when a wide aperture is required, or can be used to do long exposure photography.

Stops are the amount of light the filter cuts out, same as a stop of exposure or stop of aperture. The more stops, the more light is cut.

And no it won't be a 50mm filter for that lens! check on the rear of the front lens cap and it will tell you the filter size! might also be written on the inside of the front element. Its a circle with a line through it, then a number.

 

[Canon Bob]

Also I have a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 lens which I use to take landscape shots, so would that be a 50mm filter ?

67mm filter, Chris....if it's the same as the current version.

Bob