Filters for a complete newbie.

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Joe
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Hey everyone, I am looking to buy a ND filter for my camera probably a 6 stop or a kit maybe as I am a complete beginner and I need some advice.

I dont understand if I need different size filters for different lenses? How do I buy a filter for a kit lens? Which brands are better quality wise? Should I get just ND filter or a polarising filter too?


I am interested in the filter for wide aperture portrait work and also for long exposure landscapes too.

I really appreciate any help and advice guys.

Kind Regards


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Edit: After reading everyones comments so far and I know this may seem the lazy way but would anyone care to look at what gear I currently have and reccomend to me the best value option to suit my needs. I would prefer the cheapest option but if a much better quality version of something is available for not much more money that would be good too.

I would prefer the circular screw in system just as I will be using them for portraits too.

I would do this research myself but I am really anxious about buyingthe wrong gear and wasting money which in turn would demoralise me and make me lose motivation for growth.

As always thank you all so much, reading these friendly replies this morning has put me in an awesome mood during what is going on currently.
 
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Those super long daytime exposures will be a 10/15 stop I'd imagine.

For wide aperture shots you need to work out what you need from the settings you are being forced to use really vs the settings you want to use. Most common there though would be a 3 stop or maybe a polariser.....

Haida are pretty good for the money.
 
Hi

First how most filter systems work and then which filters do you need :)

You have the options for Round Screw in Filters and Square/Rectangular filters used with a holder. Normally the holder based systems are better image quality and easier to change/swap mid shoot, also can be cheaper if you have a few different lenses

For Screw in filters you have to buy one for the front element size of each different type of lens and each type of filter, for example if you have 3 lens with a 67mm / 72mm / 80mm front element and you needed a 6 stop / 10 Stop / Polariser you would have to buy 9 filters - starts to add up in cost.

With a filter holder system you dont have that challenge. You buy the filter once (there are a couple of sizes but for most lenses a 100mm is ok) and then use a 'holder' and 'adaper' rings for each lens. The adapter ring is just a small bit of metal/plastic that screws into the size of lens you have, so in the example above you would buy 3 adapter rings one for each size. Then the holder fastens to the adapter ring and the filters slide into the holder allowing there use on different lenes. Some systems allow a polarizer to be attached to the front as well.

Hope this all makes sense, the below image shows the concept.


1585552127498.png


As to which filters. ND for reducing light and getting long exposure, useful for many type of photography. Polarizer only if you need to reduce reflections or increase contract, normally used for landscape to reduce water reflections.

Only brief but hope it helps.

Rob
 
For Screw in filters you have to buy one for the front element size of each different type of lens and each type of filter, for example if you have 3 lens with a 67mm / 72mm / 80mm front element and you needed a 6 stop / 10 Stop / Polariser you would have to buy 9 filters - starts to add up in cost.

You can just buy the largest circular size that you need, and then use step rings to adjust to the filter ring size of your lens. No requirement to buy one of each size.
 
To add to David's post, a screw in lens hood to suit the filter isn't a bad idea - anything to help reduce flare.
While the slip in square filter systems do allow one to use the same filters on every lens (for which one has an adaptor to fit the holder), unless you're very careful, some light can get between the surfaces and cause flare.
 
For landscapes the Square filters are often better because they allow use of multiple filters - so you might use an ND filter to increase the exposure time, a CPL to reduce unwanted reflections and increase saturation in the sky, and a graduated ND filter to balance the brightness of the sky so that the entire scene fits within the dynamic range of your camera.
While you can stack ND and CPL screw in, a graduated ND really needs to be in a holder so you can position the transition correctly.
All of which is fine for landscape, when you're using a tripod, and can easily take a few minutes to set up.

But I would imagine for wide aperture portraits you are more likely to be hand-holding, and a screw in ND filter would be better than having a holder and square filters dangling off the end of the lens!

So you may find you want both for your different uses.
 
You may know anyway but to find out the size / diameter of the filter or adaptor ring you need for different lenses have a look at the inside of the lens cap, it should be marked. Alternatively have a look at the lens markings you should see something like 67Ø for a 67mm diameter one.
 
Thank you everyone this has been so amazing already! What a great place this is, I look forward to learning more now.
 
You may know anyway but to find out the size / diameter of the filter or adaptor ring you need for different lenses have a look at the inside of the lens cap, it should be marked. Alternatively have a look at the lens markings you should see something like 67Ø for a 67mm diameter one.


Thank you I didnt actually notice this!
 
You can just buy the largest circular size that you need, and then use step rings to adjust to the filter ring size of your lens. No requirement to buy one of each size.

That's good to know, not really explored screw in filters as always used square ones. Thanks for the clarification.
 
For landscapes the Square filters are often better because they allow use of multiple filters - so you might use an ND filter to increase the exposure time, a CPL to reduce unwanted reflections and increase saturation in the sky, and a graduated ND filter to balance the brightness of the sky so that the entire scene fits within the dynamic range of your camera.
While you can stack ND and CPL screw in, a graduated ND really needs to be in a holder so you can position the transition correctly.
All of which is fine for landscape, when you're using a tripod, and can easily take a few minutes to set up.

But I would imagine for wide aperture portraits you are more likely to be hand-holding, and a screw in ND filter would be better than having a holder and square filters dangling off the end of the lens!

So you may find you want both for your different uses.
Thank you for pointing that out!
 
Hi

First how most filter systems work and then which filters do you need :)

You have the options for Round Screw in Filters and Square/Rectangular filters used with a holder. Normally the holder based systems are better image quality and easier to change/swap mid shoot, also can be cheaper if you have a few different lenses

For Screw in filters you have to buy one for the front element size of each different type of lens and each type of filter, for example if you have 3 lens with a 67mm / 72mm / 80mm front element and you needed a 6 stop / 10 Stop / Polariser you would have to buy 9 filters - starts to add up in cost.

With a filter holder system you dont have that challenge. You buy the filter once (there are a couple of sizes but for most lenses a 100mm is ok) and then use a 'holder' and 'adaper' rings for each lens. The adapter ring is just a small bit of metal/plastic that screws into the size of lens you have, so in the example above you would buy 3 adapter rings one for each size. Then the holder fastens to the adapter ring and the filters slide into the holder allowing there use on different lenes. Some systems allow a polarizer to be attached to the front as well.

Hope this all makes sense, the below image shows the concept.


View attachment 273467


As to which filters. ND for reducing light and getting long exposure, useful for many type of photography. Polarizer only if you need to reduce reflections or increase contract, normally used for landscape to reduce water reflections.

Only brief but hope it helps.

Rob
This was great thank you!
 
If you buy square filters you buy adaptor rings to suit different sized lenses.

Similar things available for circular filters, so you buy a filters to suit your largest lens and use step down rings to fit to other ones.
Thank you very much!
 
Those super long daytime exposures will be a 10/15 stop I'd imagine.

For wide aperture shots you need to work out what you need from the settings you are being forced to use really vs the settings you want to use. Most common there though would be a 3 stop or maybe a polariser.....

Haida are pretty good for the money.

How long is super long exposure? Another rookie question I know but say I am wanting smooth water in broad daylight, as an estimate what exposure length would be required?
 
For those suggesting screw in round filters and stepping rings, just remember that there are limited ‘steps’ available which can lead to many rings being needed and could lead to vignetting.
 
How long is super long exposure? Another rookie question I know but say I am wanting smooth water in broad daylight, as an estimate what exposure length would be required?

It's been a very long time since I liked that sort of thing but I'd be guessing at around 30 seconds and longer depending of course on how the water is behaving etc.

I have a 58mm cpl almost always on the 40/1.2 for glare mainly with what I shoot. I also have a cpl in 67mm along with a 3 & a 6 stop ND which is my 85mm filter thread - I have a step ring on my 21mm lens permanently with a cheap cap (I always use cheap caps) so that is 67mm too. I then have a square filter holder for grads but I rarely use that anyway.
 
It's been a very long time since I liked that sort of thing but I'd be guessing at around 30 seconds and longer depending of course on how the water is behaving etc.

I have a 58mm cpl almost always on the 40/1.2 for glare mainly with what I shoot. I also have a cpl in 67mm along with a 3 & a 6 stop ND which is my 85mm filter thread - I have a step ring on my 21mm lens permanently with a cheap cap (I always use cheap caps) so that is 67mm too. I then have a square filter holder for grads but I rarely use that anyway.


I have to be honest some of that went over my head regarding the gear but I thi k I get the gist of it.

Yeah 30 seconds is what I have been trying usually and unless its nighttime obviously super over exposed.
 
For those suggesting screw in round filters and stepping rings, just remember that there are limited ‘steps’ available which can lead to many rings being needed and could lead to vignetting.

Maybe but I've not found that to be a real world problem and I've always been able to find the stepping rings I need.

I also have a square filter system but stepping rings are usually cheaper than the square filter adapter rings. If you want to stack filters a square system may be an advantage but if you only want one or at a pinch two a screw type may be less fiddly than a square set up.
 
For those suggesting screw in round filters and stepping rings, just remember that there are limited ‘steps’ available which can lead to many rings being needed and could lead to vignetting.

Just buy one ring for each lens filter size, I have 72mm round filters, and use 58-72, 62-72 and 67-72 step rings, one at a time not a stack, they only cost a couple of pounds each.
 
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