What do I need to know about filters?
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odd jim
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Nope, they are (in general) just as useful on DSLRs.
I love my new polarising filter I purchased for my 10-22mm.
A good article on filters, and polarisers in particular - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_filter
You cant really achieve the full effect of a polariser in Photoshop, as it can reduce reflections on metal, water etc, increase definition and saturation of the natural image to name a few things.
I love my new polarising filter I purchased for my 10-22mm.
A good article on filters, and polarisers in particular - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_filter
You cant really achieve the full effect of a polariser in Photoshop, as it can reduce reflections on metal, water etc, increase definition and saturation of the natural image to name a few things.
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same with nd's and nd grads, cant be replicated in facebook.
odd jim
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I cant find any software that can do what a polarizer does, as with a polarizer, due to the way it filters certain light waves, the camera will see more, such as the bottom of a lake, pond or stream through the water whereby without the filter it would be blocked by reflections.
Example from a test I did, on a dull day, one with the filter dialled right down, the other with the filter on full strength;
(ignore the actual photo composition etc, it was just for testing!)
Low effect; -
Filter dialled up -
You can see it captures the colours actually under the water, even far out to the horizon, as without it its just capturing the reflections from the dull sky. It shows that even on a dull day the filter can still be useful. No PP'ing.
Car photography looks so much richer and more detailed when the reflections are dialled down.
And the less you have to do in Photoshop / Lightroom the better as the quality of the image wont be degraded by sharpening / saturation etc. I would never shoot another landscape scene without one!
Example from a test I did, on a dull day, one with the filter dialled right down, the other with the filter on full strength;
(ignore the actual photo composition etc, it was just for testing!)
Low effect; -
Filter dialled up -
You can see it captures the colours actually under the water, even far out to the horizon, as without it its just capturing the reflections from the dull sky. It shows that even on a dull day the filter can still be useful. No PP'ing.
Car photography looks so much richer and more detailed when the reflections are dialled down.
And the less you have to do in Photoshop / Lightroom the better as the quality of the image wont be degraded by sharpening / saturation etc. I would never shoot another landscape scene without one!
odd jim
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In general, avoid the cheap ones (no point putting cheap glass in front of expensive glass).
HOYA etc are good, and even Jessops own brand are very good as they are actually made by HOYA anyway. If you are shooting with an ultra wide (10mm) angle go for one with a shallow mount as you may get vingnetting as the lens captures the edge of the mount, though its gone on mine at 11mm.
And there are two mount types, circular and linear. Circular filters are most commonly used as they screw into the front of the lens and you can alter the effect it gives by turning the adjuster on the front.
HOYA etc are good, and even Jessops own brand are very good as they are actually made by HOYA anyway. If you are shooting with an ultra wide (10mm) angle go for one with a shallow mount as you may get vingnetting as the lens captures the edge of the mount, though its gone on mine at 11mm.
And there are two mount types, circular and linear. Circular filters are most commonly used as they screw into the front of the lens and you can alter the effect it gives by turning the adjuster on the front.
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Just make sure you get a CIRCULAR polarizer and not a LINEAR polarizer if you are using an AF camera as most of us are nowadays. Its not the shape of the filter, its the way its made and polarizes the light. Linear polarizers cause problems with metering and focusing.
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Just to add then, I'm mainly into motorsport and wildlife I have 70-200 f4l and a siggy 17-70 that I use as a general purpose lens for car shows etc. what benefits would I see and what filters would you recommend?
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Another n00b here - how much should I expect to be paying for a polarising filter to fit my noddy Canon 18/55 kit lens (and am I right in thinking that the 58mm filter is the right one for that lens?)
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OK, you can ignore the n00b - it looks like I've answered my own questions.
Yes, 58mm seems to be the right filter size for my lens and Amazon have got a Hoya 58mm polarising filter for £14.35. Another item to go on my Amazon wish list for when I've got a bit of spare cash!
Yes, 58mm seems to be the right filter size for my lens and Amazon have got a Hoya 58mm polarising filter for £14.35. Another item to go on my Amazon wish list for when I've got a bit of spare cash!
odd jim
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I was thinking about getting a polariser for my 24-70 L..
The Hoya Digital circular polariser in a 77mm size would cost...
Wait for it...
£150
That's from Warehouse Express, but it's equally expensive everywhere I've looked
A.
Hmmm, I can see they have one at £79... http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-hoya-77mm-circular-polarising-filter/p11805. The one you're looking at is the top end of the range jobbie that is a bit OTT!
My 77mm was £59 at Jessops, own brand but still made by Hoya and is very good!!
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I was thinking about getting a polariser for my 24-70 L..
The Hoya Digital circular polariser in a 77mm size would cost...
Wait for it...
£150
That's from Warehouse Express, but it's equally expensive everywhere I've looked
The best polarising filter you can get IMHO, is the new Hoya HD. I bought one in 77mm a couple of weeks ago from Amazon for £82 (RRP over £200
). It only reduces exposure by 1.1 stops with no loss of polarisation. And multicoated of course (some are not coated at all = bad).I see it is now only £75.70 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hoya-Digita...PMGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249563496&sr=8-1
S
sottoig
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I was thinking about getting a polariser for my 24-70 L..
The Hoya Digital circular polariser in a 77mm size would cost...
Wait for it...
£150
That's from Warehouse Express, but it's equally expensive everywhere I've looked
A.
Sorry, but whats the point of L series lens and not putting a quality filter on the front?
You wouldn't buy a ferrari and put cheap re-moulded tyres on it - would you?
B+W Kaseman polarisers are IMO simply the best!
I was once asked the question by a noobie togger about the usefulness of filters. Luckily it was a bright sunny day with a few clouds in the sky. I told him to look up in to the sky so he did and squinted a lot. I passed him my sunglasses and told him to look again as I pointed out how much bluer the sky was, how much more contrast there was in the clouds and in general how much nicer things looked.
"So what about camera filters" he asked to which I responded "Your head is the camera, your eyes are the lens and the sunglasses the filter"
He understood it then and went out and bought some filters.
"So what about camera filters" he asked to which I responded "Your head is the camera, your eyes are the lens and the sunglasses the filter"
He understood it then and went out and bought some filters.
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ebay look for a kenko pro 1 CPL, willbe under £50
I was thinking about getting a polariser for my 24-70 L..
The Hoya Digital circular polariser in a 77mm size would cost...
Wait for it...
£150
That's from Warehouse Express, but it's equally expensive everywhere I've looked
A.
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But could he snatch the pebbles from your hand ?
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Another point worth mentioning - I bought a Canon CPL which was on special offer of £70.
I wanted to shoot some landscapes with the polarizer and ND grads but the Canon CPL doesn't have a thread at the front to screw on the filter holder.
I ended up buying a Hoya which does have a front screw. Can't remember how much it was but it certainly wasn't as much as £150
I wanted to shoot some landscapes with the polarizer and ND grads but the Canon CPL doesn't have a thread at the front to screw on the filter holder.
I ended up buying a Hoya which does have a front screw. Can't remember how much it was but it certainly wasn't as much as £150