What type of filter for summer hols..

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norclaj32

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I'm off on my summer holiday abroad shortly and will be taking my new dslr for which I currently have no filters .

I simply cannot afford to buy a ful set of ND & grads & polarizer etc so I was wondering if there was any advice on what filters I should take bearing in mind I'm on a tight budget, I.e should I just take a set of grads, or just full ND's or just a polarizer?

I'm mainly going to be shooting the kids (not in the literal sense), the architecture and the landscapes..mostly during the day too...

Also any advice on brands..? Which ones to stay clear of?

For info I'm taking my kit lens and a tamron 70-300.
 
A circular polariser would be useful, helps to cut or enhance reflections, allows you to see through water to a great or lesser extent, and also useful to enhance blue skies and clouds

Also a 10 stop ND would be handy if you wanted to do any long exposure seascapes, a bit clichéd but can still yield good results

Persoanlly i'm not a fan of graduated filters as i very rarely shoot anything with a perfectly straight horizon, i tend to shoot RAW and sort in in PP, or worst case take multiple exposures and again correct it in PP

As for brands, you can't go far wrong with SRB Photographic or Dorr filters on a decent budget price........... well that's what i use anyway, other will certainly have their own opinions
 
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Also worth mentioning too, if you have multiple filter sizes across your lenses, to save money you could always by the filter for the largest lens then use step down rings to fit to the smaller filter sized lenses, saves buying 2 lots of filters
 
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Ah cool. Thanks for that.

Hadnt thought about the step down ring solution to be honest.

Will go take a look at your suggestions.
 
droj said:
The obvious answer is - take none at all. Less to fiddle about with.
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This. I don't own a single filter and I don't feel my holiday snaps are any worse off for it! But I'd be interested to hear your experience of using them if you did take some.
 
viewfromthenorth said:
This. I don't own a single filter and I don't feel my holiday snaps are any worse off for it! But I'd be interested to hear your experience of using them if you did take some.
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Making a purchase tomorrow so will post some results on a few weeks time.
 
A circular polariser would be probably be the best. I recommend getting on that will fit your 'probable' largest filter size and step down rings. It can save a fortune in cash.
Also consider a UV/ protector filter if you are going somewhere nasty i.e. sea spray, oil, petrol.

Grad filters are good but worth getting good (expensive) ones because of colour cast problems.
 
shreds said:
He said he was going on his summer holidays, not to an oil refinery or petrochemical plant.

....then again the OP might enjoy such places or be an urbex. :eek:
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Watching jet skis, motorcross or beach shots on a blustery day all appear to coat my front element or filter and its a bitch to shift in the field
 
Step-up rings will probably work better than step-down. You step from lens to filter so, if the filter is the size of the largest lens, you step up from the smaller ones.

Personally, I'm in the don't bother camp. Concentrate on the pictures, not the hardware.
 
Surely where you are going and what you intend photographing would influence any filter choices?
 
UV filters are already in place on both lenses but only because that's what the sales chap said 'i must have'...

Question to those that don't use filters....if I wanted to take a long exposure of the say the sea , is it just a case of doing it at the right time, I.e early of late on when the light isn't too strong.? I ask because whenever I see an image where the water is blurred they l seem to have used a 10stop...
 
gramps said:
Surely where you are going and what you intend photographing would influence any filter choices?
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Off to the Algarve, right on the coast where it's 40 odd degrees and not a cloud in the sky apparently..

Only 10 minutes away from the Benagil caves so hopefully going to get a chance to shoot those..
 
In the peak daylight hours of August chances are the light isn't going to be great for landscapes and filters aren't going to make a significant difference.. you need time too so will you have it on a family holiday? I'd spend the money on enjoying the holiday rather than filters, I don't think you'd see a good enough return for the money you'd spend

Simon
 
simonkit said:
In the peak daylight hours of August chances are the light isn't going to be great for landscapes and filters aren't going to make a significant difference.. you need time too so will you have it on a family holiday? I'd spend the money on enjoying the holiday rather than filters, I don't think you'd see a good enough return for the money you'd spend

Simon
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Spot on. Enjoy the time with the family. If you must do some photography, sneak out at silly O clock, grab a few early morning shots then get back before the family is awake. You will score a lot more kudos with them than trying to beat the 40 degree heat and shadowless landscapes.
 
Also note, if you are going to take a 10 stop or similar, you will need some sort of tripod or as i do when on holiday, a bean bag and a remote shutter, weighs next to nothing and the remote shutter makes sure you don't get any movement when pressing the shutter button

There are some stunning rock/cliff formations around the Algarve, i was there a few years back in the resort of Alvor, the coastlines really are stunning
 
rpsmith79 said:
Also note, if you are going to take a 10 stop or similar, you will need some sort of tripod or as i do when on holiday, a bean bag and a remote shutter, weighs next to nothing and the remote shutter makes sure you don't get any movement when pressing the shutter button

There are some stunning rock/cliff formations around the Algarve, i was there a few years back in the resort of Alvor, the coastlines really are stunning
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I'm taking a tripod...nothing fancy but enough to keep the camera steady..
 
If you're going somewhere sunny, a CPL can be useful. It's the only filter I use.

If it's a UK staycation, maybe a rain cover. Or a dinghy.
 
norclaj32 said:
I'm off on my summer holiday abroad shortly and will be taking my new dslr for which I currently have no filters .
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If you haven't used a filter before going on holiday, do you think you'll be spending time whilst you're on holiday learning how to get the most from it?

But a CPL for the kit lens would be useful, stick to the better brands rather than no-name (e.g. Tiffen, Marumi.. .. Hoya if you want cheap and cheerful).
 
Alastair said:
If you haven't used a filter before going on holiday, do you think you'll be spending time whilst you're on holiday learning how to get the most from it?
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2 weeks in a villa with nothing to do but relaxing and if that means messing on with the camera then yes...

that is if the all the kids get along and play nicely together..otherwise I'll be sorting them out. [emoji1]
 
Indeed, no reason not to enjoy your hobby on holiday, just because you are abroad with your family doesn't mean you can't take photos of things other than your family ;)
 
I would take a CPL, then worry about ND filters if the budget allowed for it. If you are shooting very wide, be careful with step up/step down rings as they can cause serious vignetting (if you have a wide angle zoom you can usually increase the focal length a bit to get past this issue).

I use this one which, for this price, I've been very happy with:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LMRAN2K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Edit: I have also purchased this set of ND filters, but haven't even got around to fitting them to my lens yet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JL4H60I?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

I'm not expecting anything brilliant and suspect I'll need to correct any flaws in post processing (you get what you pay for with these type of things) but they were cheap enough to play around with, and might be suitable for your holiday "alone" time ;)
 
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