Which filter for a 50?

[bomberman]

got a 50mm 1.8 mk1 arriving shortly and looking at filters. I'm not after a CPL for it as it'll be mostly used for portrait work, and if i'm going to spend money on a CPL it'll be for something wider like my 17-70.

I'm thinking either a skylight or a UV but not sure which one is best? :shrug:

 

[HoppyUK]

They are basically just protection filters. Skylight is very slightly pinkish to counteract the very small amount of blue UV that film is prone to with older electronic flash guns and high altitude landscapes. No use with digital.

Just fit a rubber lens hood for a fiver from Jessops if you want protection.

 

[Davec223]

When I was shooting my 50 1.8 I did have one on it but suffered from flare so took if off. Now I have my 50 1.4 I am not bothering with a filter and will use the hood for protection.

 

[bomberman]

When I was shooting my 50 1.8 I did have one on it but suffered from flare

i've got a skylight on my 17-70 and getting flare do you think this could be why? I do want it for protection mainly

 

[Davec223]

i've got a skylight on my 17-70 and getting flare do you think this could be why? I do want it for protection mainly

Try taking the same image with and without filter and compare to see if that is the problem, also use a lens hood, this will help repuce flare too.

 

[HoppyUK]

i've got a skylight on my 17-70 and getting flare do you think this could be why? I do want it for protection mainly

All lenses produce a little flare; some quite a lot, cheaper zooms are most prone because they have a lot of glass elements in them and are maybe not so well baffled inside.

Filters just add an extra glass layer and if they are cheap uncoated ones it will be quite bad. Single coated filters are much better and multi-coated filters are really quite hard to provoke in normal situations.

The other problem is because filters are flat and parallel to the sensor, anything reflected off the middle of the mirror-like surface goes straight out and is then reflected back again from the back of the filter to produce a ghost image.

Try shooting a very bright subject against a dark background, like street lights or car headlights, with and without the filter Some examples here http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=130960

 

[Davec223]

All lenses produce a little flare; some quite a lot, cheaper zooms are most prone because they have a lot of glass elements in them and are maybe not so well baffled inside.

Filters just add an extra glass layer and if they are cheap uncoated ones it will be quite bad. Single coated filters are much better and multi-coated filters are really quite hard to provoke in normal situations.

The other problem is because filters are flat and parallel to the sensor, anything reflected off the middle of the mirror-like surface goes straight out and is then reflected back again from the back of the filter to produce a ghost image.

Try shooting a very bright subject against a dark background, like street lights or car headlights, with and without the filter Some examples here http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=130960

the above are extreme conditions, Flair has little to do with the sensor being mirror like, as this happens with film to, it is to do with light reflecting off the front element of the lens and then the rear surface of the filter. I use filters on most of my lenses most of the time, but I also remove them the conditions require it.

 

[HoppyUK]

[/B]

the above are extreme conditions, Flair has little to do with the sensor being mirror like, as this happens with film to, it is to do with light reflecting off the front element of the lens and then the rear surface of the filter. I use filters on most of my lenses most of the time, but I also remove them the conditions require it.

Dave, there is a certain type of flare that has everything to do with the mirror-like surface of the sensor, and ditto the rear surface of the filter. See the images in the link. You do not get this with film.

And yes, those conditions are extreme in order to best show what is going on. However, to a lesser extent, flare is happening all the time with every single photograph with every lens. Filters just make it worse - a lot worse because they are often uncoated or poorly coated, and because they are flat and parallel with the sensor.