aspect ratios and UV filters

[bungle29]

hey all

my sony a200 is a 10.2mp thats a 3:2 ratio but if put it to 16:4 it goes down to 8.4mp what do most people set theres to?

also at the end of my lens is a UV glass and i have others that get slightly darker. just wondering what the befits are to having them? or if anyone even uses them?

cheers bungle

 

[Andy_S]

I expect most will shoot full sized then crop as required on the computer later.

UV filter - Negatives: Blocks uv light from entering the lens, used to be a problem with film but not needed for digital cameras. Can degrade image quality and cause reflections in your photos as light bounces between the sensor/lens and the filter. (Most obvious when shooting in the dark with bright lights in shot.)
Pros: Can offer protection to the front of the lens when shooting in dusty/sandy/wet environments. A lens hood offers much better physical impact protection.

Darker? Possibly Neutral Density Filters. Stops as much light getting in. Allows you to use longer shutter speeds or wider apertures for a given iso.
Or a Polarizing Filter: Polarizes light entering the camera. Reduces glare from the sun, can boost contrast, make colours stronger and make skys look much better.

 

[pingu666]

I use 3.2 or 16.9 as that matches my monitor n telly

 

[POAH]

hey all

also at the end of my lens is a UV glass and i have others that get slightly darker. just wondering what the befits are to having them? or if anyone even uses them?

cheers bungle

no benefit to putting a uv filter on a lens when using a digital camera as they are not affected like film was.

 

[Nod]

As said above, I shoot in the maximum aspect size and at the maximum (JPEG) qualkity available in the equipment I'm using. I then crop to the A series paper dimensions (1x square root of 2) for printing if ultimate framing accuracy is important.

The only time I use a UV filter is when there's a lot of airborne debris/water and even then I'm as worried about dust/water getting in through the vents as I am it getting on the front element (if not more so!) The darker filters the OP has are probably polarising filters (check the sides of the filter - they're usually marked) but could be neutral density filters if the person theyt came from was a keen photographer, especially one who liked blurry water!

 

[bungle29]

thanks for all the reply its really helped

 

[Suvv]

If the filters that get slightly darker have got a clear end which slowly gets darker towards the opposite end then they are Graduated Neutral Density filters.
This explains about the different filters and what they do.