Filter question

[Duncan.F]

Hi Folks,
I recently bought a 400d which I am really pleased with. It came with two filters and I wondered if someone could tell me what they are [and used for]! Both are marked made in Germany with B+W on and made of metal. The first is marked 72 010 UV haze 1X MRC [ok I spotted the clue on UV!]. The second has 72 circular -POL, I assume polarising....

Cheers,

Dunc

 

[dazzajl]

yup, you've got it spot on.

The UV will sit on the front of the lens doing little more than very slightly reducing the quality of nearly all your shots. Unless you manage to break it on something, then it dies to save the lens from damage. As you can probably guess, I never use them.

The polariser is great though and one of the few that has no digital alternative. It reduces scattered reflected light, which doesn't sound very interesting but does good things like, darken skies, reduce reflections and boost colour saturation.

 

[Hacker]

The UV filter is one that should stay on the camera all the time as it protects the front element. The second is as you rightly state a circular polarising filter which can be used to cut down reflections and make blue skies bluer when at ninety degrees to the sun.

The good news is that B+W are a very well respected make and the filters should be excellent.